May 16, 2022

AIHA to Honor Volunteers and Volunteer Groups at Virtual Mark of Excellence Ceremony

FALLS CHURCH, Va. (May 16, 2022)— AIHA will honor the winners of the Association’s 2022 Volunteer Group Named Awards and Outstanding Group Awards at a virtual Mark of Excellence on May 16, 2022. The Volunteer Group Named Awards and Outstanding Group Awards celebrate exceptional contributions and achievements by AIHA volunteers who help keep workplaces and communities healthy and safe.

“We want to recognize and congratulate the outstanding service of our volunteers,” said AIHA President John R. Mulhausen, PhD, CIH, CSP, FAIHA. “These extraordinary people donate their time and expertise in order to make significant impacts on the profession of industrial hygiene and occupational and environmental health and safety and to improve AIHA’s ability to protect the health and safety of workers and communities. We are very appreciative of their service to AIHA.”

The following Volunteer Group Awards will be presented to the specified individuals and groups at the virtual Mark of Excellence Ceremony:

  • The Lila Albin Award, celebrating significant peer-reviewed articles on the topic of indoor air quality, will go to Jeff Wagner, MS, PhD; Tamara L. Sparks, PhD; Shelly Miller, MS, PhD; Wenhao Chen, MS, PhD; Janet M. Macher, MPH, ScD; and Jed M. Waldman, MS, PhD. Their winning article, Modeling the Impacts of Physical Distancing and Other Exposure Determinants on Aerosol Transmission, was published on Sept. 13, 2021, in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene.
  • The Birkner Leadership Award, celebrating individuals exemplifying extraordinary leadership and management, will go to Bernard Fontaine Jr., CIH, CSP, FAIHA.
  • The Rachel Carson Award, celebrating environmental health and safety professionals who achieve outstanding success in their business, profession, or life’s work, will go to Timothy Paz, CIH.
  • The Chaffin Award, celebrating the best ergonomics-related technical session at AIHce EXP 2021, will go to Ryan Butler, CIH, CSP, for his session “Whole-Body Vibration Exposure Onboard Coast Guard Small Boats.”
  • The Rochelle Crew Memorial Award, celebrating the best construction-related paper, technical session, or professional development course presentation at AIHce EXP 2021, will go to Anthony Oliveri, CIH, for his session “Lessons Learned from Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluations (FACE) Investigations in Michigan.”
  • The Health and Safety Virtual Exhibit of the Year Award, celebrating instructive, visually appealing virtual exhibits, will go to the Cornell University School of Industrial Labor and Relations, for their exhibit “The 1911 Triangle Factory Fire.”
  • The Donna Doganiero Award, celebrating the best safety-related crossover technical session at AIHce EXP 2021, will go to Steve Eversmeyer, CIH, CSP, for his session “FR Clothing Selection.”
  • The OEHS Career Professional Award, celebrating individuals who have made significant contributions to occupational and environmental health and safety, will go to Georgi Popov, PhD, QEP, CSP, ARM, SMS, CMC, FAIHA.
  • The Randy Ogle/Paul Baron Award, celebrating excellence in peer-reviewed articles on the topic of nanotechnology, will go to Gavin H. West, MPH; Fatima I. Castaneda, MS; Leonard G. Burrelli, MS; Daniel Dresser, PhD; Michael R. Cooper, MPH, CIH, CSP; Sara B. Brooks, MPH; and Bruce E. Lippy, PhD, CIH, CSP, FAIHA. Their article Occupational Exposure Risk During Spraying of Biocidal Paint Containing Silver Nanoparticles was published on May 14, 2021, in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene.
  • The Cultural Heritage Health and Safety Advocate Award, celebrating significant contributions to occupational safety and health in the cultural heritage industry, will go to Eryl P. Wentworth, MA, the former executive director of the American Institute for Conservation (AIC).
  • The Fellows SIG Mid-Year Career Award, celebrating industrial hygienists with 10–25 years of work experience who exhibit outstanding leadership or technical abilities, will go to Michael D. Larranaga, PhD, CIH, PE, FAIHA.
  • The Aileen Yankowski Outstanding Leader of the Year Award, celebrating individuals whose volunteer work supports the career development of women in industrial hygiene, will go to Nancy Wilks, HBSc, MHSc, CIH.
  • The Teen Workplace Health and Safety Committee Award, celebrating significant contributions to promote health and safety culture among young workers, will go to Richard B. Hirsh, CIH, MPH, FAIHA.

The AIHA Star Awards will also be presented to the following volunteer groups:

  • The Shining Star Award, celebrating outstanding volunteer groups that are considered to be best in class, will go to the Construction, Leadership and Management, Protective Clothing and Equipment, and Sampling and Laboratory Analysis committees.
  • The Soaring Star Award, celebrating outstanding volunteer groups that have shown continued excellence for two years running, will go to the Women in Industrial Hygiene Committee.
  • The Rising Star Award, celebrating volunteer groups that return to the ‘outstanding’ volunteer group ranks after having been absent for at least two years, will go to the Real-Time Detection Systems Committee.

AIHA Outstanding Volunteer Groups Project Teams will be presented to the following:

  • Qooper Platform Evaluation and Launch Team—Mentoring and Professional Development Committee.
  • Outreach and Training—Opioids Working Group.
  • Interdisciplinary Teaching and Experiential Learning Opportunities Between Museum Studies and OEHS Campus Programs—Museum and Cultural Heritage Working Group.

AIHA’s Outstanding Volunteer Groups are as follows:

  • Cannabis Industry Health and Safety Committee
  • Confined Spaces Committee
  • Construction Committee
  • Ergonomics Committee
  • Fellows Special Interest Group (SIG)
  • Incident Preparedness and Response Working Group
  • International Affairs Committee
  • Laboratory Health and Safety Committee
  • Leadership and Management Committee
  • Mentoring and Professional Development Committee
  • Museum and Cultural Heritage Working Group
  • Opioids Working Group
  • Protective Clothing and Equipment Committee
  • Real-Time Detection System Committee
  • Sampling and Laboratory Analysis Committee
  • Stewardship and Sustainability Committee
  • Teen Workplace Health and Safety Committee
  • Women in IH Committee

The 2022 Volunteer Named Award winners and Outstanding Volunteer Groups will be honored alongside this year’s AIHA Named Award recipients and incoming AIHA Fellows.

About AIHA

AIHA is the association for scientists and professionals committed to preserving and ensuring occupational and environmental health and safety in the workplace and community. Founded in 1939, we support our members with our expertise, networks, comprehensive education programs, and other products and services that help them maintain the highest professional and competency standards. More than half of AIHA's nearly 8,500 members are Certified Industrial Hygienists, and many hold other professional designations. AIHA serves as a resource for those employed across the public and private sectors, as well as to the communities in which they work. For more information, please visit www.aiha.org