NIOSH's John Howard Receives ISEA Distinguished Service Award

Feb. 1, 2008
John Howard, M.D., director of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service's National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), is the

John Howard, M.D., director of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service's National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), is the recipient of the International Safety Equipment Association's (ISEA's) Robert B. Hurley Distinguished Service Award for 2007.

Dr. Howard was honored at ISEA's 2007 Fall Meeting in Arlington, Va. The annual award recognizes individuals who have dedicated their professional lives to worker safety and health. Hurley was a long-time safety product manufacturing executive who died in 2002.

“Under Dr. Howard's leadership, NIOSH refined its research efforts to focus on sectors with similar safety and health issues, and on emerging technologies that present unknown potential hazards to workers,” said ISEA Chairman Bill Lambert of Mine Safety Appliances Co. “He developed a new initiative called research-to-practice, or r2p, to encourage the transfer of research results, technology and information into prevention practices and products that reduce worker health and safety risks.

“He fought successfully to preserve the independence of NIOSH within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and thus its ability to pursue its mission as a unique institution devoted to worker safety and health. And he has been a tireless advocate for improving working conditions, and for technological advances in injury and illness prevention, improving the lives of working men and women across the country.”

Dr. Howard began his career in occupational health in 1979 as an internist at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Medicine pulmonary fellowship program at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. His clinical work involved asbestos-exposed shipyard workers, and he published research findings related to workplace exposure and occupational lung disease. Prior to his appointment as NIOSH director in 2002, Dr. Howard served as chief of the Division of Occupational Safety and Health in the California Department of Industrial Relations.

Dr. Howard has a doctorate in medicine from Loyola University, a master's in occupational health from the Harvard School of Public Health, a Juris Doctor from UCLA and a master's in administrative law and economic regulation from the George Washington University.

Sponsored Recommendations

Unleashing the Power of Stories: Level-up Safety Culture with Three Easy Storytelling Tools

Jan. 3, 2025
Effective storytelling can shape a workplace culture and improve safety, especially in times of change when risk soars, hazards multiply and human factors threaten to derail progress...

4 Resources to Get Better Safety Performances From Supervisors

Jan. 3, 2025
Here is an overview of four of the best safety resources that safety folks can use as they consider how to get better safety performances from supervisors and workplace leaders...

4 Often Overlooked Types of New Workers—and the Different Dangers They Face

Jan. 3, 2025
This blog post is an adapted excerpt from the safety guide Fitting in Fast: Making a Safe Workplace for New Hires, which examines data and best practices regarding the protection...

4 Ways Frontline Supervisors Influence Workplace Safety

Jan. 3, 2025
These four areas determine whether frontline supervisors are having a positive or negative effect on workplace safety.

Voice your opinion!

To join the conversation, and become an exclusive member of EHS Today, create an account today!