The American Industrial Hygiene Association® (AIHA) has announced that John Howard, MD, Director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), will speak at the first annual Mark of Excellence Awards Breakfast at the 2015 American Industrial Hygiene Conference and Exposition (AIHce) in Salt Lake City, Utah. The awards event, which will be held on June 3, is a celebration to recognize the extraordinary contributions made by dedicated AIHA members and volunteers to the industrial hygiene profession.

“The workplace has changed significantly over the past 45 years, but the dedication and passion to protect workers has not changed,” said Dr. Howard. “I am so pleased to have the opportunity to join AIHA in recognizing the amazing contributions that have been made to the fields of occupational and environmental health by dedicated professionals both in the field and in the laboratory. Their efforts are remarkable not only for the quality of the work represented by the awardees, but also for their commitment to protect workers from both persisting and emerging workplace hazards.”

Dr. Howard has served as the director of NIOSH in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in Washington, D.C., for the past 13 years. He served as chief of the Division of Occupational Safety and Health in the California Department of Industrial Relations from 1991 through 2002. Dr. Howard is board-certified in internal medicine and occupational medicine and is admitted to the practice of medicine and law in the State of California and in the District of Columbia. He has also written numerous articles on occupational health law and policy. Dr. Howard received his Doctor of Medicine from Loyola University of Chicago in 1974, his Master of Public Health from the Harvard School of Public Health in 1982, his Doctor of Law from the University of California at Los Angeles in 1986, and his Master of Law in Administrative Law from the George Washington University in 1987.

Recipients of the 2015 Edward J. Baier Technical Achievement, Donald E. Cummings Memorial, Kusnetz, Alice Hamilton, Yant, Distinguished Service, and Social Responsibility Awards will be recognized at the awards event. For more information on AIHA’s awards and honors, visit the AIHA website.