ACGIH® will honor its 2016 Awards recipients at the American Industrial Hygiene Conference and Exposition (AIHce) held May 21-26, 2016 in Baltimore, Maryland.  Each year, ACGIH® honors individuals and/or groups who have made significant contributions to the profession through their leadership and dedication. This year’s awardees join that distinguished list.

Herbert E. Stokinger Award Recipient:  William D. Wagner

The Herbert E. Stokinger Award is given each year to an individual who has made a significant contribution to the broad field of industrial and environmental toxicology.

In 1952, Mr. Wagner joined the U.S. Public Health Service, Division of Occupational Health, Toxicology Section, and over the next 40 years served as Chief, Biological Support Branch with emphasis on Inhalation Toxicology, Chief, Document Development Branch, and Chief, Senior Review Activity for the Division of Standards Development and Technical Transfer of NIOSH.

Upon retirement from NIOSH, Mr. Wagner became Director of Technical Affairs and Science with ACGIH® in 1989, providing technical support, resources, and information to the ACGIH® Board of Directors, technical committees, and acted as liaison with other occupational and environmental health professionals and organizations worldwide.

Mr. Wagner became a member of ACGIH® in 1963. He was a member of the Threshold Limit Values for Chemical Substances (TLV®-CS) Committee from 1962 until 1989.

In recognition of Mr. Wagner’s service and dedication to ACGIH® and to the profession, he was awarded the Meritorious Achievement Award in 1987 and again in 1999.

Mr. Wagner retired from ACGIH® in 1999 but continued to act as a consultant to ACGIH® and also assisted with ACGIH®’s legal defense in 2001.

Mr. Wagner served on numerous committees throughout his career including: the American National Standards Institute; National Toxicology Program; U.S. Environmental Protection  Agency; Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (now the Department  of Health  and Human Services); and the World Health Organization. He has published over 40 technical publications, many of which are related to the toxicity of pulmonary exposures.

In 2002, for enduring commitment to national and international worker health and safety through the development and support of occupational exposure values, ACGIH® announced the establishment of the William D. Wagner Award. The Award, presented annually, honors a person in the field of national and international worker health and safety who has followed Mr. Wagner’s outstanding example of commitment and dedication to the creation and dissemination of occupational exposure values (OEVs). In 2007, the Ohio Valley Section of AIHA honored Mr. Wagner and his wife, Joan with the Pioneers of Industrial Hygiene Award.

Mr. Wagner’s contributions to the occupational health and industrial hygiene profession have earned him the Herbert E. Stokinger Award.

John J. Bloomfield Award Recipient:  Enjoli DeGrasse Parson, MSPH, CIH

The John J. Bloomfield Award is presented to a young industrial hygienist who pursues the problem of occupational health hazards primarily by doing fieldwork, and who demonstrates significant contribution to the profession.

Mrs. Parson earned a Master of Science degree in Public Health with a specialty in Industrial Hygiene, Risk Assessment and Toxicology from Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine and a Bachelor of Science degree in Microbiology from Xavier University of Louisiana.

Mrs. Parson has been employed by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) for seven years. She works closely with the IBT Package and Airline Division leadership during collective bargaining sessions as the technical and regulatory advisor and on a day-to-day basis serves as one of the in-house subject matter experts on OSHA and DOT standards and regulations. She is a board certified industrial hygienist in comprehensive practice.

Mrs. Parson is a member of ACGIH® and AIHA. She serves on AIHA’s Social Concerns Committee and is a member of the AIHA Minority Special Interest Group, and the AIHA Potomac Local section. Mrs. Parson has participated in several National Academy of Sciences Institute of Medicine workgroups including a workgroup on developing Research Priorities to Inform Public Health and Medical Practice on Domestic Ebola Virus Disease, contributing heavily on guidance specific to worker protections in the airline industry. She provided valuable input to the Institute of Medicine Board of Health Science Policy on Personal Protective Equipment for Healthcare Workers in the Workplace against Novel H1N1 Influenza A. While Mrs. Parson is still early in her career, she is already looking for ways to promote industrial hygiene by being a part of a workgroup focusing on the development of the next generation of labor safety and health activists.

Mrs. Parson is actively involved in providing technical and regulatory support to rank-and-file Teamster members, IBT Trade Divisions, and Local Union Affiliates on issues including but not limited to, transportation safety, occupational safety and health, hazardous material handling, and worker safety and health training. She has made several presentations at the IBT Women’s Conference covering women’s issues in safety and health. She also supports the IBT NIEHS and DOT grant programs in the development of training grant proposals. She has submitted comments to the Federal Registrar Docket on a plethora of topics related to both occupational health and safety and transportation safety issues, which include, but are not limited to, electronic logging devices, crystalline silica, and globally harmonized systems.

As a young industrial hygienist, Mrs. Parson has made numerous contributions to the field and will continue to be a leader in environmental health and safety.

Meritorious Achievement Award Recipient:  Stephen J. Reynolds, PhD, CIH, FAIHA

The Meritorious Achievement Award recognizes members of ACGIH® who have made an outstanding, long-term contribution to the progress of occupational and environmental hygiene. First presented in 1957, it is the organization’s oldest award. It has been given to individuals for singular achievement and to groups for collective accomplishment.

