Environmental Health

The mission of the Department of Environmental Health is to advance the health of all people in the United States and around the world through research and training in environmental health. The department emphasizes the role of air, water, the built environment, and the workplace as critical determinants of health.

Faculty members in the department study the pathogenesis and prevention of environmentally produced illnesses and act as catalysts for scientifically based public health advances. Research approaches range from the molecular to the epidemiologic.

The Department of Environmental Health focuses on complex problems that require the contributions of many specialties. The department’s faculty, research staff, and students reflect the multidisciplinary nature of the field and include chemists, engineers, epidemiologists, applied mathematicians, physicians, occupational health nurses, physiologists, cell biologists, molecular biologists, and microbiologists.

Teaching and research activities of the department are carried out through three concentrations:

• exposure, epidemiology, and risk
• occupational health
• molecular and integrative physiological sciences

EXPOSURE, EPIDEMIOLOGY, AND RISK

The focus of research and educational training in exposure, epidemiology, and risk (EER) is the investigation and mitigation of health risks associated with environmental and occupational hazards. These environmental challenges to our society are addressed by EER through an interdisciplinary approach, involving the characterization of contaminant sources, hazards, and environmental transport, identification of routes of exposure, investigation of health effects, and the employment of risk assessment, engineering, and management strategies to minimize adverse outcomes.

Faculty members focus their research, and students acquire core competencies, in three domains:

• exposure, which emphasizes the chemical, physical, microbiological, and engineering aspects of environmental and occupational exposures. Faculty members study the transport and fate of environmental contaminants by measurement and modeling of ambient, indoor, and personal exposures to environmental and workplace contaminants and hazards. They also develop instruments and methods for collecting, analyzing, and assessing the effects of physical, chemical, and biological stressors.

• epidemiology, which focuses on identifying and measuring the influence of environmental factors (physical, chemical, and biologic) on human disease in communities to provide scientific evidence for sound environmental and health policies.

• risk assessment, involving the integration of evidence from exposure assessment, epidemiology, toxicology, and other disciplines to inform policy decisions in the presence of uncertainty. Faculty members are involved in research and training on analytic methods and applications to quantify human health risks.

In addition, students specialize in one or more of the areas of interest described below:

Environmental epidemiology This area of interest is for students interested in measuring the influence of environmental factors (physical, chemical, and biologic) on human disease in communities to provide scientific evidence for sound environmental and health policies.

Ergonomics and safety This area of interest provides a public health and engineering approach to the prevention of work-related injuries and musculoskeletal disorders. The area encompasses exposure assessment, occupational biomechanics, and epidemiology.

Exposure assessment This area of interest prepares students to identify and characterize human and ecological exposures to environmental contaminants, model their fate and transport, and develop strategies to control environmental hazards, allergens, and pathogens.

Industrial hygiene This area of interest offers training in the anticipation, identification, evaluation, and control of occupational hazards.

Risk assessment This area of interest provides an integrated education in environmental science, risk analysis, and decision science applied to environmental management.

Degree Programs in Exposure, Epidemiology, and Risk

EER offers both 80-credit and 42.5-credit master of science (SM) programs in environmental health, including the 80-credit SM in industrial hygiene, as well as a program leading to the doctor of science (SD) degree.

All students must meet the school requirements for core knowledge in public health (for information about schoolwide requirements for master’s and doctoral students, see degree programs). In addition, both doctoral and master’s students in this concentration take core courses in human physiology and toxicology, exposure assessment, environmental and occupational epidemiology, and risk assessment. Beyond the general core requirements, areas of interest have specific course requirements. Advanced courses in exposure, epidemiology, and risk are oriented toward specific pollutants or media (such as air or water). They may focus on monitoring, modeling, or the control of pollutants; health effects; or management, regulation, and policy.

Many students also take courses at MIT and at other Harvard schools, including the Kennedy School of Government and the Faculty of Arts and Sciences.

