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COMMUNITY
AIHA NEWS AND NOTES
CDC Awards Grant to AIHA for Resource Development In October, AIHA announced a notice of award for $110,000 from CDC. Distributed under the agency’s program “Improving Clinical and Public Health Outcomes Through National Partnerships to Prevent and Control Emerging Infectious Disease Threats,” these funds will enable AIHA to develop public education resources intended to help prevent airborne disease transmission in future pandemics. This grant is the second awarded by CDC to AIHA; the association was issued $510,000 in funding under the same program in early 2021.
Over the next two years, AIHA will use the funds from the CDC grant to create resources on high-efficiency filters, germicidal ultraviolet disinfection, vaccines, and employee testing protocols. AIHA will also convert its Back to Work Safely guidance documents into an e-book, which will include updated guidance generally applicable to airborne-transmitted diseases. These resources will be available to the public for free on the Commit to C.A.R.E. website.
“We’re grateful for CDC’s generous support,” said AIHA CEO Lawrence Sloan. “Not only does this grant allow us to continue our mission to empower those who keep workers and communities healthy and safe, it also recognizes that OEHS professionals are vital to the protection of health against infectious diseases.”
The public health awareness initiative Commit to C.A.R.E. was created by AIHA in partnership with the Integrated Bioscience and Built Environment Consortium under the initial CDC grant. The grant spanned four projects: updating AIHA’s publication The Role of the Industrial Hygienist in a Pandemic; developing pandemic resources; developing additional knowledge products based on AIHA’s Back to Work Safely guidance documents; and hosting a virtual summit on the pandemic-related challenges and needs of different worker populations.
Since 2020, AIHA has produced a repository of resources to help organizations prevent and control the spread of COVID-19. This includes the association’s free Back to Work Safely guidelines, which are available in both English and Spanish and encompass 27 industry sectors. These and other resources are available online.

AIHA’s Mark Ames Joins Board of Directors of [Re]Build America’s School Infrastructure Coalition
Mark Ames, AIHA’s director of government relations, has joined the board of directors of the [Re]Build America’s School Infrastructure Coalition (BASIC). This nonpartisan coalition of civic, public sector, labor, and industry associations aims to secure federal funding to help underserved public school districts modernize and build K-12 public school facilities. Ames first got involved with BASIC in 2021. Since then, he has participated in the coalition’s federal advocacy, safety and design, strategic planning, and membership growth activities.
According to Ames, students, teachers, principals, and other school personnel confront complex hazards, decisions, and funding challenges every day, which directly impact learning and working conditions in the nation’s schools.
“The BASIC coalition is one of the leading national organizations focused on improving school infrastructure, and I’m honored to join its board of directors,” Ames says. “I look forward to applying my nearly 20 years of workforce development and infrastructure government relations experience to help improve the lives of students, school personnel, and communities nationwide.”
BASIC was formed in late 2016 under the leadership of the 21st Century School Fund, the National Council on School Facilities, the Center for Cities + Schools at UC Berkeley, and the Center for Green Schools at the U.S. Green Building Council. More information about BASIC can be found on the coalition’s website.
The challenges facing schools were the subject of “Back to School” in the digital version of the October 2021 Synergist. Read the article online.

2023 AIHA Board Election Updates AIHA will partner once again with ElectionBuddy to provide a safe, secure web-based voting system during the 2023 Board of Directors election cycle. Instructions on how to vote in the election, which will run from Feb. 10 to March 3, 2023, will be emailed to members in February.
There’s still time to nominate a candidate by petition. In addition to nominations made by AIHA’s Nominating Committee, nominations for officers and directors may be made by petition of not less than two percent of members who are eligible to vote. Each petition must include a letter from the nominee stating the nominee’s willingness to stand for election. Petitions must be emailed to the chair of the Nominating Committee by Jan. 27. To be included in the Candidates’ Forum in the February issue of The Synergist, individuals must submit petitions by Jan. 1.
Important information about AIHA governance is available online. Email questions to Thursa Pecoraro.

