Public Health Influencer

PUBLIC HEALTH INFLUENCER: SUMMER INSTITUTE

Summer 2025

About:

The Public Health Influencer Summer Institute is a free summer enrichment program open to high school students who are interested in public health, environmental health, chronic and infectious disease prevention, epidemiology, or social/environmental justice.

Eligibility Requirement:

  • Accepting rising 10, 11, and 12th graders. 
  • Be a U.S. Citizen, a permanent resident to attend

CLICK HERE TO APPLY! 

Valuable Hands-on Experience

Students will learn about public health and its impact on communities.  Students will participate in hands-on experiences and learn from health, healthcare, and environmental health experts.

Explore Public Health in Alabama

Students will participate in immersive field experiences with multiple site visits throughout central Alabama including Birmingham and Montgomery.  Travel to sites provided through the institute.

Details:

The program is free for interested students and will feature a variety of speakers, presenters, and activities.  Up to 25 students will be accepted into the program, so please apply early! A $250 stipend will be awarded to participating students.  The program will run from 9am until 5pm each day, so students will be responsible for their own transportation to and from the UAB School of Public Health.  Breakfast, lunch, and snacks will be provided each day. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) and Other Information for Students Confirmed attend PSH

What is the Dress Code:  Casual Attire

  • You may wear blue jeans, modest-length shorts, sleeveless tops, dresses, skirts, jackets, and sweaters.
  • You may not wear mid-drift tops, muscle shirts with gaping armholes, super-short shorts, or garments with offensive images or words, neither hats nor sunglasses may be worn indoors.

Should I bring a laptop?

  • No, we will provide you with the needed materials and electronics.

How will I receive my stipend?

  • Stipends are distributed via mail.  We will provide you with paperwork to complete prior to starting the summer program.  Once this information is processed, you will receive a payment 3-5 following the conclusion of program. 

Contact Us

If you have questions, or concerns, feel free to contact us at murrayp@uab.edu.

 

DSC Fall / Winter News

Deep South Center ERC News

ERC Trainee Research, Presentations and Awards:

  • Shivaprasad Nageswaran, a spring 2023 PhD graduate of the OSE program, won the National Three Minute Thesis, or 3MT™ Competition, hosted by the Council of Graduate Schools at their Annual Meeting on Dec. 10, 2023, in Washington, DC. Among 12 contestants from the US and Central America, Nageswaran received the top award at the national level, the People’s Choice Award. 
  • Preston Graben was selected to join the highly competitive MITRE National Security Accelerator Program. 
  • Jessica Volz, OHN Trainee, presented Mitigating Workforce Violence, Virtual Nursing, New Models and Trends for the Future, The Healthcare Council and Premier Fall Conference, 2023, Bethesda, MD 
  • Jessica Volz and Katie Wells, OHN Trainees, poster presentation: Implementing Detective Consults for Anonymous Reports, Maryland Patient Safety Center Conference 2023, Baltimore, MD 
  • In November 2023, PhD trainee, Precious Diaz presented at the 17th Annual Southeast Mine Safety and Health Conference in Birmingham, AL:  Cultivating Safety Leadership:  Addressing Root Causes and Behavioral Health
  • IH PhD Trainees Precious Diaz, Nathan Chen, Seunghyeon Yang and Megan McMahan, received scholarships from the Southeast Mine Safety and Health Conference, held in Birmingham, AL, November 2023  
  • Meghan McMahan, PhD trainee, (Lungu-advisor): 1st Place Doctoral Poster Presentation, Southeast Regional Research Symposium (SERRS) 
  • Meghan McMahan, PhD trainee, won 1st Place Poster Presentation of Section VIII Environmental and Earth Science, 101st Annual Alabama Academy of Science (AAS) Meeting for her poster:  Development of a Dual-Air Purifying Respirator: Analysis of Activated Carbon Fiber’s simultaneous Filtration Efficiency and VOC Capture in February 2024 
  • Seunghyeon Yang (Oh-advisor): The Amazon “Invent and Simplify” Scholarship and The D. Jeff Burton Scholarship 
  • Maya Van Houten-Armstrong (Oh-advisor): The Pengfei Gao Memorial Scholarship and The George & Florence Clayton Scholarship 
  • Meghan McMahan (Lungu-advisor): The Amazon “Invent and Simplify” Scholarship
  • Precious Diaz (Lungu- advisor): American Industrial Hygiene Foundation (AIHF) Scholarship 
  • Darkeya “DeDe” Rowe (Oh-advisor): The Monica Melkonian Memorial Scholarship 

