SWCOEH celebrates North American Occupational Safety and Health Week
HOUSTON (May 2, 2022) – North American Occupational Safety and Health Week (NAOSH Week) is an annual observance held in the first full week of May to spread awareness about occupational safety and health and to bring in systems that ensure the safety and well-being of workers. In 2022, NAOSH Week is May 1-7. The Southwest Center for Occupational and Environmental Health (SWCOEH) at UTHealth Houston will celebrate NAOSH Week by highlighting different aspects of the SWCOEH and our commitment to Occupational Safety and Health.
Here is the schedule of program highlights: Monday – SWCOEH’s Academic Programs; Tuesday – Continuing Education; Wednesday – Outreach; Thursday – Pilot Projects; Friday – Research.
The Southwest Center, one of 18 NIOSH-funded Education and Research Center’s (ERC) in the United States, offers academic programs in four primary areas: Industrial Hygiene (IH), Occupational & Environmental Medicine (OEM) Residency, Occupational Epidemiology (Occ Epi), and Total Worker Health®. Traineeships covering full tuition & fees and providing a monthly stipend are available on a competitive basis to full-time students who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents. Requirements for the traineeships include acceptance into the Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences (IH, OEM, and TWH) or Epidemiology (Occ Epi) academic programs, maintenance of a minimum course workload, and satisfactory academic progress.
SWCOEH alumni have emerged as leaders in a variety of fields. Learn more about their stories here.
Current trainees within SWCOEH’s academic programs and our alumni consistently take part in research and co-author published articles in their fields of study.
Kelly Oyer-Peterson, JD, MPH, RN, is an Occupational Epidemiology trainee at SWCOEH. She was the first author of a pilot study on VOC exposure among domestic cleaners. The study, “A pilot study of total personal exposure to volatile organic compounds among Hispanic female domestic cleaners,” was published in Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene in January.
The SWCOEH Occupational and Environmental Medicine Residency aims to train practicing physicians to be qualified for careers in occupational and environmental medicine in private practice, industry, government, military, or academia. The two-year program includes completion of the requirements for a Master of Public Health degree, and 12 months of full-time experiential rotations in various aspects of professional practice in the field. Graduates are eligible to apply for board certification in Occupational Medicine by the American Board of Preventive Medicine.
In 2022, the SWCOEH is pleased to welcome two new residents to its OEM residency: Thomas Holcombe, MD, and Nur Zakirkhodjaev, MD. Learn more about their background and experiences here.
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