Consultants: List Your Business by Dec. 15 AIHA’s Consultants Listing is a low-cost way for consulting professionals to advertise their businesses. The Consultants Listing features an online directory and search function that allow consumers searching for an industrial hygienist or occupational and environmental health and safety consultant to quickly and easily find the expert they need in their area. Every year, AIHA also distributes a digital Consultants Listing nationwide to thousands of decision makers in a variety of industries, including legal, real estate, trade associations, academia, healthcare, and agencies at all levels of government. Federal agencies such as EPA, FEMA, CDC, and OSHA regularly refer consumer inquiries to consultants listed in AIHA’s Consultants Listing for assistance.
Consultants’ company information is displayed online in both the digital directory and as a searchable online listing. The deadline to submit order forms for next year's digital Consultants Listing is Dec. 15, 2022. To learn more or complete the online order form, visit AIHA's website. Please email Wanda Barbour or call (703) 846-0782 with questions.

CEC Gears Up for AIHce EXP 2023 The AIHA Continuing Education Committee (CEC) met in October to review 72 professional development course (PDC) proposals for presentation at AIHce EXP 2023. Each proposal undergoes a rigorous and competitive bi-level review by the CEC and experts from AIHA volunteer groups. This review helps guarantee that quality courses are presented to ensure an excellent educational experience.
Forty-eight proposals were selected for presentation at AIHce EXP 2023 in Phoenix, Arizona, on Saturday, May 20; Sunday, May 21; and Thursday, May 25. PDC attendees earn extra certification maintenance points.
Full PDC descriptions will be available on the AIHce EXP website.

AIHA Accolades Congratulations to Georgi Popov, QEP, CSP, ARM, SMS, CMC, FAIHA, the recipient of the second annual Prevention through Design Award, which recognizes outstanding leadership in reducing workplace hazards through design methods. The award was presented to Popov in October during a ceremony conducted by NIOSH, the American Society of Safety Professionals, and the National Safety Council.
“One of the best ways to prevent and control occupational injuries, illnesses, and fatalities is to ‘design out’ or minimize hazards and risk early on in the lifecycle of workplace tools, equipment, processes, and organization,” said NIOSH Director John Howard, MD. “NIOSH hopes to further raise awareness of how useful these prevention methods can be.”
Popov is interim chair and professor at the University of Central Missouri’s Safety Sciences Program. He has more than 25 years of experience in the application and instruction of prevention through design concepts, occupational risk assessments, and risk management.
Read more in NIOSH’s press release.

AIHA Office to Close for the Holidays The AIHA office will close for the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day. Online resources, including the marketplace and Member Center, will remain available. Any orders placed while the AIHA office is closed will be fulfilled when the office reopens during the first week of 2023.
Members will continue to receive AIHA’s two weekly e-newsletters, The Synergist Weekly and The Synergist Newswire.
Have a safe and enjoyable holiday season!

Get Involved with Grand Challenges AIHA’s “grand challenges” initiative seeks to tackle huge issues in worker health, safety, and well-being. A recent membership survey helped identify projects that have to do with exposure assessment, vulnerable workers, changing work environment, and climate change as areas of focus. Volunteers who are interested in contributing to the development of concept papers on each of AIHA’s grand challenges should apply by Dec. 30. Learn more about the initiative on AIHA’s website.

Awards, Fellows Nominations Due Soon The deadline for 2023 AIHA awards and Fellows nominations is Dec. 30. AIHA’s awards honor individuals who provide significant contributions to the IH and OEHS professions. The AIHA Fellow designation recognizes full members in good standing who have at least 15 years of continuous membership and have made contributions in areas such as original research, work in policy, leadership, and service to AIHA. Learn more on AIHA's website.

Dates and Deadlines
Dec. 7 Free Synergist Webinar: "Engineered Noise Control Solutions." Earn 1 contact hour.

Dec. 15
Deadline to submit order forms for next year's digital Consultants Listing.
Dec. 30 Deadline to apply to get involved with AIHA’s “grand challenges” initiative and to submit AIHA awards and Fellows nominations.
Dec. 31 Last day to purchase the AIHce EXP 2022 Full OnDemand Package.
Jan. 10–March 16, 2023 Virtual Comprehensive Industrial Hygiene Review Course. Tuesdays and Thursdays, 12–2 p.m. ET, co-sponsored by the University of Michigan and the Michigan Industrial Hygiene Society.
Feb. 6, 2023
Deadline to submit American Industrial Hygiene Foundation scholarship applications.
For a complete list of events, visit AIHA's website.