The Johns Hopkins Education and Research Center for Occupational Safety and Health
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The Johns Hopkins Education and Research Center (ERC) for Occupational Safety and Health is a multidisciplinary and interdepartmental program whose objective is to prepare professionals in the field of occupational and environmental safety and health in the areas of research, education, service and policy development. This program is sponsored by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and includes six programs: occupational and environmental hygiene, occupational and environmental medicine, occupational and environmental health nursing, biomarkers of exposure and susceptibility, occupational injury epidemiology and prevention, and continuing education & outreach.
For more information please download our brochure.
So you want to be an Occupational Health Nurse?
Click here for some tips and pointers on how to make it happen.
Walk with Me
Johns Hopkins Public Health Magazine | Special Issue February 2012
Multiple sclerosis kept her in a scooter for 20 years,
but Dr. Sheila Fitzgerald now walks on her own—with
a little technological help.
Click here to read the article online in the Johns Hopkins Public Health Magazine. Also you can watch the video.
National Assessment of the Occupational Safety and Health Workforce
To respond to growing concern and debate over the supply and demand for occupational safety and health professionals in the United States, NIOSH commissioned a National Survey of the Occupational Safety and Health Workforce, released in October, 2011. The current surveys were designed and implemented by an independent research firm with expertise in survey research design. The effort was guided by a multidisciplinary advisory task force of occupational safety and health professionals and practitioners. Public comment and input from major stakeholder groups were included in the program development. This is the second assessment of the kind to be conducted by NIOSH. The first NIOSH assessment and report were undertaken in 1978.
Please take a moment to go the website.
Stress-Free Monday
link to article
download pdf article
Does the thought of Monday and the beginning of the work week bring stressful thoughts to mind? Don't let it! According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about one-third of workers report high levels of stress, increasing the individual's risk for injury and illness as well as decreasing the company's productivity.
“Many don’t realize that working conditions play a primary role in job stress, even more so than one's personal characteristics,” explains Dr. Jacqueline Agnew, Director of the JHSPH Center for Occupational Safety and Health. Some of the most stressful jobs are ones that take employees to the brink of exhaustion through long work hours, few rest periods, and little opportunity for worker growth or input in decision-making. On the other hand, support from co-workers and supervisors goes a long way to protect workers against the harmful effects of stress, as does a comfortable work environment that is uncrowded, quiet, and free from air contaminants and other hazards. While it is difficult to design such jobs in our fast-paced working world, the results go a long way toward keeping an entire workforce healthy and on the job. Use the start of this week to take an inventory of these factors at your job. Can you change any of these conditions for yourself or for others? Can you convince your supervisor to do the same?
Even if you can't directly change your workplace, you can take steps to combat your own work stress. First, seek to find a balance between work and personal life. Always remain relaxed and positive when approaching difficult or undesired tasks. Foster a strong support group of family, friends, and coworkers to help manage stressful situations. Lastly, be sure to get 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night; it will make you less irritable and stressed the next day. For more information, visit the CDC website. Faculty and staff of Johns Hopkins may seek further assistance here.
Every Monday, the Johns Hopkins Healthy Monday Project, part of the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future, offers tips for preventing disease and injury, and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Check back each week for new tips or visit our archive.
Nurses Focus on Environment
Baltimore Sun Article (07.12.09)
Jackie Agnew, Sheila Fitzgerald and Elizabeth Kasameyer
search an alley for environmental hazards.
Checking in the upholstery for bedbugs.
The Johns Hopkins Center for Occupational Safety and Health is a multidisciplinary and interdepartmental program whose objective is to prepare professionals in the field of occupational and environmental safety and health in the areas of research, education, service and policy development. This program is sponsored by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and includes six programs that comprise the Johns Hopkins Education and Research Center (ERC) for Occupational Safety and Health: occupational and environmental hygiene, occupational and environmental medicine, occupational and environmental health nursing, biomarkers of exposure and susceptibility, occupational injury epidemiology and prevention, and continuing education and outreach.
The ERC is designed to serve as a regional resource for occupational and environmental safety and health professionals and is located in the Departments of Environmental Health Sciences and Health Policy and Management of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Additionally, the programs integrate the resources of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, the School of Engineering, and the School of Nursing. The ERC offers graduate degree programs, both master’s and doctoral, as well as continuing education in occupational and environmental health.
For more information please download our brochure.
