NIOSH Education and Research Centers

NIOSH Education and Research Centers are multidisciplinary centers supported by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health for education and research in the field of occupational health. Through the centers, NIOSH supports academic degree programs, research, continuing education, and outreach.^[1] The ERCs, distributed in regions across the United States, establish academic, labor, and industry research partnerships.^[2] The research conducted at the centers is related to the National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA) established by NIOSH.^[3]

Founded in 1977, NIOSH ERCs are responsible for nearly half of post-baccalaureate graduates entering occupational health and safety fields. The ERCs focus on core academic disciplines of industrial hygiene, occupational health nursing, occupational medicine, occupational safety, and other areas of specialization listed below by center.^[4] At many ERCs, students in specific disciplines have their tuition paid in full and receive additional stipend money. ERCs provide a benefit to local businesses by offering reduced price assessments and training.

Current Education and Research Centers and Their Academic Programs

Source: 2011-12 ERC Annual Reports^[5]

• University of Alabama at Birmingham - Deep South Center for Occupational Safety & Health

Industrial Hygiene, Occupational Injury Prevention Research Training, Occupational Health Nursing, Occupational Safety & Ergonomics

• University of Cincinnati

Biological Monitoring, Industrial Hygiene, Occupational Health Nursing, Occupational Medicine

• University of Colorado Denver

Ergonomics, Health Physics, Industrial Hygiene, Occupational/Environmental Medicine, Occupational Health Psychology

• Harvard University

Industrial Hygiene, Occupational Epidemiology, Occupational Injury Prevention and Control, Occupational Medicine

• University of Illinois at Chicago

Agricultural Safety and Health, Hazardous Substances Training, Industrial Hygiene, Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology, Occupational Medicine, Occupational Safety

• University of Iowa

Agricultural Safety and Health, Ergonomics, Industrial Hygiene, Occupational Epidemiology, Occupational Health Nursing, Occupational Injury Prevention, Occupational Medicine

• Johns Hopkins University

Biomarkers of Occupational Exposure/Susceptibility, Industrial Hygiene, Occupational Epidemiology, Occupational Health Nursing, Occupational Medicine

• University of Michigan

Industrial Hygiene, Occupational Epidemiology, Occupational Health Nursing, Occupational Safety Engineering and Ergonomics

• University of Minnesota

Industrial Hygiene, Occupational Epidemiology, Occupational Health Nursing, Occupational Health Services Research and Policy, Occupational Injury Prevention Research Training, Occupational Medicine

• University of North Carolina Chapel Hill

Occupational Epidemiology, Occupational Exposure Science, Occupational Health Nursing, Occupational Medicine, Occupational Safety and Ergonomics

• Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai New York and New Jersey Education and Research Center

Industrial Hygiene, Occupational Ergonomics, Occupational Medicine, Occupational Safety and Health

• University of South Florida

Industrial Hygiene, Occupational Health Nursing, Occupational Health Psychology, Occupational Medicine, Occupational Safety

• University of Texas

Industrial Hygiene, Occupational Epidemiology, Occupation Injury Prevention, Occupational Medicine

• University of California Berkeley

Ergonomics, Industrial Hygiene, Occupational Epidemiology, Occupational Health Nursing, Occupational Medicine

• University of California Los Angeles

Industrial Hygiene, Occupational Health Nursing, Occupational Medicine

• University of Utah - The Rocky Mountain Center for Occupational and Environmental Health

Ergonomics and Safety, Hazardous Substances Academic Training, Industrial Hygiene, Occupational Injury Prevention and Research, Occupational Medicine

• University of Washington

Industrial Hygiene, Occupational Health Nursing, Occupational Health Services Research Training, Occupational Medicine

References

1. NIOSH Education and Research Centers (ERCs). National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. July, 2008. Accessed February 13, 2009
2. NIOSH ERC - Great Lakes Center. University of Illinois at Chicago. Accessed February 13, 2009
3. Education and Research Center (ERC): About ERC. University of Cincinnati, Department of Environmental Health. September 15, 2008. Accessed February 13, 2009
4. NIOSH Extramural Research and Training Programs. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Accessed February 13, 2009
5. http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/oep/ercreports.html