  • Savannah Maples was recently awarded the annual Dr. Saeed Maghsoodloo Assistantship. The assistantship acknowledges and rewards the valuable role that graduate teaching assistants (GTA) play in the Auburn University Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISE). https://eng.auburn.edu/news/2024/03/maghsoodloo-assistantship-awarded-to-ise-doctoral-student

  • Maria Lanzi, OHN Trainee, was inducted into the Fellows of American Association of Nurse Practitioners (2024) and was also awarded the AANP NP State Award for Excellence (2024) 

  • Jessica Volz, OHN trainee, was awarded National Sexual Violence Resource Center Visionary Voice Award (2024), and was a 2024 Adventist HealthCare Compassionate Care Award Nominee 
  • Jessica Volz, OHN trainee, was presented with an Maryland General Assembly Official Citation: “In recognition of her steadfast commitment to patient centered care and her tireless leadership to ensure sexual assault survivors have access to forensic exams” (2024), by Senator William Smith Jr. 
  • Nathan Chen, PhD candidate in Environmental Health Sciences, received the Dr. Jack Driscoll Best Real-Time Detection Student Poster Award at the national American Industrial Hygiene Conference and Exposition (AIHce, May 2024) for his poster presentation, “Occupational Exposure to Hand-arm Vibration (HAV) in US Groundskeepers”. The Dr. Jack Driscoll Award is given to the best student poster at AIHce that focuses on real-time detection.  
  • Meghan McMahan (Lungu-advisor): Second Place Silver winning poster for the Best in Show Awards, American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) CONNECT  
  • Nathan Chen (Oh-advisor): Third Place Bronze winning poster for the Best in Show Awards, American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) CONNECT 
  • Meghan McMahan (Lungu-advisor): Best Volunteer Group Student Poster Awards from Protective Clothing and Equipment Committee & Respiratory Protection Committee, American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) CONNECT
  • Six doctoral students in the Auburn University Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISE) were awarded American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) Foundation scholarships, totaling $32,000. OSE students Savannah Maples and Emmanuel Winful and OIP students Lucie Outlaw and Bob Sesek were recipients. 
  • https://eng.auburn.edu/news/2024/08/six-ise-doctoral-students-awarded-assp-foundation-scholarships 
  • M. Callihan*, H. Cole, A. Callihan, E. Penn, L. Peek, M. Barrow, C. T. Lungu, E. Odame, J. Oh, H. Stokley, J. Wickliffe, L. Winchester. Reliability of Wearable Technology to Monitor Core Temperature among Helicopter-based EMS Crews. Workplace Health & Safety. Accepted.
  • Shinozuka-Johnson, N. S., Garner, S., & Jones, A. R. (2024-accepted for publication). Updated blood pressure guidelines: Navigating Workplace Impact. Workplace Health & Safety 
  • Ballard, V. (2023e, September 19). Unlocking Potential: Redefining Workspaces through Inclusivity and Innovative Universal Design. [Keynote Speaker]. Cintas Ergonomics Competition Innovation Webinar Series, Webinar. 
  • Ballard, V. (2023f, October 12). Assessing the Cognitive Load and Learning of ADHD Workers in Manual Assembly Manufacturing Tasks with and without Augmentation [Poster Presentation]. Graduate Engineering Research Showcase, Auburn University, Auburn, AL. 
  • Ballard, V., Pantazes, R. (2023). Neurodiversity. Auburn University College of Engineering Faculty DEI Colloquium. 
  • Harris, C., Vance, D. E., & Heaton, K. (2024). Diesel Engine Exhaust Exposure in Relation to Lung Cancer in Long-Haul Truck Drivers: An Eight-Step Concept Analysis. Workplace health & safety, 72(8), 314–326. https://doi.org/10.1177/21650799241248388 
  • Heaton, K., Harris, C., Aroke, E. (2024). Working While in Pain: A Qualitative Research Case Study. Southern Pain Society Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA. September 20 – 22, 2024. 

Deep South ERC – RENEWED!

Deep South ERC Renewed!

The team at the Deep South Center for Occupational Health and Safety Education and Research Center (DSC ERC) at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) is pleased to announce that our Center has been renewed by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) for the project period 2022-2027.

Since 1982, the Deep South Center for Occupational Health and Safety has been a cornerstone of OHS Education, Research and Outreach in the Southeast.   We are addressing the burden of OSH in our region by providing state-of-the-art interdisciplinary training for the next generation of OSH practitioners and researchers.  Our Trainees will take their experiences and training into the field and transfer knowledge to practice.   We are proud of the work of our Faculty, Program Directors and Trainees—who make each component of our ERC successful toward our goal to protect and promote the health and safety of workers. The research, mentoring and leadership in the DSC provides a solid foundation for the success of our programs and Trainees.

