ERC Research and News from Faculty

Extending The Lifetime of N95 Masks - Recommendations For The Healthcare Industry

Read the article here. 

Kirsten Koehler, PhD

Associate Professor
Environmental Health and Engineering
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health 

Ana Rule, PhD

Assistant Professor
Environmental Health and Engineering
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

QUANTIFYING OCCUPATIONAL HEAT STRESS AMONG U.S. AGRICULTURAL WORKERS

Presented by Emma Moynihan, MPH on October 12, 2021 at 3pm EST

COVID19 QUESTION & ANSWERS FOR OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS

A comprehensive list of questions and answers and links to proper guidance about the COVID-19 pandemic. Compiled by the Johns Hopkins Education and Research Center 

• Click here to download.

AMERICAN PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION ASSOCIATION (APTA) WEBINAR 

Public Transportation Responds: Safeguarding Riders and Employees

April 23, 2020

Aisha Rivera, MD, MS, Program Director of our Occupational and Environmental Medicine Residency Program recently was a panelist on this April 23, 2020 webinar. 

• Click here to view on their gotowebinar web page. You will be asked to provide your name and email. 

THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC 
PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION RESPONDS: SAFEGUARDING RIDERS AND EMPLOYEES 

Strategies and tactical guidance for public transportation agencies during the COVID-19 pandemic and to inform future pandemic preparedness.

April 13, 2020 

Drs. Schwartz, Rule, Rivera and Pollack responded to American Public Transportation Association (APTA) member questions regarding COVID-19. The end product is a 23-page guide to protect transit riders and employees.

• Click here to download the guidebook from the American Public Transportation Association. 

ERC faculty contributors: 

Keshia Pollack Porter, PhD
Associate Dean for Faculty
Professor
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Brian Schwartz, MD
Professor
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Aisha Rivera, MD
Program Director, Occupational and Environmental Medicine Residency Program
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Ana Rule, PhD
Assistant Professor
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

This guidebook is intended for senior transit and rail operations leaders. It is based on input from public health, medical, and transit experts, as well as best practices shared by agencies nationally. Readers should bear in mind that COVID-19 presents a new risk environment for transit and rail agencies. Safety Management System (SMS) implementation requires: 1) Evaluating hazards and system changes for risk; 2) Keeping up with the pandemic’s impacts on the transit and rail environment; and 3) Making changes that may bring risk tradeoffs. 

ERC SEMINAR

April 6, 2020

Zoom: link

Date & Time: Monday, April 6, 2020, Noon

Location: Zoom

Title:  The EMS Response to Emerging Infections: Infection Control in Out of Control Environments

Presenter: Matthew Watson, Senior Research Associate, Environmental Health & Engineering, Senior Analyst, Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security

Topic: As community-based healthcare providers, EMS providers are called upon to respond to emergencies large and small. This talk will review the role of EMS providers in infectious disease response (including to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic), the hazards they face, and risk mitigation and infection control strategies that should be implemented.

COVID 19 INTERVIEW WITH EHE FACULTY

Are Face Masks Necessary?

April 3, 2020

Youtube link

Conducted by:

Mary Doyle, MPH, RN, COHN-S/CM Environmental Health and Engineering Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Kirsten Koehler, PhD Associate Professor Environmental Health and Engineering Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health 

Ana Rule, PhD Assistant Professor Environmental Health and Engineering Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

EXTENDING THE LIFETIME OF N95 MASKS – RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE HEALTHCARE INDUSTRY

April 2, 2020
 

Kirsten Koehler, PhD
Associate Professor
Environmental Health and Engineering
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health 

Ana Rule, PhD
Assistant Professor
Environmental Health and Engineering
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health 

There is a severe global shortage of supply of personal protective equipment (PPE), which is affecting the ability of hospitals and clinics to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. PPE is one of the ways in which hospitals protect their most valuable resource: health care workers who are at the frontlines of the disease.

Click here to continuing reading the article.

CAN A MASK PROTECT ME? PUTTING HOMEMADE MASKS IN THE HIERARCHY OF CONTROLS

April 2, 2020
 

Kirsten Koehler, PhD
Associate Professor
Environmental Health and Engineering
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health 

Ana Rule, PhD
Assistant Professor
Environmental Health and Engineering
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health 

There has been a lot of talk over the last week about the use of masks. What kind of masks are available, who needs them, and can they be reused?1-3 However, the public wants to know if they should make masks at home and if they should be wearing them in public. These masks are typically made out of different types of cloth found in the home. As aerosol scientists and occupational health professionals, we think about this question differently.

Click here to continuing reading the article.

FACEBOOK LIVE WITH THE PROFESSIONAL FIREFIGHTERS ASSOCIATION OF NEW JERSEY (PFANJ)

March 20, 2020

Dr. Rivera also held a Facebook Live Q&A on COVID-19 with the PFANJ: 

• On Friday, March 20, 2020, PFANJ President Don Marino hosted a live webinar discussing the latest on #COVID19 and our response to the pandemic. 

INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF FIRE FIGHTERS (IAFF)
COVID-19 BRIEFING AT LEGISLATIVE CONFERENCE

March 10, 2020

Aisha Rivera, MD, MS, Program Director of our Occupational and Environmental Medicine Residency Program recently spoke at an IAFF briefing at Legislative Conference on March 10, 2020. Skip ahead to 30:55 to hear her presentation. 

