Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, School of Public Health in New Orleans (LSUHSC-NO) was recently awarded funding by NIEHS to develop an academic, government and industry occupational health collaborative to address emerging technologies in occupational health and safety. Dr. Kari Brisolara, associate professor of environmental and occupational health sciences will serve as the PI of the NIEHS R25 Grant entitled “Interprofessional Approach to Developing a Diverse Workforce Ready to Address Emerging Technologies in Occupational Health and Safety”. This collaborative will be a multi-institutional endeavor, consisting of LSUHSC-NO, Louisiana State University at Baton Rouge (LSU-BR), the University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center (UTHSC), and Rhodes College. The collaborative will be advised by leading professionals in the fields of government, industry, research, technology, business and law. An innovative interprofessional approach to workforce development will be delivered through didactic, experiential and field learning approaches. The goal is to prepare a diverse workforce to address health and ecological hazards arising from new and emerging technologies. Specific topics of focus include: 1) hazards arising from e-waste and the electronics industry, 2) advances in the application of bioremediation, 3) evaluation of regulatory policies and economic incentives; and 4) use of geographical information systems for site selection, management, and surveillance. “With a focus on interprofessional education (IPE) methods, teams of students can learn about, from and with each other to broaden students’ perspectives on occupational health and develop novel solutions to emerging technology issues” says Dr. Brisolara. The funding amount awarded was $400,000.
LSU Awarded NIEHS Occupational and Safety Education Grant on Emerging Technologies
