Congratulations to our Heartland Center Spring and Summer 2008 Graduates:
Raza Akbar MPH in OEH, OM Program
Employment: Occupational Medicine Physician, Centegra Health Systems, Occupational Health, McHenry, IL
Ralph Altmaier, PhD, Industrial Hygiene Program
Employment: Research Assistant, Dept of Occupational & Environmental Health, College of Public Health, The University of Iowa
Vijay Golla, PhD, Industrial Hygiene Program
Employment: Assistant Professor, Department of Public Health, College of Health and Human Services, Western Kentucky University
Lauren Graupner, MS in biomedical engineering, Ergonomics ProgramEmployment: Human Factors and Ergonomics Engineer, Allsteel Inc., Muscatine, IA.
Sudha Pandalai, OM program
Ian Poole, MS, Industrial Hygiene Program
Employment: ES & H Specialist, Emerson Process Management, Fisher Controls Division, Marshalltown, IA
Carlos Sanchez Marin, MS in OEH, Ergonomics Program
Krista Scott, MS, Industrial Hygiene Program
Employment: Industrial Hygienist, Home Office Risk Improvement, EMC Insurance Companies, Des Moines, IA
Tina Stec MPH in OEH, OM program
Employment: Occ Health Physician, Mercy Occupational Health, Iowa City, IA
Kainan Sun, PhD in OEH, Occ Epi program
Awards
Scholarships Presented at the 2008 AIHce:
Kerry Krause, American Industrial Hygiene Foundation Award recipient
Kerry is pursuing an MS in Industrial Hygiene. She graduated from The University of Iowa in 2007 with a BS in Biology.
The AIHF is a charitable organization that operates exclusively for educational, scientific, literary, and research purposes. Its mission is to advance the profession by awarding scholarships for students in industrial hygiene and related disciplines.
Lorenzo Cena, winner of the Clyde M. Berry Memorial Scholarship
Lorenzo received his MS from Iowa State University. He is currently working on a PhD in Industrial Hygiene and researching nanoparticles.
The Clyde M. Berry Scholarship was endowed in 1998 through generous donations from Dr. Berry’s former students, colleagues, friends and family. All students meeting the AIHF general scholarship criteria are eligible for this scholarship. However, preference is given to students attending the University of Iowa.
Mike Humann, winner of a 3M Industrial Hygiene Scholarship
Mike is currently working on his PhD in Industrial Hygiene. He also received his MS from the OEH department.
The 3M IH Scholarship is give to four students of industrial hygiene for their high level of scholarship, contributions to the profession and intent to pursue industrial careers in the discipline. Recipients are chosen on the basis of academic achievement, related work experience, and professional goals.
New Investigator Award Winners
The American Statistical Association’s 2008 Conference on Radiation and Health proudly continued its decades-long tradition of excellence June 12-18, 2008 by bringing together a highly diverse group of scientists working in the biophysical, biological, biostatistical, medical, and public health aspects of radiation epidemiology. The majority of the small group of attendees are internationally recognized experts in their fields of specialization.
Kainan Sun and Alicia Quella, students from the Heartland Center’s Occupational Epidemiology Program, were honored during the meeting as winners of the prestigious American Statistical Association’s New Investigator Award. The honorees were both asked to present posters at the meetings. The ASA’s Radiation and Health Young Investigator Award is presented to only 6 scientists worldwide each year .
I am very proud of the tremendous accomplishments of these two trainees. They represented the College of Public Health with distinction. Winners of the award are provided free housing while at the meeting as well as a significantly reduced registration rate. Two other trainees, Erin Moritz and Ron Bedford, also attended the meetings.
Bill Field, Director, OETP Program
Dissertation Research Fellowship Winners
Out of approximately 2500 PhD students at the University, only 34 were awarded T. Anne Cleary International Dissertation Research Fellowships in Spring 2008—and two of those were OEH students.
With this support, this summer Londa VanderWal will be studying health and safety of women farmers in The Gambia, where women grow the more labor-intensive vegetable crops while men farm the cash crops of peanuts and cotton. Dr. Risto Rautiainen, Londa’s advisor, calls her work “an example of how research can be engaged with local populations to find health and safety interventions that really work.”
Matt Lozier will be studying occupational and environmental exposures of Honduran farmers who use the herbicide atrazine on their corn crops. He plans to focus not only on farmers’ dermal and respiratory exposure during application but also the exposure of other workers and possibly family members (if farmers are mixing the herbicide in their homes).
