PCIH is one of the Academy of Industrial Hygiene’s most important activities, according to a report in the latest Academy newsletter. Last October, PCIH 2010: Big Ideas, Big Solutions was held in Fort Worth, Texas, in partnership with AIHA’s North Texas and Texas Hill Country Local Sections. Program Chair Gayla McCluskey and President Donna Doganiero organized a well-attended and successful conference that included a mix of PDCs, breakfast and lunch discussions, networking breakfast and coffees, general sessions, forums, workshops, technical tours and a very good Expo.

One of the highlights of the conference was the Henry F. Smyth, Jr. Award Lecture by Dennis Paustenbach on the global evolution of occupational exposure limits, toxic litigation and their impact on the future of industrial hygiene.

 PCIH 2011: Navigating New Opportunities will be held Nov. 5-9 in Baltimore, Md., in the Inner Harbor area and will incorporate changes based on feedback from Academy of Industrial Hygiene members (all Certified Industrial Hygienists) and leveraging other ideas to incorporate sessions targeted for early career professionals. PCIH is designed for all levels of IH professionals; you don’t need to be a CIH to attend. If you are a CIH, it is a great opportunity to earn CM points and meet your obligation to attend ethics training.

Other changes include the introduction of “theme tracks,” poster sessions (which can help people get their boss’s approval to attend the conference), PDCs during the week of the conference (no longer limited to the weekends) and the official rollout of several new AIHA Registry Programs. The four theme tracks for PCIH 2011 are:

1. Leadership
2. ERAM – Exposure Risk Assessment and Management
3. Stewardship and Sustainability
4. Public Safety

The lineup of pre-PCIH activities this year includes a risk assessment symposium, an AIHA leadership workshop for incoming technical committee officers, the Future Leaders Institute (FLI) and a selection of previous Top 10 PDCs.

On Monday and Tuesday, PCIH will offer plenary speakers each morning followed by technical platforms, workshops and technical tours for Monday and Tuesday. The tour sites include the National Aquarium, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab, McCormick’s, and a very special tour to be announced in the final program. The conference activities will close on Wednesday morning with PDCs