Master of Science in Environmental Health (80-credit and 42.5-credit programs)

Graduates of these professional programs assume positions in government, in private companies, or in research institutions. In the past few years some graduates have gone to work as scientists in environmental consulting firms, as industrial hygienists, or as academic and government researchers. Some are working for nonprofit community and international organizations, while others have gone on to pursue doctoral programs.

Applicants’ personal statements should clearly state their preferred area of interest within the exposure, epidemiology, and risk concentration and the ways that the program will further their careers.

Applicants to the 80-credit program generally have undergraduate degrees and limited work experience. Consistent with the interdisciplinary nature of the concentration, a broad range of undergraduate or graduate degrees are acceptable. Among these are environmental science, physics, mathematics, biology, chemistry, engineering, geology, meteorology, and decision analysis. Applicants to the program are expected to have evidence of strong quantitative skills. Occasionally applicants with social science, business, or policy backgrounds are successful if they can demonstrate some academic background in math, chemistry, and biology. At times applicants are accepted conditional upon completing science and/or math courses.

The EER 80-credit master’s programs are based on a set of core courses in the first two semesters, followed by more specialized courses in the later semesters. Within these constraints students have some flexibility to change their focus within the program. Students enrolled in the 80-credit program in industrial hygiene follow the same general curriculum and may also elect a focus in hazardous substances, which involves several additional targeted courses and a related internship.

Applicants with exceptional credentials (including postbaccalaureate degrees and/ or professional experience) may request consideration for admission to a 42.5-credit SM program.

Within the 42.5 master’s program an area of interest in environmental health management is available for midcareer environmental health professionals from developing countries interested in updating and strengthening their knowledge and technical capabilities. The program stresses the scientific foundations and quantitative/analytic skills needed to frame, develop, and manage environmental health policy. Topics of study include exposure and risk assessment, epidemiology and toxicology, environmental economics and decision analysis, life cycle assessment, and negotiation analysis.

Doctor of Science in Environmental Health

Doctoral graduates are qualified for research and teaching positions in schools of public health and other academic institutions, in local and federal agencies, and in the private sector. Recent graduates have taken positions as faculty members; as research scientists with the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), the environmental division of Health Canada, and Taiwan’s Institute of Occupational Health and Safety; and as staff scientists with the National Research Council, the Mexican Ministry of Health, and consulting organizations.

Applicants to the doctoral program normally have a master’s degree in a related science or mathematics field and strong scientific and quantitative skills. Admission into the doctoral program in all areas of interest depends upon demonstrated competence in the requirements for an SM program described above. Those applying to study industrial hygiene usually have several years of relevant work experience in addition to a master’s degree.

Doctoral students interested in a research career in environmental epidemiology are encouraged to consider a dual degree in environmental health and epidemiology (see page 19). Doctoral students with a strong interest in both environmental science and methodological aspects of the decision sciences are encouraged to apply to the environmental science and risk management area of interest. This program involves admission to both the Department of Environmental Health and the Department of Health Policy and Management and requires a double major. Students uncertain about whether their interests are better suited to one of these joint programs or to another program in exposure, epidemiology, and risk should contact the EER office for clarification.

Doctoral candidates are provided training in teaching and oral presentation. They serve as teaching assistants and are also expected to present their research in departmental seminars. During the course of their program, doctoral students are encouraged to present papers at scientific conferences.

Depending on the specialty area, doctoral students may be funded either fully or partially through research or training-grant fellowships. National Institutes of Health (NIH) traineeships are restricted to doctoral students who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents. For students specializing in industrial hygiene, tuition support may be available through a NIOSH Education and Research Center Grant for highly qualified U.S. citizens.

 

Contact Information

For more information about research and training in exposure, epidemiology, and risk (EER), please contact the EER Program Office at HSPH Landmark Center, Box 15677, 401 Park Drive West, Boston, MA 02215, or visit the concentration website.

Applicants to the doctoral program are strongly encouraged to arrange an interview with faculty members. Please contact the EER concentration at the address above.

