Northwest Center Trainee Selected to Present at UW Global Health 10th Anniversary Celebration

Occupational Health at the Human-Animal Interface trainee Julianne Meisner was selected as one of 15 students to present her work at the UW Department of Global Health 10th Anniversary Celebration. Governor Insley, Melinda Gates, and other global health leaders from the Pacific Northwest will be in attendance at the exclusive event.

Julianne will present her poster "Zoonotic disease, animal injury, and other occupational hazards of rural livestock keepers in norther Uganda" at the event. We are so proud of our outstanding trainee for receiving this prestigious invitation. Read more about Julianne's research here.

ERC Trainee Takes Her Training to ExxonMobil

Emily Zamzow, a current ERC student, was first introduced to academic research while working for Boise State University on a NIOSH funded research study examining diesel exposure to underground miners in 2014. Throughout this project she worked with Dr. Chris Simpson of the University of Washington Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences (DEOHS), and he introduced her to the exposure science masters program through DEOHS. 

Currently as a second year MS student in the exposure science program, she works in the Simpson Lab analyzing biomarker samples from underground miners to determine their exposure to diesel. She hopes her project will help build the body of knowledge surrounding diesel exposures to ensure the health and safety of future underground miners. 

Being an ERC student has equipped Emily with the skills to work in industry and provide essential industrial hygiene support. In the summer of 2016, she was employed as the industrial hygiene intern at the ExxonMobil Joliet, Illinois refinery. Throughout the summer, she assisted in exposure monitoring of workers to ensure worker safety and compliance with all regulatory and ExxonMobil standards, guidelines and best practices. The refinery environment is diverse and thus, exposure monitoring was done for a wide range of potential hazards including chemical hazards, noise, lighting, asbestos and respirable dust. With her training from the ERC and the University of Washington, Emily was able to help ensure worker safety at the ExxonMobil refinery.

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!"