2017 DEOHS AIHce Reception

Great times at the AIHce DEOHS
Alumni, Friends, and Family
Reception w/ sponsor Guy
Silvey, BSI!

The 2017 DEOHS Alumni, Friends, and Family reception in conjunction with AIHce was a fun night for everyone! Colleagues and alumni came together in Seattle at the beautiful Pan Pacific Hotel to celebrate DEOHS's many accomplishments and successful alumni. The evening couldn't have been a success without the wonderful event sponsors! 

We would like to extend a special thank you to:

The Boeing Company

Veritox, Inc

Pacific Northwest Section AIHA

BSI

Alaska National Insurance

Integrity Safety Services

NVL Laboratories 

Amec Foster Wheeler

Cepheid

The Oregon Institute of Occupational Health Sciences at OHSU

NIOSH

UW School of Public Health 

We are already excited for the 2018 reception!

NIOSH ERC Activities at the 2017 AIHce Conference in Seattle!

Will we see you at AIHce 2017 in Seattle? Northwest Center for Occupational Health and Safety NIOSH ERC faculty, staff, and students will be involved in a variety of activities throughout the conference! Check out the events below, and don't forget to find us in the Expo Hall and say hello!

STUDENT PRESENTATIONS

Max Chmielinski 

Wednesday, June 7, 2017, 9:00-10:00am, Student Poster Session

Measuring Worker Exposures to Ultraviolet Radiation in the Cannabis Industry

Max Chmielienski, PhD NIOSH ERC Trainee,  Exposure Sciences

Measuring Urinary Hydroxylated PAH Metabolites as Exposure Biomarkers to Diesel Exhaust in Underground Miners

Emily Zamzow, MS NIOSH ERC Trainee,  Exposure Sciences

Assessment of Urinary PAH Metabolites as Biomarkers for Wood Smoke Exposure

Spencer Birch, MS NIOSH ERC Trainee, Exposure Sciences

Health Risk Estimation for Unregulated DBPs in Chloraminated Drinking Water

Chen Wu, DEOHS MS Student, Exposure Sciences

FACULTY AND STAFF PRESENTATIONS

Tuesday, June 6, 2017, 10:00-11:00am, Room 611 & 612, Education Session: Three Times the Data

A Mobile App for Pesticide and H&S Information

Kit Galvin, MS, CIH, Pablo Palmández, MS

Tuesday, June 6, 2017, 2:00-3:00pm, Ballroom 6C, Education Session

Are Controls Working – Evaluating Effectiveness

Martin Cohen, ScD, SM, CIH, CSP, Marc Beaudreau, MS, Gerry Croteau, MS, CIH

AWARDS

Michael Yost, DEOHS Chair

Michael Yost, PhD, MS, Rachel Carson Award

This award is presented by the AIHA Environmental Issues Committee to those EH&S persons who have achieved outstanding success and distinction in their EH&S business, profession or life’s work.

This award will be presented at the Mark of Excellence Awards Breakfast on June 6, 2017, 7:00-8:30am.

Max Chmielienski, PhD NIOSH ERC Trainee, Exposure Sciences, AIHA Steven P. Levine Memorial Scholarship

SPECIAL EVENTS AND COURSES

Saturday, June 3 – Sunday, June 4, 2017, 8:00am – 5:00pm, Room 401, Professional Development Course

Application of Industrial Hygiene in an Emergency Response

Dana Stahl, CIH, Nicole Errett, PhD, MSPH

Monday, June 5, 2017, 3:30-5:30pm, UW Campus South Campus Center Crow’s Nest

Academic Roundtable and ERC Director’s Meeting - open to ERC Directors, UW Faculty, and other invitees Hosted by Noah Seixas, PhD, MS

Pan Pacific Hotel, Seattle

Monday, June 5, 2017, 6:00-9:00pm, Pan Pacific Hotel, SouthLake Union

Annual AIHce UW Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Alumni, Friends, and Family Reception

Tuesday, June 6, 2017, 5:00-7:00pm, Committee Meeting, Sheraton Seattle Hotel, Ballard Room

AIHA Environmental Issues Committee Meeting

Michael Yost, PhD, MS

ERC Trainee Graduates to Boeing

ERC Trainee, and recent MS graduate, Darrick Dickerson turned his Industrial Hygiene dreams into reality through his training at the Northwest Center!

During the summer of 2016 Darrick interned at Boeing as part of his Master's program with the NWC.

"During my internship I gained extensive hands-on experience with industrial hygiene equipment, and developed my skills in assessing potential health hazards and communicating risks in a manner that is understandable to customers who don't have a background in occupational health and safety," said Darrick.

Darrick was able to compliment his classroom learning with real life experience at Boeing. "I was able to refine my risk communication skills, gain familiarity with government and company regulations, and practice compliance enforcement in a hands-on environment," said Dickerson. "Perhaps the most important skill I developed through my schooling was how to assess occupational exposures and safety concerns, and determine the best way to reduce or eliminate hazards. Through my internship I was able to practice these skills in the real world."

Upon completion of his Master's degree and internship Darrick was offered a full-time position with Boeing as a Safety Specialist. He now helps Boeing to refine workplace processes and investigate areas of improvement to reduce current and future safety and health hazards. He also helps ensure that the company remains in compliance with federal and state regulations. "I love the work I do," says Darrick, "I feel great knowing that my work benefits the lives and wellbeing of those around me!"

DEOHS Industrial Hygiene Program Alumni Present at NOHC 2016

DEOHS Alumni Sarah Wolz, MS and Liz Kindred, MS presented at NOHC 2016. Sarah, current Program Content Coordinator for the Northwest Center's Continuing Education Program, summarized her experience at NOHC.

"It was a pleasure to 'tag team' present at NOHC '16 in Portland this year with Liz Kindred, Safety Officer at Harborview Medical Center and fellow UW DEOHS alumni. Liz's presentation covered the 'state of the issue' and all the planning, training and preparations Harborview made for accepting potentially infected patients during the often chaotic Ebola virus outbreak in 2014. 

Our CE presentation highlighted a Washington Labor & Industries SHIP-grant funded training and education project we completed last year with the Harborview Emergency Department and the WWAMI Institute for Simulation in Healthcare. Using the Ebola outbreak, preparations, and the necessity to wear high-level PPE as a 'case study' for looking at occupational safety, we employed simulation technology, virtual reality technology, and a semi-quantitative risk assessment tool to study certain procedures healthcare providers must do while caring for an Ebola-infected patient. We looked for where there might be "failures" in the procedures that could lead to occupational exposure, and developed step-by-step protocols to try to engineer these failures out of the system. 

Two sample training tools were developed: a stepwise app for the protocol to be used on handheld devices to refresh caregivers' training and improve safety by guiding them through critical steps, and a simple virtual reality "google cardboard" glasses tool, using 3D/360 degree images of the patient isolation room and learner feedback technology. Both tools were demonstrated at the Northwest Center for Occupational Health & Safety/Continuing Education booth at NOHC.  

While Ebola virus may not be a current threat today, we all know that status can change rapidly with a re-emergence or other similarly contagious emergent disease. Occupational health professionals understand the importance for preparedness and the rigorous training required. We hope this presentation sparked interest in exploring the uses of new technologies in developing more interactive and interesting tools for effective training and education."

Resources from the above mentioned Ebola patient handling course are available on the Northwest Center for Occupational Health and Safety's Continuing Education Program website. Resources include presentation slides and recordings, instructions to download the developed app, and downloadable resource sheets.