Email: envsci@hsph.harvard.edu
Web: https://webapps.sph.harvard.edu/eer/

OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH

This occupational health concentration is designed to train health and safety professionals to recognize and prevent disease and injuries associated with occupational and environmental exposures. This concentration is offered by the environmental and occupational medicine and epidemiology research program (EOME). The disciplines of medicine and epidemiology are the focus of the EOME program; depending on the orientation of the student, these disciplines are brought to bear on occupationally and environmentally related exposures. Practicing physicians and nurses can choose courses with a medical orientation; industrial hygienists, safety professionals, and those seeking careers in academia and research can emphasize epidemiology. The academic degree programs listed below are organized so that students can chose courses in both medicine and epidemiology.

Faculty research is focused on a wide variety of exposures and research approaches to identifying the association between exposure and disease or injury. Areas of faculty research include the following:

• respiratory disease among exposed populations, including indoor and outdoor workers and building occupants
• reproductive and chronic disease of populations exposed to petrochemicals, heavy metals, and persistent compounds
• biological and chemical hazards assessment
• epidemiology of acute injury and cumulative trauma disorders
• occupational and environmental such as lung, skin, and bladder cancer
• biomonitoring and medical surveillance
• occupational and environmental focused on developing countries
• occupational health policy and services
• population genetics, including the development of biochemical, molecular, genetic markers and their applications epidemiologic studies
• environmental and molecular epidemiology and occupational epidemiology
• gene-environment interactions

Degree Programs in Occupational Health

The training programs in occupational health are offered through the NIOSH sponsored Harvard Education and Research Center for Occupational Safety and Health (ERC). Graduates are prepared for careers in fields such as occupational and environmental medicine and nursing, industrial hygiene, occupational and/or environmental safety, epidemiologic research, disease and injury surveillance, environmental and/or occupational health policy, and molecular epidemiology. As described below, the following programs are offered: master of occupational health (MOH); master of science (SM) in primary health care nursing (from Simmons College) and dual-degree SM in environmental health and primary health care nursing (from HSPH, in cooperation with Simmons College); SM in environmental health with a focus on occupational safety and health; and doctor of science (SD) or doctor of public health (DPH). For information about schoolwide requirements for master’s and doctoral degrees, see degree programs.

Master of Occupational Health (42.5- credit program)

This professional program is designed to train physicians in the public health disciplines relevant to the prevention and control of occupational and environmental disease and injury. Physicians interested in occupational and environmental medicine may apply either to the MOH program or to the occupational and environmental health concentration of the master of public health (MPH) program. Either the MOH or the MPH is taken as the first year of a two-year Occupational and Environmental Medicine Residency.

For the MOH (or the MPH) program, in addition to schoolwide requirements, students take core courses in toxicology, ergonomics and human factors, occupational safety, occupational health policy and administration, the work environment, occupational and environmental medicine, environmental and occupational epidemiology, and the practice of occupational health. Recommended electives include the analysis of rates and proportions, regression and analysis of variance in experimental research, and the ethical basis of the practice of public health.

Master of Science in Environmental Health (80-credit and 42.5-credit programs)

The occupational health concentration emphasizes the epidemiologic and biostatistical aspects of the environmental and occupational fields. The SM is normally an 80-credit program, although an individual with a PhD or JD may be admitted to a 42.5- credit program. It is generally expected that students without a prior doctoral degree will wish to enroll in a subsequent doctoral program.

This program provides training appropriate for those who wish to work in research or teaching environments. Applicants normally have a bachelor’s degree and advanced training in science, including college-level organic and inorganic chemistry. Those currently holding positions in the fields of occupational or environmental safety and health and planning to return to these positions are considered particularly strong candidates for admission.

In addition to schoolwide requirements, students take courses in toxicology, pathophysiology, ergonomics and human factors, occupational safety, occupational health policy and administration, the work environment, environmental and occupational epidemiology, the practice of occupational health, advanced biostatistics, and ethics.

Master of Science in Primary Health Care Nursing (42.5-credit program)

This program is offered by the Harvard Education and Research Center and Simmons College, which awards the degree. The program is designed for registered nurses seeking preparation as occupational health nurse practitioners.

