NIOSH Director Dr. Linda Rosenstock has accepted the position of Dean of the School of Public Health at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Rosenstock will begin her duties at UCLA on November 1, 2000.

"While I am excited about this new opportunity, it is difficult to leave NIOSH and all that we have accomplished over the last six years," said Rosenstock.

Dr. Rosenstock’s tenure at NIOSH began in April 1994. After weathering attempts by the 104th Congress to eliminate the Institute in 1995, Dr. Rosenstock went on to lead NIOSH in these areas:

  • Expanded its scope of responsibility by acquiring the health and safety functions of the former Bureau of Mines and its staff of 400 in the Pittsburgh and Spokane research centers.

  • Increased its annual appropriations by $85 million (65 percent increase).

  • Developed, in collaboration with 500 external partners, the National Occupational Research Agenda, a framework for guiding occupational safety and health research. Federal funding for NORA has increased 133 percent since NORA’s creation in 1996. The NIOSH investment in NORA has increased from $15.4 million in FY 1996 to $72.3 million in FY 1999 (due in large part to Congressional support for NORA).

  • Increased the number of research grants funded by NIOSH by 467 percent.

  • Emphasized practical recommendations. NIOSH adopted a new exposure limit policy based not only on health effects data, but also on technological feasibility.

  • Developed and fully staffed its new state-of-the-art research laboratory in Morgantown, W.V. (with 300 additional employees added to the overall NIOSH effort).