Craig Zwerling, professor emeritus in occupational and environmental health, died August 9, 2017, after a long illness.

Funeral services were held Sunday, August 13, 2017, at 2:00 p.m. at Agudas Achim Congregation, 401 East Oakdale Blvd. in Coralville.

View obituary from Lensing Funeral Home.

In announcing Craig’s death to colleagues in the UI College of Public Health, Interim Dean Keith Mueller noted: “Craig was instrumental in the formation of our College of Public Health, serving as the inaugural head of the Department of Occupational and Environmental Health from 1999 to 2009. He was an esteemed occupational physician and injury epidemiologist, who led groundbreaking research in areas ranging from on-the-job injuries to motor-vehicle crashes to workplace drug testing.

“Throughout his distinguished 21-year career at the University of Iowa, he collaborated extensively with colleagues at the UI and at the national level. Through these efforts, including his role as director of the UI Injury Prevention Research Center, he helped establish, build, and sustain the robust research portfolio of OEH and our college.”

Peter Thorne, professor and head of occupational and environmental health, added: “Those who knew Craig regarded him as the consummate scholar, widely read both within and outside of his field. Craig was a passionate advocate for worker health and safety. He was a quiet, modest leader who was always supportive and thoughtful in his mentoring, especially of junior faculty.”

The College of Public Health extends its deepest sympathies to all who knew and worked with Craig, and especially to his wife and our beloved colleague, Dr. Nancy Sprince, professor emerita in occupational and environmental health, their children, and other family members.