Applicants must have at least a bachelor’s degree in nursing from a program accredited by the National League of Nursing, must show satisfactory completion of basic statistics and physical assessment courses, and must be registered to practice nursing in a U.S. state or territory.

Participants undertake practica in industrial settings, clinics, and hospital-based occupational health programs and complete a course at HSPH in occupational health policy and administration and courses at Simmons College in normal and abnormal human physiology, research methods, the theory and practice of primary health care nursing, the theoretical foundations for nursing practice, clinical pharmacology for nurses in ambulatory care, health in the workplace, health care systems, and health promotion.

Master of Science in Environmental Health (HSPH) and Primary Health Care Nursing (Simmons College) (dual-degree, 80-credit program)

This dual-degree professional program emphasizes identification of health hazards, workplace assessment, program planning and intervention, worker health promotion, and disease and injury prevention. The program integrates curricula from HSPH and Simmons College, with courses taken concurrently at these institutions.

The program focusing on occupational health nursing is also aimed at preparing nurses for positions as occupational health nurse practitioners. Practice locations include workplaces/corporations, clinics (including occupational and environmental medicine facilities), and hospitals.

Applicants must have at least a bachelor’s degree in nursing from a program accredited by the National League of Nursing, must show satisfactory completion of a basic statistics course, and must be registered to practice nursing in a U.S. state or territory. Nurses interested in this program must apply to, be accepted by, and maintain satisfactory academic progress in both schools.

Students in this program must fulfill essentially the same course requirements at Simmons College as those enrolled in the master of science in primary health care nursing (see above). At HSPH, in addition to schoolwide requirements, students take courses covering ergonomics and human factors, the work environment, occupational safety, and environmental and occupational epidemiology; a tutorial in toxicology; and two electives. Students must also complete an independent study project.

Doctor of Science in Environmental Health/Doctor of Public Health

The SD or DPH degree may be earned by students who wish to concentrate in occupational health. Applicants to the DPH program must hold an MPH and a prior doctoral degree.

In addition to schoolwide requirements, students in the doctoral program complete many of the same courses as those in the SM program and also courses in exposure assessment for epidemiology, biomarkers in chronic disease, and advanced epidemiology.

Some financial support may be available for doctoral students who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents through NIH National Research Service Awards, NIOSH sponsored ERC or other traineeships, or scholarships.

 

Occupational and Environmental Medicine Residency

The residency is a two-year program consisting of an academic year leading to the MPH or MOH degree and a practicum year devoted to the development of skills in clinical occupational and environmental medicine and epidemiologic research. During the practicum year acquired knowledge and skills are applied to patient management and workplace/environmental community problem solving; at least one short-term research project is designed, executed, and documented under faculty supervision. Field experience includes rotations through hospital- and community-based occupational and environmental health clinics. Additional rotation choices are available in corporate medical departments and governmental agencies. The residency is fully accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education.

Applicants must be graduates of an approved school of medicine or osteopathy and must have completed at least one year of internship training in an accredited U.S. or Canadian clinical program; board eligibility or certification in a primary care specialty is preferred. Physicians currently holding positions in the field of occupational safety and health who plan to return to these positions are considered strong candidates for admission.

In addition to submitting an application to the degree program, prospective residents must send a letter of interest to the Occupational and Environmental Medicine Residency program, enclosing a curriculum vitae listing medical training and experience, research experience, and publications. Admission to the practicum year of the residency is a separate process from, and usually occurs shortly after, admission to the degree program.

Applicants to the MOH program and the MPH program with a concentration in occupational and environmental health who are also applying to the Occupational and Environmental Medicine Residency program must apply for both the degree program and the residency by October 1, 2007, for 2008–09 matriculation. Continuation into the second year of the residency is contingent upon having had adequate prior clinical experience and exemplary performance in the academic phase of the program.

Some financial support for residency candidates who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents may be available through traineeships.

Related Offerings

• Environmental/occupational epidemiology area of interest, Department of Epidemiology.
• MPH concentration in occupational and environmental health.

Contact Information

For more information about the occupational health concentration, MOH degree program, training in occupational epidemiology, and ERC traineeships, please contact David C. Christiani, MD, MPH, SM, Department of Environmental Health, 665 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, or visit the ERC website.

