School of Public Health and Community Medicine - University of Washington - Spr/Sum 2008

At our annual Student Research Day, one second-year master’s student from each of our academic programs was selected to present an oral summary of his or her thesis or project research. The remainder of the graduating master’s students and a few doctoral students presented posters of their work. Abstracts are online. Faculty preceptors are listed in parentheses.

Opiate Use By Injured Workers

Enass A Rahman

Enass A Rahman, MPH, Occupational & Environmental Medicine (Franklin)

OxyContin, Darvon, and Vicodin are increasingly used for back injuries and other chronic nonmalignant pain. This liberalization of opioid prescribing raises concerns about potentially fatal side effects, as well as abuse and dependency. This study examines prescription data for workers with low back injuries in the Washington State Workers’ Compensation System and explores whether long-term use of opiates improves their pain level and functional status. This information could help healthcare providers improve their prescribing practices and treatment plans.

PBDEs In Chinook Salmon

Eva Browne, MS, Toxicology (Gallagher)

Eva Browne

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are chemical flame retardants that persist in the environment and bioaccumulate in wildlife and humans. Of particular concern is the Puget Sound Chinook salmon, whose PBDE levels are among the highest in salmonids. The chemical characteristics and concentrations of PBDEs in Chinook salmon suggest a metabolism process in the liver. However, Chinook do not appear to metabolize PBDEs the same way as carp or other fish. The Gallagher lab is continuing to look for the unique ways Chinook metabolize PBDEs.

Walking and Health In Elders

Erica Finsness

Erica Finsness, MPH, Environmental & Occupational Health (Daniell)

This study looks at neighborhoods, walking, and physical function in older adults. It combines data from two previous studies: the Walkable and Bikeable Communities (WBC) project from the UW Department of Urban Design and Planning, and the Adult Changes in Thought (ACT) study from Group Health Cooperative, which measured physical—as well as cognitive— function. Finsness looked for a statistical association between walkability and function for 740 people, average age 78. Her raw data failed to show a correlation, but she is continuing to examine other behavioral and community factors.

Exposures In A Refinery

Loren Kaehn

Loren Kaehn, MS, Occupational & Environmental Medicine (Morgan)

This project assessed occupational exposures to airborne chemical and noise hazards at a small petrochemical refinery. Kaehn compared worker exposures to relevant occupational exposure limits and stratified them by the urgency for implementation of workplace controls. Hydrogen sulfide, benzene, mercury vapor, and naphthalene exposures were found to be below relevant limits. Exposures to hexavalent chromium, sulfur dioxide, and noise necessitated follow-up. He recommended control methods such as ventilation modifications, equipment substitution, procedural changes, and personal protective equipment.

Pathogens In Drinking Water

Jennifer Parker

Jennifer Parker, MS, Environmental Health (Meschke)

Drinking water is not routinely monitored for pathogens because they are difficult to detect. However, new molecular methods, such as whole genome amplification (WGA), seem promising. This study applied WGA to mock drinking water samples containing DNA from mixed microbial communities spiked with small quantities of the human pathogens Adenovirus type 41, Echovirus type 13, Mycobacterium avium, and Aeromonas hydrophila. This study showed the feasibility of detecting very small quantities of nucleic acids from small numbers of pathogenic organisms.

STUDENT POSTER SESSION

Environmental Health, MS

Lesley Leggett (Shin) Inactivation of human adenovirus serotype 2 by sequential disinfection with UV irradiation and free chlorine

Kelly Stumbaugh (Kissel) Estimation of skin permeability coefficients for aqueous chloroform from human in vivo trials and assessment of the relative contribution of dermal exposure

Melissa Winters (Fenske) The Washington aerial spray drift: A comparison of children’s inhalation exposures to methamidophos estimated using diary and personalized global position system data

Industrial Hygiene, MS

Oleg Antonchuk (Seixas) Evaluation of local exhaust ventilation for welding

Travis Cook (Simpson) Identification of chlorpyrifos adducts in rat blood plasma by mass spectrometry based proteomics

Seong Hyun Hwang (Johnson) Race, gender and finger anthropometry: Implications for computer input device design

Jannette Kibogy (Fenske) Assessment of chlorpyrifos exposure in agricultural workers during airblast applications

Danielle Parette (Morgan) Particle size distribution and bioavailability of hexavalent chromium among welders and spray painters

Benjamin Wischmeier (Yost) Evaluation of the efficacy of the BioSampler aerosol collection device for collection and retention of various particle sizes

Occupational & Environmental Expsoure Sciences, MS

Ryan Blood (Johnson) Whole body vibration exposure among transit workers in King County, Washington Jennifer Parker

Toxicology, MS

Cassandra Fok (Eaton) The role of glutathione in microglial-induced oxidative stress

Environmental and Occupational Health, MPH

Devasmita Chakraverty (Woods) Preparation of integrated risk information systems (IRIS) reports and quantification of reference doses and concentrations for tungsten and cadmium exposures

Sarah Lowry (Seixas) Possibilities and challenges in injury surveillance in Seattle-area day laborers

Kenneth Scott (Silverstein) Preparing for an aging workforce: A formative evaluation of an action plan development workshop

David Shoaf (Keifer) Usability: An important consideration for public health education on the web

Occupational and Environmental Medicine, MPH

Bradley Gardiner (Firestone) Survival analysis of new military recruits requiring waivers for scoliosis

Aaron Jacob (Keifer) Survival analysis of new military recruits requiring medical waivers for pes planus

Christine Lang (Daniell)Weight at enlistment predicts enrollment in the Army weight control program 15 months later

Rachel Roisman (Vedal) Respiratory health effects among children in a pulp mill community

Toxicology, PhD

Erin Peck (Eaton) Activation of aristolochic acid to mutagenic metabolites by human CYP1A1, 1A2, and 3A4

Isaac Mohar (Kavanagh) Acetaminophen-protein adducts are not sufficient for hepatocellular necrosis in mice: Modulation of toxicity by gender and GCLM

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