The Deep South Center is a consortium of programs at two universities—UAB and Auburn.  We offer advanced degrees in Industrial Hygiene (School of Public Health), Occupational Health Nursing (School of Nursing) at UAB and Occupational Safety and Ergonomics and Occupational Injury Prevention at Auburn University in the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering.  Along with coursework and research, ERC Trainees also take part in center-wide interdisciplinary projects, and participate in professional and research focused conferences, meetings and organizations.

The DSC’s commitment to Outreach and Continuing Educations is evidenced by our strong presence and support of the OSH community, offering courses and conference support and by reaching out to minority and underserved worker populations.

Finally, our DSC Pilot Project Research Training Program provides competitive annual awards to emerging researchers in our region.  PPRT outcomes are shared annually at the Southeast Regional Research Symposium—a collaboration of several ERCs and Agricultural Safety and Health Centers in the Southeast.

We thank you for your participation and support of  the ERC—be it in a CE course, a conference, as a member of our Board of Advisors—a host at a site—or as one of our graduates, faculty, university administrators or community leaders—without your support, we would not be a Center of Excellence in the NIOSH portfolio. 

We look forward to serving you in the coming years.

Claudiu Lungu, PhD,

Center Director

Allyn Holladay

Deputy Director/Director CE and Outreach

Perrin Murray

Program Manager II

Laura Wilson,

Admin. Project Specialist

Jonghwa Oh, PhD,
Program Director, Industrial Hygiene

Karen Heaton, PhD,
Program Director, Occupational Health Nursing

Sean Gallagher, PhD,
Program Director, Occupational Injury Prevention

Mark Schall, PhD,
Program Director, Occupational Safety and Ergonomics

Deep South ERC @ MSHA

Andrew Perkins, CIH was awarded the Hugh Talbert Merit Award for his many years of dedication, as a long-standing committee member of the Southeast Mine Safety & Health Conference.

 

 

 

 

Several IH students were recipients of the Deep South Center Scholarship:

    • Jasna M. Rossner- Williams
    • Donglee Yang
    • Kelvin Duy Dam

ASSP Annual Awards Luncheon:

At the AL Chapter of ASSP annual awards luncheon on May 14, 2021, several of our UAB and Auburn University students won scholarships along with Allyn Holladay, the Deep South Center Deputy Director and Continuing Education Director, who won the SPY award for academics. Congratulations!

Faculty Achievements 2021

2021 Ergonomics Best Paper Award by the Chartered Institute of Ergonomics and Human Factors:

Mehdizadeh A, Vinel A, Hu Q, Schall Jr MC, Gallagher S, Sesek RF. (2020). Job rotation and work-related musculoskeletal disorders: a fatigue failure perspective. Ergonomics. 63(4), 461-476. doi: 10.1080/00140139.2020.1717644

https://think.taylorandfrancis.com/journal-prize-ergonomics-journal-best-paper-award/?utm_source=TFO&utm_medium=cms&utm_campaign=JOB08218

Recent Publications: 2021

  • J. G. Balanay, J. Oh. 2021. Adsorption Characteristics of Activated Carbon Fibers in Respirator Cartridges for Toluene. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health. 18(16), 8505. 
  • R. Thaper, B. Fagen, J. Oh. 2021. Decontamination of Respirators Amid Shortages due to SARS-CoV-2. Photochem Photobiol Sci. 20(7), 955-965. 
  • R. Thaper, J. Oh, R. Sesek. 2021. Performance of Smart Device Noise Measurement Applications: A Literature Review. Prof. Safety. 66(06): 38-46. 
  • M. C. M. Tsou, S. C. C. Lung, Y. S. Shen, C. H. Liu, Y. H. Hsieh, N. Chen, J. S. Hwang. 2021. A community-based study on associations between PM2. 5 and PM1 exposure and heart rate variability using wearable low-cost sensing devices. Environmental Pollution, 277, 116761.
  • L. Locke, O. Dada, J. C. Shedd. 2021. Aerosol Transmission of Infectious Disease and the Efficacy of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): A Systematic Review. J Occup Environ Med. doi: 10.1097/JOM.0000000000002366.
  • M. Summers, J. Oh, C. T. Lungu. 2021. Determination of Activated Carbon Fiber Adsorption Capacity for Several Common Organic Vapors: Applications for Respiratory Protection. In revision. 
  • Bardhan, C.T. Lungu. 2021. Investigating Low Dose Ionizing Radiation Exposure and Health Risk among a University Hospital Radiation Employees. Safety. In review.
  • Coker J, Chen H, Schall Jr MC, Gallagher S, Zabala M. (2021). EMG and Joint Angle-Based Machine Learning to Predict Future Joint Angles at the Knee. Sensors. 21(11), 3622.  doi: 10.3390/s21113622
  • Schall Jr MC, *Zhang X, Chen H, Gallagher S, Fethke N. (2021). Comparing Upper Arm and Trunk Kinematics between Manufacturing Workers Performing Predominantly Cyclic and Non-cyclic Work Tasks. Applied Ergonomics. 93, 103356. doi: 10.1016/j.apergo.2021.103356