Phone: 617-432-1260
Fax: 617-432-3441
Email: dchristi@hsph.harvard.edu
Web: http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/erc

For more information about the Occupational and Environmental Medicine Residency, please contact Stefanos Kales, MD, MPH, Department of Environmental Health, 665 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115.

Phone: 617-432-3327
Fax: 617-432-0219
Email: skales@hsph.harvard.edu
Web: http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/erc/oemr/

 

MOLECULAR AND INTEGRATIVE PHYSIOLOGICAL SCIENCES

Training in molecular and integrative physiological sciences (MIPS) addresses the intersection between basic pulmonary sciences and environmental exposures, often in the context of global public health. Faculty members focus on three main problems: air pollution, lung infection, and asthma. The theme of pulmonary inflammation spans these foci, as does an interdisciplinary approach bridging biological and physical sciences. Areas of research include biomechanical properties of cells/tissue in normal/ inflamed lungs; smooth muscle and airway constriction in asthma; mediators and adhesion molecules involved in pulmonary inflammation; effects of inhaled particles; lung infections; control of breathing in humans; sleep-related breathing disorders; respiratory sensations; and epithelial cell, macrophage, lymphocyte, and neutrophil lung biology. The biology is broadly based, ranging from molecular and cell biology to integrated organismic, environmental, and comparative physiology.

The MIPS concentration combines a range of scientific fields, including physics, bioengineering, physiology, biomathematics, cell biology, molecular biology, proteomics and genomics, clinical science, and epidemiology. By working within this rich interdisciplinary environment, students learn many measurement technologies, discover a variety of approaches, and develop mature scientific thinking.

Degree Programs in Molecular and Integrative Physiological Sciences

As described below, the MIPS concentration leads either to the doctor of science (SD) degree, offered through the Department of Environmental Health, or to the doctor of philosophy (PhD) degree, offered through the Division of Biological Sciences.

Doctor of Science in Environmental Health

Students wishing to study cellular, integrative, or engineering approaches as they pertain to problems in the environment, physiology, or public health may apply directly to the SD program in the Department of Environmental Health.

The SD program prepares students for research careers in respiratory physiology, cell and molecular biology, or bioengineering. Graduates assume positions as faculty members and research scientists at medical schools, research institutes, and schools of public health. Career opportunities in molecular and integrative physiological sciences as they apply to public health are expected to grow both in academia and in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries.

Applicants to the program generally have a bachelor’s degree and demonstrated competence in organic and biological chemistry, general biology, physics, and calculus. Students in this program follow a different curriculum from those in the PhD program. In consultation with their adviser, students design a program of course work with their specific objectives in mind. The program offers a firm foundation in the basic biomedical sciences, as well as in epidemiology and biostatistics, and provides the opportunity for students to engage in laboratory rotations. For information about schoolwide requirements for doctoral degrees, see degree programs.

Most students admitted to the SD program receive a stipend, as well as tuition and health insurance support. Students are encouraged to apply for fellowships from outside sources since certain external fellowships provide higher stipends.

Doctor of Philosophy in Biological Sciences in Public Health (Molecular and Integrative Physiological Sciences)

Students wishing to study cellular and molecular biology or physiology as it pertains to major problems in public health may apply to the PhD program offered by the Division of Biological Sciences through the Harvard University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. The PhD program is designed to prepare students for research careers in respiratory physiology, cell and molecular biology, or bioengineering. For more information about the PhD program, see web site.

Contact Information

For more information about research and training in molecular and integrative physiological sciences or about the SD program, please contact Lester Kobzik,MD, Department of Environmental Health, 665 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115.

Phone: 617-432-2247
Fax: 617-432-0014
Email: lkobzik@hsph.harvard.edu

For the PhD Program in Biological Sciences in Public Health, online submissions are encouraged, using the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS) application form available at the web address below:

Web: http://www.gsas.harvard.edu/apply/apply_3.php

The GSAS application in hard copy is available at the same web address.