Environmental Health

Two 2019 graduates of the UW Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences (DEOHS) won awards this month at a student research competition held by the Association of Environmental Health Academic Programs.

 Researcher, lecturer, leader, mentor and global citizen-scientist.DEOHS Professor Elaine Faustman, PhD, is being recognized this week by scientists around the globe for the many roles she has played in advancing the science of toxicology over her nearly 40-year career.

The UW Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences (DEOHS) is celebrating the 57 new graduates who received their degrees this weekend. DEOHS Chair Michael Yost presided over a Friday ceremony at Foege Auditorium honoring the students, who earned Bachelor of Science, Master of Public Health, Master of Science and PhD degrees.

Kori VanDerGeest MPH, Environmental Health Hometown Albuquerque, NM Future plans To conduct community-based public health research. “What really excites me about what I did in the last two years is being able to respond to a community need.” - Kori VanDerGeest

Research led by Environmental Health majors in the UW Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences (DEOHS) was featured yesterday at the School of Public Health's Undergraduate Symposium.

Amanda Durkin BS, Environmental Health Hometown Hingham, MA Future plans A career in occupational health and an eventual MBA degree. “One thing I will miss about the UW is the opportunity for constant learning and growth.” - Amanda Durkin

Annie Doubleday MPH, Environmental and Occupational Health Hometown Shoreline, WA Future plans Working on air pollution and climate change issues at the state or local level.

Kholood Altassan PhD, Environmental and Occupational Hygiene Hometown Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Future plans Assistant professor at King Saud University, Saudi Arabia.

Editor's note: This study, which ended in 2019, found that communities underneath and downwind of jets landing at Sea-Tac Airport are exposed to a type of ultrafine particle pollution that is distinctly associated with aircraft.

Joseph Dempsey PhD, Environmental Toxicology Hometown: Fort Wayne, Indiana Future plans: Continue working on research to improve how we prevent disease and promote well-being.

The United Nations' most comprehensive report on the global environment since 2012 finds human activities are damaging the environment at a pace that is endangering the "ecological foundations of human society and natural systems."

“UW Global Health has had tremendous success conducting research on maternal and child health and infectious diseases in Kenya. Now we have the opportunity to incorporate environmental health and bring these two research communities together.” –Catherine Karr

 David EatonProfessor, UW Department of Environmental & Occupational Health SciencesProudest achievement:His election to the National Academy of Medicine in 2011.Joined DEOHS faculty:1979

Our Environmental Health Seminar series for winter quarter is now under way. Join us Thursdays at 12:30 pm through March 14 to hear from speakers on the latest scientific insights into environmental and workplace health. The series includes 10 lectures by experts from a variety of local and national institutions.

I recently found leftovers in my fridge that were close to a week old—right on the line between acceptable and sketchy. I performed the tried-and-true smell test, made a judgment and popped them in the microwave. 

David Kalman, PhDProfessor and DEOHS Chair EmeritusJoined DEOHS1978; served as department chair 1998–2014.Proudest achievementHelping to expand the department.

We recently invited students to pose questions to Hilary Godwin, who joined the UW School of Public Health (SPH) as our new dean in July. Godwin is also professor in the UW Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences.

Growing up in the Middle East, Hamzah El-Himri experienced firsthand what can happen to communities when health and safety regulations are lacking.

[Reprinted with permission from the new 2018 edition of Northwest Public Health magazine.]  For the past two summers, the western part of the United States has experienced extraordinary wildfire seasons.

On Thursday, Sept. 27, the UW Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences (DEOHS) kicks off our fall seminar series featuring a diverse array of speakers sharing the latest science on environmental and workplace health.

We live in an environment that Bruce Fowler calls “chemical-rich.” Our exposure to chemicals found in air pollution, pesticides, lead and other sources begins before we are born and continues throughout our lives. Nearly 1 in 4 global deaths are the result of living or working in an unhealthy environment, according to World Health Organization estimates.

The Pacific Northwest’s “new normal” is starting to feel like old normal in Washington’s Methow Valley. This is the fifth summer in a row that wildfire season has hit the Methow Valley especially hard, causing hazardous smoke conditions that persist for weeks and leaving residents feeling trapped and isolated.

From Washington’s swim beaches to Amazon’s Fulfillment Centers, students from the UW Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences (DEOHS) are getting an up-close look at their future careers as health and safety professionals this summer.

A shellfish toxin that can be fatal to marine life and humans may cause neurological effects in humans even at low levels of exposure over time, according to new research led by the UW Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences (DEOHS) and the Department of Pharmaceu

Dr. Russ Castner is helping to improve human health—one graduate student at a time. The retired Shoreline dentist never got the chance to use the environmental health degree he earned as one of the first graduates of the UW School of Public Health.

Nothing about Lake Killarney’s idyllic appearance hints at the potential cancer risk lying below the surface. The shallow lake in South King County, Washington, is ringed with homes and the headquarters of the international relief organization World Vision. The lake is favored by waterfowl, rich with aquatic plants and stocked with rainbow trout, largemouth bass and other fish.

Graeme Carvlin PhD, Environmental and Occupational Hygiene Hometown Flemington, NJ

I see toxic chemicals everywhere.

“Growing up in Wenatchee, WA, I was exposed to a lot of agricultural workers. Learning about how the environment affects people’s health—and realizing that many people I knew growing up were exposed to health risks—really hooked me on environmental health.”

Research with real-world impact: DEOHS student’s work leads to environmental recommendations to create cleaner waterways.