NIOSH Recognizes 2009 Award Winners for Their Excellence and Dedication in Occupational Safety and Health Research

Contact: Christina Bowles (202) 245-0633
May 7, 2009

On May 7, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) recognized significant contributions from NIOSH researchers and our partners to occupational safety and health research over the past year. The annual Alice Hamilton Award, James P. Keogh Award, and Bullard-Sherwood Research-to-Practice Awards are given to projects that demonstrate scientific excellence of technical and instructional materials by NIOSH scientists and engineers, outstanding service by an individual in the occupational safety and health field, and exceptional efforts by NIOSH researchers and our partners in applying occupational safety and health research to the prevention of workplace fatalities, illnesses, or injuries.

"Each year we have the great opportunity to honor NIOSH researchers for their dedication to improving and advancing workers' safety and health," said NIOSH Acting Director Christine M. Branche, Ph.D. "This year is no different as we recognize these talented researchers who have taken on the safety and health challenges we see in both the traditional fields, such as mining and manufacturing, as well as new and emerging fields, such as nanotechnology."

Named after Dr. Alice Hamilton, a pioneering researcher and occupational physician, the Alice Hamilton Award is given for outstanding NIOSH contributions in the areas of biological sciences, engineering and physical sciences, human studies, and educational materials. The submissions go through a rigorous review by panels of scientific experts, including peers from both outside and inside NIOSH. This year's projects contributed to a wide range of sectors including mining, manufacturing, and services, as well as major workplace safety and health issues, including exposure to nanomaterials, hearing loss, and respiratory diseases. The full list of the 2009 Alice Hamilton Award recipients can be found at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/awards/hamilton/.

The James P. Keogh Award for Outstanding Service in Occupational Safety and Health is given to current or former NIOSH employees who have, through their work, demonstrated exceptional commitment to the field. For 2009, we are proud to honor John Howard, MD, MPH, JD, LLM for his exemplary commitment to the occupational safety and health field. Dr. Howard exemplifies the Keogh Award's goal of outstanding service in occupational safety and health through his leadership at the state and federal level and his efforts to make the nation's primary investment in occupational safety and health information, research, and guidance more relevant to workers and employers in the U.S. and around the world.

The Bullard-Sherwood Research-to-Practice Award, named for the inventor of the hard hat Edward W. Bullard, and R. Jeremy Sherwood, the inventor of the personal industrial hygiene sampling pump, is given to recognize recipients for outstanding contributions in three categories: Knowledge, Interventions, and Technology. This year the award and honorable mentions went to projects addressing issues including the incorporation of occupational safety and health initiatives into graduate business courses, improvements in fall injury controls and interventions, improvements in eliminating safety hazards for emergency medical service (EMS) workers and in EMS protective clothing criteria, and noise controls for mine workers. To view the list of recipients of the 2009 Bullard-Sherwood Award visit http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/awards/bullard-sherwood/.

For more information about NIOSH research activities go to http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/.