General Information:

The United States has thousands of hazardous waste sites, most of which are a legacy of many decades of industrial development, mining, manufacturing and military activities.  This is particularly true in industrial states like Ohio. There is considerable uncertainty about the health risks of these sites.  The fate and transport of hazardous wastes in soil, surface water and ground water are also poorly understood, making it difficult to predict exposures.  Cleaning up hazardous wastes has proven costly and difficult; thus, there is a need for advanced technologies to decrease or eliminate contamination from soil, surface water, and ground water.

In 1986 Congress determined that basic research was critical to filling in areas of hazardous waste knowledge and providing a base of information from which environmental managers and risk assessors can make sound decisions about hazardous waste sites. Just as important, basic research serves as the foundation for new scientific discoveries and technological advances.  The Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA) of 1986 established the Superfund Basic Research Program (SBRP) within the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS).

The SBRP supports peer-reviewed research in 19 university programs encompassing 70 collaborating institutions. The University of Cincinnati is one of these 19 Superfund Basic Research Program sites, and has developed a series of seven research projects exploring the research themes indicated above.

SBRP Outreach Program:

In addition to supporting basic scientific research, the Superfund Basic Research Program funds a variety of Outreach projects which are designed to facilitate the translation of the Program's results to the communities and organizations most concerned with hazardous substances, with the ultimate goal of improving public health.

The mission of the UC SBRP Outreach Program is to: 

• promote interaction and mutually beneficial exchanges between UC SBRP researchers and interested stakeholders in the community
• disseminate information and facilitate interaction with regional environmental and health professionals through an interactive and informative website
• reach out to the community through projects initiated by the SBRP Outreach Advisory Board
• link health consumers with university physicians and researchers through a health and wellness website for information on bioterrorism

For information on specific UC SBRP Outreach activities, please visit News & Events

SBRP External Outreach Advisory Board

The Board meets quarterly to advise the Outreach Program Director and staff on meaningful Outreach activities for the SBRP, providing recommendations, evaluation and oversight.

Members:

Jodi Shann (University of Cincinnati SBRP)

Steve Marine (NetWellness.com)

Deborah Gray (Ohio State University School of Public Health)

Joseph Schmidt (Kentucky Department for Environmental Protection)

Bruce Oertel (Indiana Department of Environmental Management)

Dave Nutini (Hamilton County General Health District)

Bob Elkin (Mill Creek Restoration Project)

Bioterrorism Workshop

On June 9, 2003 the UC Outreach Program sponsored a workshop entitled State and Local Environmental and Health Agencies: Surviving in  the Post 9/11 World.   It focused on potential bioterrorism issues faced by state and county health and environmental officials.  The workshop was a collaboration of several UC centers.

One goal of the workshop was to bridge the gap between academic research in the environmental health field and the real life needs of state and local policy makers.   The workshop also provided current, practical knowledge about bioterrorism mechanisms and potential scenarios.

Timothy Oppelt, Director of the EPA’s National Homeland Security Research Center (NHSRC), discussed activities of the federal government in  preparation for possible future terrorist activities.  Participants learned that the NHSRC is a resource available to them in assessing and dealing with threats.  Dr. Sergey Grinshpun, professor of industrial hygiene at UC, described airborne contaminants in terrorist activity.  Finally, Timothy Ingram and Kathy Lordo of the Hamilton County General Health District described local public health changes since September 11, 2001.  The afternoon was dedicated to participant interaction and priority setting.

Dr. William Suk of NIEHS was presented the inaugural Roy Albert Memorial Award for Translational Research in Environmental Health at a luncheon ceremony at the workshop.   Dr. Suk was honored for dedicating his career to fostering outstanding research linking basic science, remediation of environmental contaminants, and public policy.

Forty-four state and local agency officials and others attended the workshop, including one state legislator.  Learning from federal, academic and local experts reduced the isolation and strengthened the connectivity and confidence of state and local agency people, often the front-line decision makers if bioterrorism  occurs in their locale.  The workshop provided for continued contact between the UC SBRP’s researchers and the officials.

In follow up, the Outreach Core helped plan the October 29-30, 2004 workshop "Perspectives on Biodefense: Science, Politics and Practice," sponsored by the University of Cincinnati, City of Cincinnati, U.S. E.P.A., and VA Medical Center, and attended by over 120 people.  The Outreach Core Director moderated a session on "Communicating the threat: What should the public know and when?"

NetWellness.org

UC, Ohio State University and Case Western Reserve University co-developed and maintain an interactive website that responds to medical and health questions.

As a follow-up to the workshop on bioterrorism issues (above), the Outreach Program is developing a specific topic section in NetWellness.org on bioterrorism.  A comprehensive outline of topics and identification of experts at each university is the initial step.

Each bioterrorism topic on the NetWellness.org site will include a section discussing myths and reality and the research in process on the topic.  There will be appropriate links to governmental web sites: CDC, EPA, Homeland Security, NIOSH.  Topics are disaster planning and emergency response; emerging infectious diseases; infection control; surveillance; toxins; environmental sampling; water surveillance (testing, detectors); vaccines; treatments/ diagnostics; pediatric aspects; and psychological components.

The NetWellness.com site can also impact public health on other important Superfund topics. It receives 3 million hits a month.  The use of its “Ask an Expert” capability will strengthen interaction between UC SBRP researchers and the community, and with federal, state and local health and environmental agencies.

Outreach Staff:

Joyce Martin is currently the Director of the Environmental Policy Center and Assistant Professor at the Department of Environmental Health, College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati.

Prior to joining UC she served as Chief Counsel and Executive Assistant on Environment and Energy Issues to the Governor of Indiana.  In those roles, she frequently met with community and industry representatives and organized and ran large meetings on environmental issues.

She was also Senior Enforcement Counsel, Air Enforcement Division for the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Director and Section Chief at the Office of Legal Counsel, Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM).  She frequently served as hearing officer, facilitator or convener of informational meetings for IDEM.   

In a volunteer capacity, she currently serves as an advisor to Torrice Productions on the development and production of a national public television special on sprawl.  She is a Chair of the non-profit Ohio River Way, Vice President of the Regional Ozone Coalition, and is a Board Member of TERA (Toxicology Excellence in Risk Assessment).

In the past she chaired the Indiana Land Use Forum, the Heritage and Culture Council and the Governor’s Deregulation Advisory Group, all in Indianapolis, Indiana.  She is the past president of Olmsted Citizens for a Better Community in Rochester, Minnesota and Human Relations Chair for the Minneapolis Public Schools.

Jim Flessa is a Research Associate with the Environmental Policy Center, Department of Environmental Health, College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati. A graduate of Miami University (Oxford, Ohio), he has over seventeen years of experience in outreach, education and promotion. He also serves as program coordinator for the University of Cincinnati's Breast Cancer & the Environment Research Center, funded by NIEHS and NCI.