ACGIH® has announced its 2009 awards recipients, to be honored at the American Industrial Hygiene Conference and Exposition (AIHce), May 30-June 4, 2009, in Toronto, Canada.

Herbert E. Stokinger Award Recipient: Vincent Castranova, PhD

The Herbert E. Stokinger Award is presented each year to an individual who has made a significant contribution in the broad field of industrial and environmental toxicology. Dr. Castranova’s research interests have been concentrated in pulmonary toxicology and occupational lung disease. He has been coordinator of the Nanotoxicology Program at NIOSH since its inception. He has been a co-editor of four books and has co-authored over 450 manuscripts and book chapters.

John J. Bloomfield Award Recipient: Jessica Ramsey

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. In the past year, Ms. Ramsey has actively responded to requests for assistance both within NIOSH and from the general public. Ms. Ramsey designs surveys, conducts industrial hygiene sampling, and collects data on occupational exposures during worksite investigations. She then makes written recommendations to the facility on ways to prevent occupational hazards based upon interpretation of the ergonomic and environmental monitoring data collected. Her investigative reports are disseminated to management, union, and employees at the workplace.

Meritorious Achievement Award Recipient: Gyan S. Rajhans, ROH, CIH, PE

The Meritorious Achievement Award is given to members of ACGIH® who have made an outstanding, long-term contribution to the field of occupational health and industrial hygiene. Mr. Rajhans served and contributed to the Province of Ontario in the field of Health and Safety as Chief Industrial Hygienist and District Manager in the Ministry of Labour for many years. Since his retirement, Mr. Rajhans has established his own consulting firm, GSR & Associates Inc.

Mr. Rajhans is the principal author of four reference books and has co-authored 68 scientific and technical papers. He is most celebrated for his 1976 work, which demonstrated the link between carbon dioxide levels in indoor air as an indicator of inadequate fresh air supply.

William Steiger Memorial Award Recipient: Rosemary Sokas, MD, MSc, MoccH

The William Steiger Memorial Award honors individuals from the social/political sphere whose efforts have contributed to advancements in occupational health and safety. Initiated in 1979, this award is not limited to occupational safety and health professionals. Dr. Sokas rejoined OSHA in November, 2008, as director of the Office of Occupational Medicine in the Directorate of Technical Support and Emergency Management, a position she previously held from 1997–1999. She previously served as Lead Medical Officer and as the Associate Director for Science at NIOSH.

Dr. Sokas currently holds a research professorship at the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health (UIC). She has held a tenured professorship, directed the Division of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, and founded and directed the Illinois Public Health Research Fellowship Program at UIC. Prior to her tenure at UIC, she held faculty appointments at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences.

Dr. Sokas has delivered clinical care in migrant and community health centers and in the VA. Her research publications evaluate the impact of occupational exposures on common health outcomes, training intervention effectiveness in health care and construction, and novel approaches to addressing the needs of immigrant, high-risk, contingent and low-income workers.