Overview
Industrial hygiene is the science of anticipating, recognizing, evaluating and controlling workplace environmental factors that may affect the health and safety of workers and surrounding communities. UTHealth Houston School of Public Health offers specialized industrial hygiene training within its Master of Public Health (MPH) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree programs. The MPH industrial hygiene curriculum is accredited by the Applied and Natural Science Accreditation Commission of ABET.
The program emphasizes close faculty-student interaction and practical experience, including summer internships. The five states of Public Health Region VI—Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas—provide diverse training opportunities across industries including healthcare, petroleum and petrochemicals, agriculture, government and the private sector.
Industrial hygiene is a core discipline within occupational health and safety (OHS), drawing on areas such as epidemiology, health promotion, management, global health and wellness. OHS professionals play an essential role in preventing workplace injuries and illnesses and improving the health and well-being of workers, their families and their communities.
How to Apply
Prospective students should apply to the appropriate degree program within the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences. Information about program applications, admission requirements and application deadlines is available online.
For More Information
Jooyeon Hwang, PhD, CIH
Associate Professor and Program Director
Southwest Center for Occupational and Environmental Health
UTHealth School of Public Health
1930 Old Spanish Trail, 751.01
Houston, TX 77054
Phone: 713-500-9274
Email: [email protected]
Curriculum
The interdisciplinary curriculum is based on a public health model for practice. Graduates are prepared to participate in a multi-disciplinary approach to planning, implementing, managing, and evaluating programs and services for worker health and safety.
The curriculum includes industrial hygiene technical and public health cores, as well as electives offered within the UTHealth School of Public Health.
The most updated curriculum is available here:
Fall 2026 to Summer 2027 MPH EOHS Degree Planner
Faculty
Jooyeon Hwang, PhD, CIH
Dr. Jooyeon Hwang is an Associate Professor in Industrial Hygiene for the Southwest Center for Occupational and Environmental Health (SWCOEH) at the UTHealth Houston School of Public Health. She received her Ph.D. in Industrial Hygiene and M.S. in Environmental Health Sciences from the University of Minnesota. Dr. Hwang was as a postdoctoral fellow at the Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health. Her research has focused on evaluation of the relationship between occupational exposure to specific contaminants and adverse health effects in several different industries including mining, agricultural, and public safety including firefighters. In particular, her research conducts the development of new exposure-associated microbiomes and multi-omics assessment methods to characterize occupational and environmental exposures for health studies.
Robert Emery, DrPH
Dr. Robert Emery is Vice President for Safety, Health, Environment & Risk Management for The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston and Professor of Occupational Health at the University of Texas School of Public Health. Bob has over 37 years of experience in health & safety and possesses master’s degrees in health physics and environmental sciences, and a doctorate in occupational health. Bob holds the unique distinction of holding national board certification in seven main areas of health & safety; health physics [Certified Health Physicist, CHP], occupational safety [Certified Safety Professional, CSP], biological safety [Certified Biological Safety Professional, CBSP], industrial hygiene [Certified Industrial Hygienist, CIH], hazardous materials management [Certified Hazardous Materials Manager, CHMM], security management [Certified Protection Professional, CPP] and risk management [Associate in Risk Management, ARM].
Anna Gitter, PhD
Dr. Anna Gitter is an Assistant Professor in Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences for the Southwest Center for Occupational and Environmental Health. She received her B.S. in Environmental Science from the University of Michigan and both her M.S. and Ph.D. in Water Management and Hydrological Science from Texas A&M University. During her Ph.D., she also worked as a Research Specialist for the Texas Water Resources Institute and addressed water quality issues throughout the state. Dr. Gitter was also a postdoctoral research fellow with UTHealth Houston School of Public Health, where she developed methods to inform public health decision-making using environmental data. Dr. Gitter’s research includes human health risk modeling to interpret environmental exposures and water resource management for public health. Her current work includes public health preparedness through wastewater epidemiology, evaluating health effects and adaptations for climate change, and advancing human health risk modeling.
Kristina Mena, PhD
Kristina D. (Crabtree) Mena, MSPH, PhD is the Regional Dean of UTHealth Houston School of Public Health in El Paso. She is a Professor and Department Chair of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences. Dr. Mena earned a BA in Biology at Franklin College (Indiana), a MSPH at the University of South Florida, a PhD in environmental microbiology at The University of Arizona, and completed a Post-Doctoral Fellowship at Kansas State University. Dr. Mena has over 25 years of experience addressing disease transmission through water and food using risk assessment and epidemiological studies. Dr. Mena was re-appointed by former USEPA Administrator Scott Pruitt to serve second terms on both the USEPA Chartered Science Advisory Board and the USEPA Drinking Water Committee.
Industrial Hygiene Trainees
Hannah Lacaste, BS
SWCOEH Trainee
Hannah Lacaste is a first-year MPH student at UTHealth Houston School of Public Health. She earned her B.S. in Biological Sciences from the University of California, Santa Barbara, where she gained hands-on experience conducting ecological research. After graduation, she expanded her research experience by studying adverse childhood experiences among Black youth at the University of Houston, volunteering in a rural hospital in the Philippines, and contributing to Alzheimer’s disease research at McGovern Medical School. Her background has inspired her interest in the intersection of environmental and occupational health. As an Industrial Hygiene trainee, Hannah is eager to continue developing her technical skills and expertise to promote safer and healthier communities.
Raven Williams, BS
SWCOEH Trainee
Raven Williams is a first-year MPH student at UTHealth Houston School of Public Health. She earned her B.S. in Health Sciences from Purdue University Global and currently serves in the U.S. Navy as a Preventive Medicine Technician. With nearly ten years of military service, her career spans clinical care, public health, and occupational/environmental health support across major military medical centers and operational units. She has contributed to programs involving immunizations, food and water safety, habitability assessments, and exposure-related health surveillance, working closely with Industrial Hygiene teams to strengthen medical readiness and protect service member health. Her military experience has shaped her commitment to improving workplace health and safety. As an Industrial Hygiene trainee, Raven is expanding her technical foundation as she prepares to commission as a Navy Industrial Hygiene Officer.
The Southwest Center for Occupational and Environmental Health is part of the UTHealth Houston School of Public Health