DEPARTMENTS
PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
DONNA S. HEIDEL, CIH, FAIHA, is principal industrial hygienist at Amazon.
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Grand Challenges for OEHS
BY DONNA S. HEIDEL, AIHA PRESIDENT
In 1900, the mathematician David Hilbert presen ted a paper at the International Congress of Mathematicians in Paris that identified 23 unsolved problems in the field. Hilbert’s address has been credited with setting a long-term agenda for mathematical research and is sometimes cited as the inspiration for what have come to be known as “grand challenges,” which can be thought of as calls for collaborative action to solve critical problems.
Since Hilbert’s time, several professions and organizations have issued their own grand challenges. In 2003, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation launched the Grand Challenges in Global Health, a set of initiatives that sought to address needs for single-dose vaccines for infants, needle-free drug delivery systems, antigens for effective immunity, and 11 other issues. More recently, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy has facilitated work on ambitious projects such as identifying treatments for Alzheimer’s and making solar energy cost-competitive with coal.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
Inspired by these efforts, in 2021 the AIHA Fellows Special Interest Group presented a proposal to the Board of Directors to identify a set of grand challenges related to occupational and environmental health and safety. The Board approved the proposal and adopted criteria that define grand challenges for OEHS as aspirational, measurable, solvable, collaborative, and inspirational.
A survey of members launched earlier this year identified potential initiatives for the grand challenges project. Using feedback from this survey, the Board formulated the following grand challenges:
1. improve exposure assessment in the workplace
2. improve equity in workplaces, minimize precarious work situations, and protect vulnerable workers (such as gig workers, undocumented persons, and migrant laborers)
3. address the impacts of a changing work environment (for example, remote work)
4. mitigate the impacts of climate change on workers (such as heat stress)
The grand challenges are expected to require our profession to collaborate with others; these are not problems that we can solve entirely on our own.
Now that the grand challenges have been identified, the next step is to develop “concept papers,” which will thoroughly analyze the problem; identify preventive actions, potential outcomes, and metrics for measuring progress; describe research strategies; and suggest future directions in research, education, practice, and policy. It is recommended that each concept paper conclude with a clear statement of the specific grand challenge.
AIHA has issued a call for volunteers to help write these papers. In the Board’s view, the concept papers will be more effective if they are created by a diverse group of authors. We need representatives from all industries, specialty groups, and experience levels. Students and young professionals, in particular, are encouraged to apply since the grand challenges are designed to shape the professional world in which they will work for the remainder of their careers. For more information or to apply, visit AIHA's website. The deadline to apply is Dec. 30, 2022.
It is expected that the concept papers will be completed in approximately six months. Additional volunteers will be needed to review and comment on the draft papers, so please look for these announcements on AIHA's website in the coming months.
As mentioned, the grand challenges are expected to require our profession to collaborate with others; these are not problems that we can solve entirely on our own. The process of identifying organizations who can help us has begun. If you have suggestions for organizations we should consider partnering with, please fill out the feedback form.
ASPIRATIONAL, BUT ACHIEVABLE
While the research spawned by David Hilbert’s 23 problems has led to tremendous advances in mathematics, only ten have been solved to date. In contrast, the OEHS grand challenges have been selected because their solutions are clearly within our grasp, and achievable on an expected timeframe of five to ten years. I hope the prospect of significant change in the near future inspires you to help us accomplish it.
RESOURCES
MacTutor: “1900 International Congress of Mathematicians—Paris, France” (January 2020).
SciHi Blog: "David Hilbert's 23 Fundamental Problems" (August 2019).