ACGIH^® Awards

Each year, ACGIH honors individuals who have made significant contributions to the profession through their leadership and dedication. These prestigious awards are presented at the annual AIHce, and past winners comprise a virtual “Who’s Who” in ACGIH and industrial hygiene overall.

Herbert E. Stokinger Award Dr. Robert Landsiedel Dr. Robert Landsiedel is vice president of experimental toxicology and ecology at BASF SE (Ludwigshafen am Rhein, Germany). His research interests focus on developing new toxicological methods, investigating the effects of solid particles (including nanomaterials) on human health, and improving methods for risk assessments. He has published 124 highly cited manuscripts, 42 review papers, and 15 book chapters and has edited 4 books. In 2015, he was listed among the top 10 most-cited German toxicologists. Dr. Landsiedel and his team at BASF perform more than 500 regulatory toxicological studies per year under GLP and ISO 17020, as well as screenings for product development. In addition, they perform toxicological research and have received numerous internal BASF research grants, as well as 20 external grants funded by the German or European governments. His work has been recognized by several awards including the German Research Award for the development of alternative methods (2014), the animal welfare award of the state of Rhineland-Palatinate (2013), the BASF Innovation Award (2012), the German Toxicology Societies (GT) Toxicology Award (2016), and, as part of BASF’s NanoTeam, the Responsible Care Award of the European Chemical Industry Council (Cefic) in 2018. Dr. Landsiedel received a Diploma degree in food chemistry from the University of Kaiserslautern, Germany in 1992, a postgraduate degree in toxicology (Fachchemiker für Toxikologie) from the Medical School of the University of Leipzig; he accomplished his PhD dissertation at the Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz and the German Institute for Human Nutrition (DIfE) in Potsdam, Germany and earned a PhD degree in chemistry (Dr. rer. nat.) graduating summa cum laude in 1997. In 2017, he received a Habilitation in pharmacology and toxicology from the Free University of Berlin. Dr. Landsiedel became a Diplomate of the American Board of Toxicology (DABT) in 2003 and a Fellow of American Academy of Toxicological Sciences (FATS) in 2013. Since 2008, he has served on the board of the German Toxicology Society and is currently its vice president. He also represents the European Chemical Industry at the European Center for the Validation of Alternative Methods (ECVAM Stake Holder Forum, ESTAF) and is a member of the German expert pool on OECD test guidelines. This award is given each year to an individual who has made a significant contribution in the broad field of industrial and environmental toxicology.

Meritorious Achievement Award Thomas J. Armstrong, PhD, CIH, FAIHA Dr. Armstrong is a Professor of Industrial and Operations Engineering and of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Michigan. He holds degrees in Aerospace Engineering, Industrial Health and Industrial and Operations Engineering, and Industrial Health and Physiology, all from the University of Michigan. The major research focus of his 40+ year research career has been, and still is, concerned with biomechanical aspects of work. Much of his research involved the development of tools analyzing work activities and studying mechanical and physiological tissue responses to repetitive loads. He has collaborated with outstanding engineers, physicians, and students to conduct both laboratory and field studies to describe the dose-response relationship between work patterns and work-related musculoskeletal disorders of the upper limb such as carpal tunnel syndrome, hand-wrist tendonitis, and non-specific pain. Field studies have taken his team to a range of sites including auto parts and vehicle assembly, food production, medical services, and office work, here and abroad to identify and describe common musculoskeletal disorder risk factors. Dr. Armstrong is a Certified Industrial Hygienist and Certified Professional Ergonomist. He is a fellow in the AIHA, the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, the International Ergonomics Association, and the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering. He is a long-standing member of ACGIH. He is particularly proud of his work as a member of the ACGIH Physical Agents Committee to help develop the original TLVs® related to ergonomics and musculoskeletal disorders. He is grateful for his early acquaintance with the late Warren Cook, who planted the seed for a TLV® concerned work-related musculoskeletal disorders, for his many collaborators and students, and his many colleagues from around the world who helped to make these TLVs® possible. Dr. Armstrong continues to teach courses concerned with biomechanics and work design, develop web tools, and conduct research related to medical procedures and climbing and musculoskeletal disorders. This award is given to members of ACGIH who have made outstanding, long-term contributions to the field of occupational health and environmental hygiene.

William Steiger Memorial Award Mona Hanna-Attisha, MD, MPH, FAAP Mona Hanna-Attisha, MD, MPH, FAAP is founder and director of the Michigan State University and Hurley Children’s Hospital Pediatric Public Health Initiative, an innovative and model public health program in Flint, Michigan. A pediatrician, scientist, activist and author, Dr. Hanna-Attisha has testified three times before the United States Congress, was awarded the Freedom of Expression Courage Award by PEN America, was named one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World, and most recently, was recognized as one of USA Today’s Women of the Century for her role in uncovering the Flint water crisis and leading recovery efforts. She has appeared on CNN, MSNBC, BBC, and countless other media outlets championing the cause of children in Flint and beyond. She is founding donor of the Flint Child Health and Development Fund (flintkids.org). A COVID-19 survivor, Dr. Hanna-Attisha has donated her convalescent plasma three times while continuing to advocate for health and racial equity.
With concentrations in environmental health and health policy, Dr. Hanna-Attisha received her bachelor’s and Master of Public Health degrees from the University of Michigan and her medical degree from Michigan State University College of Human Medicine. She completed her residency at Children’s Hospital of Michigan in Detroit where she was chief resident. She is currently an Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Human Development and a C.S. Mott Endowed Professor of Public Health at Michigan State University.
This award honors individuals from the social/political sphere whose efforts have contributed to advancements in occupational safety and health.

