Deep South Center for Occupational Health and Safety

The Deep South Center for Occupational Health and Safety is one of seventeen Education and Research Centers funded by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).  The Center, a consortium of The University of Alabama at Birmingham and Auburn University, offers graduate and post graduate programs in occupational health nursing, industrial hygiene and occupational safety and ergonomics.

The Center provides strong programs of study for its students, which includes interdisciplinary experiences and field work experiences. Our graduates have gone on to rewarding and challenging careers in occupational health and safety (Testimonials) .  Financial Assistance for masters and doctoral students is available for U.S. citizens.

For more information on admissions to the graduate program, please click here.  

            

R.Kent Oestenstad PhD,CIH, Center Director

(205) 934-6208

oestk@uab.edu

Elizabeth H. Maples, PhD, Deputy Director

(205) 934-7209

ehm@uab.edu

 Center's Staff

Technology Coordinator
(205) 934-7178
Administrative Associate
(205) 934-7032
Program Director
(205) 975-8075

 

Academic Programs

Occupational Health Nursing: MSN or PhD Studies

The University of Alabama School of Nursing is a component of the Deep South Center for Occupational Health and Safety. The Deep South Center offers occupational health nursing students rigorous studies to prepare for full interaction with other occupational health and safety professionals in planning and implementing occupational health and safety programs.

Karen Heaton, PhD, CEN, FNP-BC,  Program Director OHN Program

Faculty Page: Karen Heaton, PhD, CEN, FNP-BC: Email:(205) 996-9467

Program Faculty
Professor and Chair of Community Health, Outcomes and Systems
Email
(205) 934-6858
MSN Program Coordinator and Associate Professor
Email
(205) 934-6587

Industrial Hygiene: MPH or Doctoral Studies

The Industrial Hygiene Program is a component of the Deep South Center for Occupational Health and Safety.  The Deep South Center offers students rigorous studies to prepare for full interaction with other occupational health and safety professionals in planning and implementing health and safety programs.

Claudiu T. Lungu, PhD, Program Director IH

Faculty Page: Claudiu T. Lungu : Email: (205) 934-2072

Program Faculty
Elizabeth H. Maples, PhD Assistant Professor Email (205) 934-7209
R.Kent Oestenstad, PhD, CIH Associate Professor Email (205) 934-6208
Max Richard, MPH Assistant Professor (205) 934-7414
Giuseppe L. Squadrito, PhD Research Associate Professor Email (205) 934-7061
Edward Postlethwait, PhD Professor Email (205) 934-7032

Occupational Safety and Ergonomics (OS&E)/Injury Prevention (IP)

The Industrial and System Engineering Department provides occupational safety and ergonomics and injury prevention educational opportunities at the graduate level through degree programs, research, and continuing education, and outreach.

Program Faculty

Program Director for OS&E/Associate Professor
(334) 844-1411
Sean Gallenger, PhD, CPE Program Director for IP/Associate Professor Email (334) 844-1407
Deputy Director/Asst Professor
(334) 844-1552

 
Other faculty and instructors within the Department of Environmental Health Sciences and other departments within the UAB School of Public Health are course masters or help teach courses that are common to the IH curricula. Some of these faculty members also participate on IH student committees and mentor IH student research.

Michelle Fanucchi, PhD is the Interim Departmental Chair/ Associate Professor the Department of Environmental Health Sciences. Dr. Fanucchi specialize in Pulmonary Cell Biology and Toxicology. She is the lead instructor for ENH 790, Current topics in Environmental Health sciences research, an advanced seminar for doctoral students. Dr. Fanucchi is the department Doctoral Program Director and she will serve on Doctoral Committees.
Rui-Ming Liu, PhD is an Associate Professor in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences. Her research interest is in Oxidative Stress/Antioxidants in Lung Fibrotic and Neurodegenerative Diseases. Dr. Liu is the lead instructor for ENH 650, Environmental & Occupational Toxicology and Diseases. She will advise Industrial Hygiene MPH students in their research projects and will serve on Ph.D. students’ committees.
Julia Gohlke, PhD is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences.  Her research interests is development of methods to assess the role of the environment in human health. She currently pursuing two lines of research within this broad framework.
Giuseppe Squadrito, PhD is a Research Associate Professor with research interest in Free radical chemistry and Biochemistry as well as in Analytical Chemistry. Dr. Squadrito will be teaching ENH 601 and ENH 701, Environmental chemistry at both master and doctoral levels. He is currently serving on a student Ph.D. Doctoral Committee in Industrial Hygiene.
Steven M. Becker, PhD is a Professor. Dr. Becker’s research interest is in Environmental Disasters and Emergency Communication. He is the instructor for ENH 610, Environmental Health Disasters, which is an elective course for the Industrial Hygiene students. He will also serves on Doctoral Dissertation Committees.
Dale Dickersonis an Assistant Professor in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences. Dale is an active member of the Center for Free Radical Biology, where he is an Associate Scientist and Chair of the Education Committee. He also has secondary appointments in the Comprehensive Cancer Center and the Nephrology Research and Training Center, and is Director of Admissions and Recruitment for the UAB Integrative Biomedical Sciences Program.

 
Other faculty and instructors within the Department of Environmental Health Sciences and other departments within the UAB School of Public Health are course masters or help teach courses that are common to the IH curricula. Some of these faculty members also participate on IH student committees and mentor IH student research.

Judith McBride, MSPH, CIH is an Adjunct Instructor in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences. She provides lectures in ENH 661 - Air Sampling and Analysis and assists in identifying campus wide sites for the laboratory part of this course.
Todd Hogue, MSPH, CIH, CSP is a graduate of the Industrial Hygiene Program at UAB, and is the Manager of Environmental Safety and Health at BP in Decatur, AL. Mr. Hogue teaches ENH 603 - Management of Occupational Health and Safety.
In addition, Dr. Rob Thomas together with Dr. Jerry Davis provide instruction for ENH 670 Fundamentals of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics taught at Auburn and web-based for IH students at UAB.

Alfred Bartolucci, PhD & Naomi Fineberg, PhD teach the Intermediate Statistical Analysis I core course (BST 611).
Christine Durarte, PhD & Degui Zhi, PhD teach Intermediate Statistical Analysis II core course (BST 612) .
Olivia Affuso, PhD  teaches the Introduction to Epidemiology core course (EPI 600).
Stephen Mennemeyer, MA, PhD teaches the Health Care Organization and Policy core course (HCO 600). 
Dori Pekmezi, PhD teaches the Social & Behavioral Sciences core course (HB 600).
Melissa Galvin, PhD, MPH coordinates the Public Health Integrative Experience core course (PUH 695).

Gerald McGwin, PhD teaches Principles of Epidemiologic Research (EPI 610)
Nalini Sathiakumar, MD, DrPH teaches Environmental Epidemiology (EPI 616)

Department of Mechanical Engineering
Department of Material Sciences and Engineering