Alumni Spotlight: Dennis Casserly, PhD, CIH

Dennis Casserly, PhD, (MS ’76 and PhD ‘79), is the 2024 William D. Wagner Award recipient. Established in 2003 by the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists, the annual award is presented to a person in the field of national and international worker health and safety who is an outstanding example of commitment and dedication to creating and disseminating occupational exposure values.

Casserly earned his Master of Science in Environmental Health and his PhD in Environmental Health with the Southwest Center of Occupational and Environmental Health (SWCOEH) at UTHealth Houston School of Public Health in 1976 and 1979, respectively.

Decades removed from his time as a student at UTHealth Houston, Casserly remembers the faculty who helped shape his career.

“Three professors profoundly influenced my career: Professor Ernst Davis, learned field, laboratory, data analysis and assessment techniques; Professor James Hammond learned occupational safety and health principles and practice; and Professor Leslie Chambers who taught air quality and convinced me to pursue an academic career. The field, laboratory, data analysis and assessment techniques I learned were continually used and referenced through my career.”

Casserly has enjoyed a wide range of degrees and appointments during his career, previously an assistant professor in environmental sciences at McNeese State University before teaching industrial hygiene & safety at the University of Houston – Clear Lake (UHCL). Casserly currently serves as the associate dean of the School of Science and Computer Engineering at UHCL.

Casserly’s recognition for the Wagner Award serves as an extension of other awards and accolades including the Richard K. Severs Award 1980; UTHealth Houston School of Public Health, as well as honors from the National Science Foundation, NASA, and the American Industrial Hygiene Association.

“It was indeed an honor to be recognized by colleagues and experts in the field as a contributor in the establishment of occupational health guidelines,” Casserly said on receiving the Wagner Award. This award highlights Casserly’s legacy for his continued efforts in occupational health.

Casserly offered advice for current and future students in the fields of occupational safety and environmental health striving to make change. “Complete your degree, keep on learning, seek professional certification in your field, do some volunteer work, and give back to organizations that positively influenced you.”