The American Industrial Hygiene Association® (AIHA) has announced the recipients of the 2014 AIHA awards, which honor individuals who provide significant contributions to the industrial hygiene and occupational and environmental health and safety profession. The award recipients will be recognized on Monday, June 2, during the Opening Session of the 2014 American Industrial Hygiene Conference and Exposition (AIHce)?, which will be held May 31 through June 5 in San Antonio, Texas.

“It is my pleasure to acknowledge this year’s award recipients who have dedicated themselves to advancing the industrial hygiene profession,” said AIHA President Barbara J. Dawson, CIH, CSP. “The recipients of these awards have made extraordinary accomplishments and deserve this recognition of their peers.”

This year's AIHA award recipients are:

Philip R. Morey, PhD, MS, CIH – Edward J. Baier Technical Achievement Award

Dr. Philip Morey received his doctorate in biology from Yale University and has held various teaching positions, including lecturer of biology at Harvard University and professor of biological sciences at Texas Tech University. He has held research positions in microbiology and industrial hygiene while at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, and subsequently served as director of indoor air quality/microbiology for several consulting companies. He was elected as a member of the International Academy of Indoor Air Sciences in 1992 and was named an AIHA Fellow in 1997. 

Michael Harris, PhD, CIH – Donald E. Cummings Memorial Award

Dr. Michael Harris received his doctorate from Louisiana State University in 1979 and is President of Hamlin & Harris, Inc., in Baton Rouge, La. He taught aircraft welding at the U.S. Army Transportation School and welded environmental test equipment for Ling Electronics and aircraft drop tanks at Royal Industries. His AIHA publications include Welding Health and Safety: A Field Guide for the OEHS Professional and Field Guidelines for Temporary Ventilation of Confined Spaces with an Emphasis on Hotwork. Dr. Harris was named an AIHA Fellow in 2009.

Michael A. Jayjock, PhD, CIH – AIHA Distinguished Service Award

Dr. Michael A. Jayjock is a senior member of LifeLine Group’s (LLG) management team. Prior to joining LLG, he worked in the toxicology department at Rohm and Haas Company, where he served in various technical positions beginning in 1969. He has a PhD in environmental engineering from Drexel University in Philadelphia, where he also received his master’s degree in environmental science and occupational health. Dr. Jayjock is an AIHA Fellow and a Diplomate of the American Board of Industrial Hygiene. He has served on various AIHA committees, including the Committee on Exposure Assessment Strategies, the Exposure Strategies Modeling Subcommittee, the Exposure Strategies Expert System Subcommittee, the Committee on Risk Assessment, and the Low-Dose Estimation Task Group

Catherine (Cathy) A. Hovde, CIH – Kusnetz Award

Cathy Hovde is the global industrial hygiene manager at Caterpillar Inc., where she develops and drives global industrial hygiene strategy and is responsible for global government affairs for health and safety. Cathy earned her master’s degree in environmental health sciences at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities in Minneapolis. She serves on several AIHA committees, including the Students and Early Career Professionals Committee and the Permanent Conference Committee which reviews, approves and arranges the entire technical programming of AIHce each year.  Her research, “Effects of Voltage and Wire Feed Speed on Weld Fume Characteristics,” was published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene (JOEH) in 2007.

Denese A. Deeds, CIH – Alice Hamilton Award

Denese Deeds is the co-founder and director of chemical regulatory services at Industrial Health & Safety Consultants, Inc., where she prepares SDS and other hazard communication documents, files international chemical registrations and assists companies with overall chemical regulatory compliance. She has previously worked as an industrial hygienist for General Electric and Westinghouse. Denese has served on various committees and local sections of AIHA and is active in the Society for Chemical Hazard Communication (SCHC), where she served as past president. Denese is a frequent presenter at SCHC and AIHA Local Section meetings on the topic of the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS) and is an active participant in the OSHA-SCHC Alliance which works to increase awareness about GHS.

Karen Messing, PhD – Yant Award

Dr. Karen Messing, who earned her doctorate in biology at McGill University in Montreal, Canada, is professor emerita in the department of biological sciences at the University of Quebec at Montreal.  At the University of Quebec, she co-founded the university-union partnership L’invisible qui fait mal (The Invisible that Hurts) to address female workers' needs in researching occupational health and safety risks. She has authored over 130 peer-reviewed articles, as well as the book One-eyed Science: Occupational Health and Working Women. Dr. Messing received the Governor General of Canada’s Award in Commemoration of the Persons Case in 2009 for promoting equality of girls and women in Canada.

 Occupational Knowledge International (OK International) – Social Responsibility Award

OK International will be honored for its pioneering efforts in addressing some of the most challenging threats to occupational and environmental public health around the world, including exposures to lead, silica and other contaminants. Founded in 1999, OK International focuses on inequities in environmental standards between developed and developing countries by working in partnership with industry, government and non-governmental organizations. OK International’s Executive Director Perry Gottesfeld will accept the award during the AIHce Opening Session.

The recipient of the President’s Award will be announced during the President’s Reception at AIHce on Wednesday, June 4. For more information about the AIHA awards, please visit the Awards and Honors Web page.