NIOSH ERC - Great Lakes Centers

The University of Illinois at Chicago is one of 16 Education and Research Centers funded by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).

The Illinois Occupational and Environmental Health and Safety Education and Research Center (Illinois ERC)

The University of Illinois at Chicago Occupational and Environmental Health and Safety Education and Research Center (Illinois ERC), a National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) funded training grant provides MS and PhD training in industrial hygiene, occupational health nursing, occupational safety, and occupational epidemiology as well as occupational medicine residency training, including MPH graduate degree, and specialized training in agricultural safety and health to students in a variety of degree programs. Additionally the continuing education and outreach program exists as a resource on occupational health and safety issues for all and to support the goals and objectives of the NIOSH Training Grants Program and the WHO Global Plan of Action on Workers’ Health 2007-2017. The Illinois ERC supports two research training programs, a pilot project research training program which provides small grants to new occupational safety and health investigators and a targeted research training program that provides support to interdisciplinary research training teams.

The Illinois ERC exists to improve, promote, and maintain the health of workers and communities by applying innovative and interdisciplinary approaches to:

• prepare professionals to be leaders in occupational and environmental safety and health who will direct and manage occupational and environmental safety and health programs, teach other occupational and environmental health professionals, and research issues pertinent to occupational and environmental safety and health;

• provide continuing education to occupational and environmental health and safety professionals and outreach to workers and communities to improve their knowledge, skills, and awareness of key issues in occupational and environmental safety and health, devoting special attention to the problems and needs of at risk and underserved workers and communities;

• contribute to the knowledge base in occupational and environmental safety and health by preparing doctoral students, performing faculty and student research on problems of regional, national, and global significance, and disseminating the results of their research; and

• serve as a regional OS&H information resource.

The Illinois ERC, funded since 1977 and comprised of 13 programs, is a multi-campus, multi-college Center that is administratively housed in the Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Division in the School of Public Health. Currently the ERC has five academic programs, three continuing education programs, two research training programs, and a center administration program. Over the past 30 years the Illinois ERC has worked with professional associations, government agencies, other university and college programs, and individuals to understand and address the occupational safety and health training needs in the region, nationally, and internationally. Each year approximately 15 new occupational safety and health professionals graduate and continuing education is provided to more than 2000 such professionals.

The Illinois ERC strength’s include: the Center’s sound past performance in training occupational safety and health professionals; the quality and continuity of leadership; the synergy generated in the Center by the leadership and the multidisciplinary nature of many of the training activities; the overall coordination and integration of activities within the ERC; the depth and extent of interdisciplinary training and research training for all trainees and professionals; the depth and diversity of outreach to the Chicago regional area; a strong, model Pilot Project Research Training Program; and focused efforts to train minority students.

• Traineeships (irios@uic.edu) in industrial hygiene, occupational safety, occupational and environmental epidemiology, occupational health nursing, and occupational medicine

• International (lnickels@uic.edu) research and internships (Switzerland, Ukraine, India, South Africa)

• Distance education (jzanoni@uic.edu) for academic and continuing education courses (occupational and environmental health)

• Participation in regional, national and international conferences (lnickels@uic.edu)

• Employment (lconroy@uic.edu) in the environmental and occupational field in government, industry, academia and consulting (e.g., U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Abbott Laboratories, Ford Motor Co., Motorola, LTV Steel, the Cook County Department of Environmental Control, and the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory).

Lorraine M. Conroy, ScD, CIH
Associate Professor, Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences
Director, Occupational and Environmental Health and Safety Education and Research Center
University of Illinois at Chicago
School of Public Health (M/C 922)

2121 West Taylor Street
Chicago, Illinois 60612-7260

Phone: 312-996-7469
FAX: 312-413-9898

E-mail: lconroy@uic.edu
Faculty Profile: http://www.cade.uic.edu/sphapps/faculty_profile/facultyprofile.asp?i=lconroy