Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Program in Occupational and Environmental Health

Paul Strickland, PhD
pstrickl@jhsph.edu

Admissions Information:
Nina Kulacki, Academic Programs Manager
nkulacki@jhsph.edu or 410-955-2212

Occupational and Environmental Health scientists seek to prevent disease and injuries related to occupational and environmental stressors and promote health among individuals and in populations through research, professional practice and teaching. The Department offers formal training in occupational and environmental health, with particular strength in the following areas: the application of biomarkers of exposure, dose and susceptibility; molecular, occupational and environmental epidemiology; and occupational and environmental policy and management.

The doctoral program in occupational and environmental health prepares students for academic careers in teaching and research. Students pursue excellence in scholarly creative research in the etiology, detection and (biologic) monitoring, and the diagnosis and prevention of human diseases of occupational and environmental origin.

Research toward the PhD leads to an expanded understanding of one of the several domains of occupational and environmental health, including clinical and laboratory toxicology; development and validation of biomarkers; occupational, environmental and molecular epidemiology; and biostatistics, population health management and health promotion, and intervention studies focused on disease prevention.

Occupational and environmental health faculty members are engaged in a wide range of research projects, primarily in human research studies utilizing epidemiological methods, often with a focus on disease etiology and causal pathways. The research of faculty advisers in the concentration includes a particular strengths in the central nervous system; peripheral nervous system; renal, musculoskeletal, pulmonary, and cancer outcomes. Research activities include a prominent focus on biomarkers and their development, validation and demonstration of utility for prevention; development, validation and effectiveness of medical surveillance activities; occupational and environmental health policy; evaluation of the health effects of global environmental change; interaction between genetic factors and occupational and environmental exposures in causing disease; the impact of health conditions on productivity and ability to work; and causes, risk factors, diagnosis and treatment of occupational and environmental diseases and injuries.