Dr. Reynolds is a Professor and Associate Head in the Department of Environmental and Radiological Health Sciences, Colorado State University.  He is also a faculty member in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health of the Colorado School of Public Health. He is Director of the High Plains Intermountain Center for Agricultural Health and Safety (HICAHS), and was founding Co-Director, now Deputy Director for the Mountain and Plains Education Research Center (MAP ERC). Dr. Reynolds heads MAP ERC’s Industrial Hygiene training program.

Dr. Reynolds became a member of ACGIH® in 1995. He served on the ACGIH® Board of Directors from 2008 through 2011 and as Chair in 2010. Dr. Reynolds served as Chair of AIHA’s International Affairs Committee (2004-2005) and was named a Fellow of the American Industrial Hygiene Association in 2010. He is board certified in Industrial Hygiene and has more than 30 years of experience in exposure assessment and occupational health. From 1993 to 1996 he was a Special Emphasis Research Career Award recipient (US PHS) conducting research in Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan focused on environmental health, and was a Fulbright Senior Specialist in 2007 and continues research on pesticides and birth defects in Armenia. He is internationally recognized for his research involving exposure and health effects of organic dusts, bioaerosols, and endotoxins, particularly in agricultural settings.

Dr. Reynolds’ recent research interests involve application of new molecular biology techniques to investigate microbiome, and antimicrobial resistance in agricultural environments. Dr. Reynolds and his colleagues at HICAHS continue to work closely with the dairy industry to identify factors contributing to illness and injury, evaluation of interventions and training to reduce risks and increase productivity, and development of regional and international partnerships to share knowledge and resources.  

Dr. Reynolds’ dedication and service to the occupational health and industrial hygiene profession, and his commitment to ACGIH®’s mission render him a worthy recipient of the Meritorious Achievement Award.

William Steiger Memorial Award Recipient:  Vickie L. Wells, MS, CIH, CSP

The William Steiger Memorial Award honors individuals from the social/political sphere whose efforts have contributed to advancements in occupational safety and health.

Ms. Wells is currently the Director of Occupational Safety and Health for the San Francisco Department of Public Health. She provides occupational safety and health support to a variety of city and county departments. She has worked for the city and county of San Francisco since 1987, providing testimony for the San Francisco Board of Supervisors on regulatory issues and assisting city departments in developing and implementing occupational safety and health programs and policies.

Ms. Wells began her career working for the U.S. Navy at Mare Island Naval Shipyard in 1980 where she was an author and editor of the first edition of the Occupational Safety and Health Control Manual for Naval Shipyards. For this effort she and her team received an achievement award from the Naval Sea Systems Command.  Ms. Wells received her B.A. degree in Biology from the University of California, San Diego in 1978 and her M.S. degree in Environmental Health/Industrial Hygiene from the University of Cincinnati, Kettering Laboratory.  She is both a CIH and CSP.

Ms. Wells served on the Board of the California Industrial Hygiene Council (CIHC) from 1993 to 2002. She also served as Chair of the annual CIHC Conference in 1995 and 1997, and served as President of CIHC from 1997 to 2002.

 Ms. Wells became a member of ACGIH® in 1983. She served on the Board of Directors from 1999 to 2005, and was the Chair in 2004. She was a Public Member of the National Advisory Committee on Occupational Safety and Health (NACOSH) from 2002 through 2008.   

ACGIH® is pleased to honor Ms. Wells as the recipient of this year’s William Steiger Memorial Award.

Robert T. Hughes Memorial Award Recipient:  Gerry A. Lanham, PE

The Robert T. Hughes Memorial Award was recently established to honor Mr. Hughes, who passed away in late 2014. Robert T. “Bob” Hughes joined the Industrial Ventilation Committee in 1976. He served as Chair of the Committee for 11 years before stepping down in 2001, though he remained dedicated and active on the Committee until his death. This award, established by the ACGIH® Board of Directors, recognizes outstanding individuals in the field of industrial ventilation. The Board selected Gerry A. Lanham as the inaugural recipient of the Hughes Award.

Mr. Lanham is the Past President of KBD/Technic, Inc., a CECO Environmental Company. He has over 46 years of experience in the design, testing and installation of industrial ventilation systems and is the co-author of a patent for HVAC controls and a system for protection against biohazard attack.

Mr. Lanham completed a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Cincinnati and an MBA in Advanced Business Economics at Xavier University. Mr. Lanham became a member of ACGIH® in 1996. He has served on the Industrial Ventilation Committee since 1996. He served as Vice Chair of the Committee from 2008 to 2013 and as its Chair since 2013.

Mr. Lanham has served on numerous committees, including American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers; American Foundry Society (10-E Committee and MACT Task Force); Association of Energy Engineers; and the ANSI B-11 Coolant Delivery System Ventilation Standard Committee (sub-committee Vice Chairman). Mr. Lanham instructs several ventilation courses, including Fundamentals in Industrial Ventilation & Practical Applications of Useful Equations; the Industrial Ventilation Conference (Michigan State University, University of North Carolina (Co-chair), and University of Arizona); and NIOSH Industrial Ventilation Courses - Cincinnati, Ohio.

Mr. Lanham has made significant contributions to the field of industrial ventilation and ACGIH® is pleased to honor Mr. Lanham as the recipient of this year’sHughes Award.

About ACGIH

ACGIH® is a member-based organization that advances occupational and environmental health.  ACGIH® is one of the industry’s leading publications resources, with approximately 400 titles relative to occupational and environmental health and safety, including the renowned TLVs® and BEIs®.  For more information, visit the ACGIH® website at www.acgih.org or call our Customer Service Representatives at 513-742-2020.