 

Disparities in Occupational Health Webinar

The Deep South Center ERC was honored to host Dr. Zeke McKinney on October 1, 2021, to speak on Disparities in Occupational Health.  Dr. McKinney is the Program Director for HealthPartners Institute where he holds an Occupational and Environmental Medicine Residency, and he is an Affiliate Assistant Professor at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health. 

BOA Member Ellen Hahn, PhD Presentation

Citizen Science and Policy Development to Reduce Environmental Exposures and Foster Environmental Justice

Monday, June 14 from 1245 – 1345 pm

Dr. Ellen Hahn is an environmental health nurse researcher from the University of Kentucky College of Nursing. Her work on tobacco control changed policy so that cigarettes, cigar, and vaping use was banned in restaurants, bars, and other public venues in Kentucky. At the time, it was the largest tobacco-producing state in the country. While she still focuses on tobacco control, she is now researching the effects of radon. Dr. Hahn is on the OHN advisory board for the Deep South Center for OHS, is the OHN Director for the Central Appalachian ERC, and will be speaking next week via ZOOM at the UAB SON PhD Program Intensive.

https://uab.zoom.us/j/96206747114?pwd=c1NmNks5b00yTVlEd1Fpclh2MkRBQT09

 

DSC @ AIHce 2021

Faculty Presenting: Monday, May 26

Research Roundup Ergonomics ~ 10:00 a.m.–10:30 a.m. The Shoulder Tool: A New Risk Assessment Tool for Shoulder MSDs. Sean Gallagher, Auburn University

Research Roundup Sampling and Analysis 2:30 p.m.–3:00 p.m. Thermal Properties of Buckypaper Sorbent used in Newly Developed Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) Sampler. Claudiu Lungu, University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Graduate Students Presenting: Tuesday, May 25

 UAB IH Student on Zoom Presentation for AIHce

Connecting Students and Career Professionals, Part 1 8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. Moderator: Jacob Shedd, University of Alabama at Birmingham. Presenters: Alessandra Pratt, University of Iowa; David McMahan, University of Alabama at Birmingham; Vishal Nathu, University of Cincinnati.

UAB Doctoral Student Research Presentations:  10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. Moderator: David McMahan, University of Alabama at Birmingham. Presenters: Jacob Shedd; Margaret Summers; Nathan Chen, University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Posters Presentations

Mon, May 24: 3:15 PM  – 4:15 PM

Transmission of Hand-Arm Vibration (HAV) and Vascular Disorder of Hand-Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS): Laboratory Simulation of Grass Trimmer Operations, Nathan Chen

Transmission of Hand-Arm Vibration (HAV) during Backpack Blower Operations, Chris Hughes, MPH

Backpack Blower Noise Exposure Assessment: A Laboratory Simulation, David McMahan

Development of a Fit Matching App: Prioritizing Gap Measurement Locations between Safety Eyewear and the Wearer’ Face, Erin Lindsey

Noise Exposure during Laboratory Simulation of Grass-Trimmer Operations, Andrew Spivey

Alumni Presenting

Monday, May 24

Effect of Extended Use/Reuse of Masks and Filtering Facepiece Respirators on Fit and Filtration Efficiency, 11:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. Presenter and Moderator: Evan Floyd, University of Oklahoma Health

Tuesday, May 25

Research Roundup Big Data 8:30 a.m.–9:00 a.m. Comparison Between OSHA-NIOSH Heat Safety Tool App and WBGT Monitor to Assess Heat Stress Risk in Agriculture. Jo Anne Balanay, East Carolina University.

Wednesday, May 26

Sampling for SARS-CoV-2 and Deactivation of Aerosol Via 254 nm UVC 8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. Moderator: Evan Floyd, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. Presenters: Evan Floyd; K. A. N. Aithinne, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center.

Respirator Fit Testing With Controlled Negative Pressure 8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. Presenters: Stephanie Lynch, OHD, LLLP.