Director
Jacqueline Agnew, PhD, RN
Research: faculty page
Email: jagnew1@jhu.edu
Phone: 410-955-4037
Room W7503DDeputy Director
Director, Pilot Project Research Training Program
Peter S.J. Lees, PhD, CIH
Program: Pilot Project Research Training Program
Research: faculty page
Email: plees1@jhu.edu
Phone: 410-955-3009
Room E6624
Director, Occupational and Environmental Hygiene Program
Peter S.J. Lees, PhD, CIH
Program: OEH Program
Research: faculty page
Email: plees1@jhu.edu
Phone: 410-955-3009
Room E6624Deputy Program Director, Occupational and Environmental Medicine Residency Program
Aisha Rivera Margarin, MD, MS
Program: OEMR Program
Email: ariver28@jhu.edu
Room W7513B
Director, Occupational and Environmental Medicine Residency Program
Brian Schwartz, MD, MPH
Program: OEMR Program
Research: faculty page
Email: bschwar1@jhu.edu
Phone: 410-955-4158
Room W7041
Director, Occupational and Environmental Health Nursing Program
Maureen A. F. Cadorette, PhD
Program: OEHN Program
Research: faculty page
Email: mcadore1@jhu.ed
Phone: 410-955-4587
Room W7503ADirector, Biomarkers of Occupational Exposure and Susceptibility (BOES) Program
Paul Strickland, PhD
Program: BOES Program
Research: faculty page
Email: pstrickl1@jhu.edu
Phone: 410-955-4456
Room W7535Director, Occupational Injury Epidemiology and Prevention Program
Keshia M. Pollack, PhD, MPH
Program: OIEP Program
Research: faculty page
Email: kpollac1@jhu.edu
Phone: 410-502-6272
Hampton House, Room 557Director, Continuing Education Program
Mary L. Doyle, MPH, RN, COHN-S/CM
Program: ERC Continuing Education Courses
Research: faculty page
Email: mdoyle6@jhu.edu
Phoen: 410-955-0423
Room W7517
Seven programs comprise the Johns Hopkins Education and Research Center for Occupational Safety and Health:
Occupational and Environmental Hygiene Program
The Occupational and Environmental Hygiene program focuses on the anticipation, recognition, evaluation and control of factors in the workplace and community which may cause illness or injury. The basic curriculum includes physiology, toxicology, occupational health, occupational medicine, ergonomics, biostatistics, epidemiology, principles of industrial safety, health and safety program management, health and safety law, industrial noise, and industrial hygiene principles, measurements and controls. Training is offered at master’s and doctoral levels. The program leading to the Master of Science in Public Health (MSPH) degree is intended to provide broad education, training, and experience for the general practice of industrial hygiene and safety. The MHS program in Occupational and Environmental Hygiene is accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering Technology (ABET). Doctoral training is available for qualified students interested in research careers. Research interests of the faculty include all aspects related to exposure assessment for physical, chemical and biological agents. An original research dissertation is required.Occupational and Environmental Medicine Residency
The Occupational Medicine program offers 1) residency training in Occupational Medicine to physicians, 2) a joint doctoral program with the Department of Epidemiology in occupational epidemiology, and 3) a core curriculum in occupational and environmental health and medicine for masters and doctoral students in the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health as well as postdoctoral fellows throughout the University. The Occupational Medicine Residency trains leaders in occupational medicine for careers in any of the major sectors of the field – academia, industry, government, clinical practice, or labor – and provides expertise in occupational and environmental medicine. The residency is a two-year program, with an optional third-year available for trainees interested in careers in academia. The Residency is fully accredited by the ACGME and contributes to eligibility to sit for the certifying examination in occupational medicine by the American Board of Preventive Medicine.Occupational and Environmental Health Nursing
The Occupational Health Nursing program offers training for nurses at the master’s and doctoral levels. The full-time 11-month long Master of Public Health (MPH) curriculum includes core courses in toxicology, industrial hygiene, occupational medicine, epidemiology, biostatistics, and safety and injury prevention. A part-time/internet-based MPH program with distance learning options is also available. The joint Master of Science in Nursing/Master of Public Health (MSN/MPH) program is available as an 18-month curriculum. Practicum and field experiences are available. Graduates are prepared for a variety of positions that uniquely combine knowledge in occupational health and nursing. A program leading to a PhD or DrPH in Environmental Health Sciences is available to prepare qualified students for careers in research and academia. Research opportunities exist in clinical, laboratory, or field settings. An original research dissertation is required. There are also employment opportunities in programs concerned with environmental hazards for graduates of both the master's and doctoral levels.Biomarkers of Exposure and Susceptibility Program
The Biomarkers of Occupational Exposure and Susceptibility training program offers doctoral level education, training, and research in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences. The objective of the program is to graduate highly qualified scientists who possess the knowledge and skills necessary to develop, evaluate, and apply molecular and biochemical biomarkers of exposure, effect, and susceptibility in occupational or environmental settings. Biomarkers are valuable tools for monitoring exposures or effects, and in molecular epidemiological studies of disease etiology. Graduates from the program are prepared to enter research and teaching careers in several venues including academic universities, research institutes, governmental health agencies, and international health organizations.Occupational Injury Epidemiology and Prevention Program
The Occupational Injury Epidemiology and Prevention program in the Department of Health Policy and Management stresses doctoral level education and training; however, the MPH degree program, with a Certificate in Injury Prevention and Control, is also available. The curriculum provides courses in the relevant areas of injury prevention, safety, quantitative and qualitative methods, prevention policy, and behavioral and social sciences. Among the skills mastered are occupational injury risk analysis, assessment, and reduction; injury epidemiology; critical evaluation of research data and recognition of deficiencies in the literature; ability to analyze data and provide recommendations to prevent or control injuries in the workplace. Students in the program usually enter careers in professional practice or in research and/or teaching at the university, government or the private sector level.Pilot Project Research Training Program
The Pilot Projects Research Training (PPRT) Program is designed to enhance the research training capacity of the Johns Hopkins Education and Research Center (ERC) and other occupational health and safety training programs at institutions in NIOSH Region III through direct support of pilot project research activities. Funds are used to support short-term research projects to explore the feasibility of new or improved areas of study, as well as to enable investigators to obtain data to successfully compete for support through conventional research funding sources. Funds are available annually on a competitive basis; doctoral students and junior faculty are eligible to apply for funding. The program encourages increased interdisciplinary interaction and promotes collaboration with Training Program Grantees (TPGs) and other institutions with occupational health and safety research training programs in Region III.Continuing Education Program and Outreach
The Continuing Education Program offers short courses to prepare environmental and occupational safety and health professionals for the ever-changing climate in regulation, compliance, and corporate culture. Short courses are designed for professionals working to promote occupational and environmental safety and health. Practicing occupational health nurses, physicians, safety engineers and industrial hygienists as well as educators, regulators, insurance underwriters, attorneys, union representatives, corporate and business managers, and manufacturing representatives benefit from our program and training. All courses are approved for the appropriate continuing education credits.Please continue onto our Continuing Education Program page for more information on upcoming ERC Continuing Education courses and conferences.