OPIOIDS IN THE MARYLAND WORKPLACE: CHALLENGES AND SOLUTION

The ERC co-hosted a joint conference with the Maryland Department of Health on "Opioids in the Maryland Workplace: Challenges and Solutions". The conference was inaugurated by Dean Ellen Mackenzie of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

The conference brought together Maryland business representatives, the legal community, public health experts, academia, and union representatives to discuss emerging trends and innovations in dealing with opioids in Maryland workplaces. The report resulting from the conference includes a number of significant recommendations to improve the management of opioids in Maryland workplaces. 

The full report is available here for download. 

2019 North Carolina Breathe annual conference

Dr. Christopher Heaney was invited to deliver a keynote lecture at the April 11, 2019 North Carolina Breathe annual conference in Wilmington, North Carolina. He presented findings from his occupational epidemiologic studies with North Carolina industrial hog operation workers regarding the exposure to and infection with livestock-associated antimicrobial resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

Dr. Heaney also provided written testimony to the Baltimore City Council and Mayor’s Office to summarize what is known about the environmental and occupational health effects of crude oil extraction, transport, and storage. This testimony informed the Baltimore City Council’s passage of a permanent ban on the siting of any new crude oil terminals within Baltimore City.

Please join us in welcoming our new ERC Director:

Gurumurthy "Ram" Ramachandran, PhD

Gurumurthy "Ram" Ramachandran, PhD has conducted research in various areas relating to human exposure assessment in occupational and non-occupational settings. His research has included the development of robust occupational exposure assessment strategies for a variety of airborne contaminants. He has pioneered the use of novel Bayesian statistical methods that synthesize exposure models, monitoring data, and probabilistic expert judgment. He has been at the forefront of research in occupational hygiene decision-making, and developing mathematical methods for exposure modeling and analyzing occupational measurements. Additional areas of expertise include developing exposure assessment methods for nano-particles and the use of expert judgment in risk assessment for nano-materials, and nanotechnology policy in the areas of occupational health and nano-medicine.

He has served as a member of the Board of Scientific Counselors to the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and advisory committees for the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) and the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). He is also serving on the editorial boards of the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene, and Journal of Occupational Safety and Health. He has a Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, a Master's degree in Environmental Engineering, and a Ph.D. in Environmental Sciences and Engineering from the University of North Carolina.

IOHA conference

International Scientific Committee Chair Gurumurthy "Ram" Ramachandran, PhD, CIH, FAIHA, Professor at the Bloomberg School of Public Health of Johns Hopkins University, recently discussed the upcoming IOHA conference being held for the first time in the U.S. (Washington, D.C.) on September 24-26, 2018. This conference is an opportunity to meet IH professionals from around the world and develop relationships with over 50 national associations.

Ram was surprised and honored for being selected as the chair of the conference last year​ and thrilled that it comprised of team of researchers and IH practitioners that span the globe. He emphasized that the conference will not compromise on quality and that it be global and not centered around North America.

Click here to read the full article.

Congratulations to our Continuing Education Program Director Mary Doyle for being named a member of the NIOSH Board of Scientific Counselors!!
 

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Board of Scientific Counselors is a federal advisory committee assembled to provide independent advice and guidance to the Director of NIOSH. The primary activity of the Committee is to provide advice on NIOSH’s occupational safety and health research and prevention programs. The BSC also provides advice on standards of scientific excellence, current needs in the field of occupational safety and health, and the applicability and dissemination of research findings. This advice may take the form of reports or verbal communications to the Director during BSC meetings.

The NIOSH BSC is made up of 15 experts in occupational safety and health, such as occupational medicine, occupational nursing, industrial hygiene, occupational safety and health engineering, toxicology, chemistry, safety and health education, ergonomics, epidemiology, biostatistics, and psychology. Among the members, four may be representatives of industry or labor who are knowledgeable in occupational safety and health research. Members serve for overlapping terms up to 4 years.

Mary will serve her term beginning immediately and end in December 2021.

So You Want to be an Occupational Health Nurse?

A message from Mary Doyle, Director of Continuing Education for the Johns Hopkins Education and Research Center for Occupational Safety and Health. Click here for some tips and pointers on how to make it happen.

The JHU ERC CE Program is a Recipient of the 2014 Healthy Homes Training Center Award US Department of Housing and Urban Development 

The Continuing Education/Outreach program of the Johns Hopkins Education and Research Center (ERC) for Occupational Safety and Health in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences recently received the 2014 Healthy Homes Training Center Award from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The ERC outreach program, directed by Mary Doyle, MPH, RN, COHN-S/CM, with her expert staff, has provided 50 healthy homes trainings which serve organizations such as the Baltimore City Health Department and the Washington, DC Department of the Environment. In total, the ERC has trained 1,224 healthy homes professionals, stakeholders and educators/trainers. Since 2010, The ERC has partnered with the Delaware Division of Public Health to offer 40 healthy homes trainings, and twice has presented the Delaware Healthy Homes Summit: Children’s Health & the Indoor Environment.

"This award means a great deal to our program," says Mary. "Teaching other professionals about healthy and safe homes, so they teach their own communities is an important part of what we do in helping to save lives and reduce illness in our communities."

The Johns Hopkins Education and Research Center (ERC) for Occupational Safety and Health Continuing Education Program offers short courses to prepare environmental and occupational safety and health professionals for the ever-changing climate in regulations, compliance, and the corporate culture. Courses are designed for professional working to promote occupational and environmental safety and health. Educators, regulators, insurance underwriters, corporate attorneys, union representatives, commercial and real estate managers, corporate and business managers, manufacturing representatives, as well as practicing occupational health nurses, physicians, safety engineers, and industrial hygienists, benefit from their programs and training. All courses are approved for appropriate certification maintenance credits.

Walk with Me

Johns Hopkins Public Health Magazine | Special Issue

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 to learn more.