John J. Bloomfield Award Elizabeth Angus, CIH Elizabeth Angus, CIH earned her BS degree in Microbiology with a minor in History from Virginia Tech. After briefly working in medical and research laboratories, she went on to earn her MPH in Environmental and Occupational Health, with an emphasis in Industrial Hygiene, from the University of Arizona. She is an Industrial Hygienist with Safex, Inc., in Ohio, where she performs qualitative and quantitative industrial hygiene assessments for multiple industries. Her specialties include developing industrial hygiene sampling plans, area and personal exposure assessments for chemical and physical hazards, and ventilation system assessments. She also conducts trainings on hazard communication, respirator fit testing and use, and emergency response, and assists with instructing the AIHA’s Fundamentals of Industrial Hygiene and Beyond Industrial Hygiene Fundamentals courses. Ms. Angus joined ACGIH in 2020. She has been a member of AIHA since 2013 and served as Secretary for the Central Ohio Local Section from 2016–2019. Ms. Angus has also served on the Chemical Committee for the Ohio Safety Congress since 2015. She is a Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH). This award is presented to a young industrial hygienist who pursues the problem of occupational health hazards primarily by doing fieldwork.

William D. Wagner Awardee John Cocker, PhD Dr. Cocker is a retired Research Fellow of the UK Health & Safety Executive. He has 45 years of experience in biological monitoring and over 100 peer-reviewed publications. In 1973, he began working for the UK Employment Medical Advisory Service analyzing blood samples for lead. In 1974, the laboratory became the Occupational Medicine and Hygiene Laboratory, part of the newly formed UK Health & Safety Executive. Dr. Cocker was awarded an MSc in General Biochemistry from the University of London in 1976. After a period in the drug metabolism department of a pharmaceutical company, Dr. Cocker returned to the Occupational Medicine and Hygiene Laboratory to research the metabolism and elimination of industrial aromatic amines and was awarded a PhD from the Royal Postgraduate Medical School, University of London in 1988. From then until his partial retirement in 2013, he led a biological monitoring team of 7-9 graduates and postgraduates developing and applying new biological monitoring methods, conducting volunteer and workplace studies. Dr. Cocker became a member of ACGIH and joined the Biological Exposure Indices (BEI) Committee in 2000. In 2015, Dr. Cocker was appointed to the European Scientific Committee on Occupational Exposure Limits. He was also a member of the Council of the British Occupational Hygiene Society and an occasional advisor to the World Health Organization. Dr. Cocker was an assistant editor for the Annals of Work Exposures and Health (formerly the Annals of Occupational Hygiene) and a passionate advocate of biological monitoring. Dr. Cocker is also the 2017 recipient of the Stokinger Award, highlighting a career of service to the field. Established in 2003, this award is presented annually to a person in the field of national and international worker health and safety who is an outstanding example of commitment and dedication to the creation and dissemination of occupational exposure values (OEVs).

Robert T. Hughes Memorial Award William (Bill) Cleary Mr. Cleary earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from what was then Michigan State College in 1952. He then entered the US Army as a Second Lieutenant in July 1952 and left the service as a First Lieutenant in March 1954. Upon leaving the Army, he became employed by the Michigan Department of Public Health, Division of Occupational Health. While with the Division, Bill also obtained an MBA from Michigan State University in 1989. Bill served the Division for nearly 40 years in various capacities as both a Certified Industrial Hygienist and licensed Professional Engineer, retiring as its Deputy Chief in 1993. In his retirement, Bill consulted on various industrial ventilation projects and also performed energy audits. Highlights of Bill’s career with the Division included serving as a first responder to and investigator for the Lake Huron Water Supply Project tunnel explosion in Port Huron in December of 1971; twenty-two employees died in this event and its remains one of the deadliest industrial accidents in Michigan history. Bill also served as part of the team that compared existing Michigan occupational safety and health regulations against those enacted by the newly created federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration in 1971. His work was instrumental to the creation of the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MIOSHA), enacted in January 1975 and administered by both Michigan’s Departments of Labor and Public Health. Both in his employment with the Division and in his retirement, Bill was professionally active. He served as a member of the ACGIH Industrial Ventilation Committee for 29 years from 1976 through 2006. During his time with the committee, Bill served as its Chairperson from 1978 through 1984. Bill was also active with the Michigan Industrial Hygiene Society for more than 50 years and served in numerous administrative positions during that time. Additionally, he served several other organizations including the Michigan Safety Conference; annual industrial ventilation conferences in Michigan, Washington, and Alabama; and his church. Bill also authored both industrial hygiene and ventilation articles for numerous professional and trade publications, lectured at many trade events and conferences, and mentored many industrial hygienists and engineers. Founded in 2015 to honor Mr. Hughes who passed away in late 2014, this award is presented annually to recognize outstanding individuals in the field of industrial ventilation.