Trainees, Faculty and Alumni represent SWCOEH at AIHA Conference

Published: July 17, 2024

A large contingent of trainees, faculty and alumni from the Southwest Center for Occupational and Environmental Health (SWCOEH) attended the AIHA Conference in Columbus, Ohio in May.

In total, 12 trainees, faculty, and alumni attended the conference, including Lucy Watson-Cook and Spencer Chichester, both of whom are current NIOSH trainees in Industrial Hygiene (IH) at the SWCOEH and made poster presentations at the conference.

“My overall experience at the conference was very positive,” Watson-Cook said. “I enjoyed learning about the up-and-coming topics as well as equipment being used in Industrial Hygiene (IH) ventures. The conference covered everything from organizational management and communication tactics to the history of IH and current events in the field, and even advice for the CIH exam. I enjoyed that there were several opportunities to connect with other students and young professionals since the industry is evolving to include more of this demographic. It was nice to share our experiences and build some of these relationships early on.”

Watson-Cook presented a project that was completed during the Spring 2024 semester under the guidance of Dr. Wei-Chung Su.

“The topic was assessing health risks associated with roadside workers exposure to traffic aerosols in the Medical Center using the Mobile Aerosol Lung Deposition Apparatus (MALDA) model that Dr. Su built. Ultimately, we found that the cancer and non-cancer health risks were well below the acceptable occupational health risk levels and therefore were deemed to be acceptable.” 

“I enjoyed the diversity of topics presented at the conference. For example, there was a talk on asbestos being used in museum preservation which is then a hazard to communities when artifacts are being returned or repatriated. It was not something I would've even thought to consider before, so I appreciated learning more and hearing the discussion from the community dedicated to this area of health & safety.” 

During an alumni dinner, Dr. Su introduced Watson-Cook and Chichester to many former students and previous NIOSH trainees, who have started their careers in IH.

“It was a great way to hear about their careers, get advice, and learn about different opportunities from people who came from the same educational background and perspective.”

Caption for photo at top of page: SWCOEH IH personnel at alumni reception (from left to right):Dr. Wei-Chung Su; Lucy Watson-Cook (current trainee); Spencer Chichester (current trainee); Alex Cardone (Class of 2020), Juliana Hall (Class of 2019), Dr. Larry Whitehead (MPH Class of 1971, PhD Class of 1976), Dr. Eduardo Salazar Vega, Tiffany Mullen (Class of 2017); Jan Koehn (Class of 1983); Eric Bieniek (Class of 2022); Casey Bozenski (Class of 2022); Dr. Dennis Casserly (Class of 1979).

The SWCOEH provides graduate-level training opportunities for occupational and environmental health professionals through our industrial hygiene, occupational and environmental medicine, occupational epidemiology, and Total Worker Health® programs.