The Department of Environmental Health Sciences focuses on understanding the causes, mechanisms, and consequences of environmental and occupational hazards, as well as the prevention and management of these hazards.

The department has three main areas: Environmental Toxicology, Occupational and Environmental Health and Environmental Management and Policy.

Environmental Toxicology focuses on the area of gene-environment interaction. It develops and uses model biological systems to determine the mechanisms through which environmental toxicants alter gene expression and how variation in gene expression causes altered susceptibility to environmental toxicants.

Occupational and Environmental Health focuses on the identification and assessment of human health threats; on the prevention of disease and injury related to occupational and environmental agents, and on the promotion of health among workers, individuals and communities.

Environmental Management and Policy focuses on the development of strategies, policies and programs for preventing and solving environmental health problems.  Key emphases in the department include environmental disasters, public health preparedness, and environmental risk communication.

The Department of Environmental Health Sciences offers MPH, MSPH, DrPH and PhD programs.

Students may enter the DrPh program directly. Our PhD program has three foci; Industrial Hygiene; Environmental Management and Policy. and a joint program with the Integrated Biomedical Sciences program.

For more information please contact Ms. Cherie Hunt at 205-934-8488 or e-mail ehs@uab.edu.