trade articles, and serves on editorial boards for two risk journals. Her leadership spans academia, consulting, and government advisory roles, including her time as Senior Science & Policy Advisor at the US EPA. Dr. Williams has served as Chair of AIHA’s Risk Committee and frequently teaches professional development courses on exposure assessment, risk modeling, and IHMOD. She actively contributes to AIHA Connect, local section events, and training efforts, earning several AIHA awards including the Alice Hamilton Award for Social Responsibility. Her career reflects a commitment to scientific rigor, professional education, and service to AIHA. Wenhai Xu, PhD, FAIHA Nominated by Robert N. Phalen safety leadership, and academic mentorship. He has published extensively on glove permeation, chemical exposure controls, and formaldehyde mitigation, and served as Global Director of Health, Safety, Security, and Environment at NSF International, overseeing programs across 250 sites and 70,000 employees. A member of AIHA since 2006, Dr. Xu has volunteered on the Exposure Assessment and Ethics Committees, served as a PDC instructor, and completed the AIHA Future Leaders Institute. His roles as an ABET evaluator and university lecturer underscore his dedication to developing the next generation of OEHS professionals. His global impact and service to AIHA make him a valued member of the Fellows community. AIHA Named Awards The AIHA Named Awards recognize and celebrate the accomplishments and contributions of occupational and environmental health and safety (OEHS) professionals of all career stages who have demonstrated a commitment to preserving, advancing, and ensuring worker health and safety in the workplace and communities around the world. Wenhai Xu, PhD, FAIHA, has made notable contributions to industrial hygiene through research, global 2025 PRESIDENT’S AWARD FOR DISTINGUISHED SERVICE TO AIHA This award is the highest tribute paid to an AIHA member or team for distinguished and exemplary
services in advancing the OEHS profession and unique technical and professional contributions made in support of and advancement of the mission and vision of AIHA national. The recipient is selected by the AIHA President. This year’s recipients are: The Grand Challenges Team for their work on Grand Challenges for Worker Health, Safety, and Well-Being, including 4 papers and executive summaries. Team members include: Deborah Imel Nelson, PhD, MPH, CIH , FAIHA: Project Chair; Chris Laszcz-Davis, MS, CIH, FAIHA, FAIC; Don Weekes, CIH, CSP, Denese Deeds, CIH, FAIHA; Tom Grumbles MS, CIH (Retired), CPPS, FAIHA; Ashton Alban, CIH, CSP, REHS/ RS, MS, MPH; Kent A. Candee, MS, CIH, CSP, ARM, CPCU; Jennifer M. Cavallari, ScD, CIH; Kristen Cramer, CIH, CSP, CHMM; Natalie Fox, CIH, CSP; Stephen Gutmann, MS, CPE, CIH (Ret.), FAIHA; Devan Hawkins, PhD; Stephen Hemperly, MS, CIH (Retired), CSP Retired, CLSO, FAIHA; Andrea Hiddinga-Schipper; Steven D. Jahn, CIH, MBA, FAIHA; Michael Larranaga, PhD, PE, CIH, FAIHA; Aurora Le, PhD, MPH, CIH, CSP, CPH; Marianne Levitsky MES, CIH, ROH, FAIHA; Francis Pleban, PhD, MS, MA; Preethi Pratap, PhD; Jodi Quam, CIH; Marie-Anne S. Rosemberg, PhD, MN, RN, FAAOHN; Eugene A. Satrun, CIH, CSP, FAIHA; Marisa Watkins, MS, CIH; Augusta Williams, ScD, MPH; Michael J. Wright. 2025 EDWARD J. BAIER TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD This award recognizes an individual or individuals whose technical accomplishments have made a substantial, leading-edge contribution to the field of OEHS through technical expertise, innovations, research, scientific advancements, and interaction with or influence on other scientific disciplines. Georgi I. Popov, PhD, QEP, CSP, ARM, SMS, CMC, FAIHA Nominated by Tsvetan Ivanov Popov, PhD, CIH, CSP Dr. Popov has made significant contributions in the past 30 years that have impacted the occupational risk, health, safety, and environmental profession. During his career, he has served as an Environmental, Health, and Safety (EHS) officer for the United Nations (UN) mission in Cambodia; defense EHS research analyst; Lab and Consulting director; and chair and professor of the prominent Occupational Risk and Safety Sciences department at University of Central Missouri. In addition, he helps organizations reduce EHS risks through his consulting practice. He is a noted author
of textbooks and peer-reviewed articles that center around risk-based standards and technical reports such as ANSI/ASSP/ISO 31000, ANSI/ASSP Z590.3, and ASSP TR-31010. 2025 DONALD E. CUMMINGS MEMORIAL AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING OEHS PRACTICE This award recognizes outstanding contributions to the knowledge and practice of the OEHS profession through demonstrated practical application of scientific knowledge, advances in the practice of Total Worker Health ® , expansion of the profession through active collaboration via alliances and partnerships, and the creation of tools applicable beyond the OEHS profession.
total particulates; two videos on mold developed for consumers, and the AIHA Body of Knowledge project on Indoor Air Quality. 2025 ALICE HAMILTON AWARD FOR SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY This award distinguishes an individual who addresses the diverse needs of the workforce via public service, community service, and non-traditional social reform, thereby making a major impact on and the improvement of public welfare. Mary J. Erio, CIH, CSP, PE Nominated by J. Thomas Pierce, MBBS(MD), PhD, FAIHA Ms. Erio has contributed to both global and community-based public service (USAID – Peace Corps and university-based occupational health leadership in Nicaragua and other Central American locations) and through two non-traditional social forums (the Alice Hamilton Institute’s Ground Zero efforts and Safety First™ - Heartland Labor Forum, KKFI radio, Kansas City, Missouri). In addition, she has successfully operated an occupational and environmental engineering and industrial hygiene practice in Kansas City, Missouri, for the past thirty-five years. 2025 KUSNETZ AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT BY AN EARLY CAREER PROFESSIONAL This award recognizes an individual who exhibits high ethical standards and technical abilities, provides the highest standards of health and safety protection for employees for whom they are responsible, and shows promise of leadership in the IH profession. The Kusnetz Award is sponsored by Mrs. Florence Kusnetz. Rayna D. Brown, MS, CIH, CSP Nominated by Georgi I. Popov, PhD, QEP, CSP, ARM, SMS, CMC, FAIHA As the current Director of Environmental, Health, Safety, and Sustainability at Catalent Pharmaceutical and an active Adjunct Professor in the Occupational Risk and Safety Sciences Department of the University of Central Missouri (UCM), Brown’s contributions to the field of EHS and commitment to students within the profession are simply outstanding. She actively serves on the American Board
Donald M. Weekes, CIH, CSP, FAIHA Nominated by Deborah Imel Nelson, PhD, MPH, CIH, FAIHA; Donna M. Doganiero, CIH, FAIHA; Tom Grumbles, MS, CIH (Retired), CPPS, FAIHA; Donna S. Heidel, CIH, FAIHA; Steven D. Jahn, CIH, MBA,
FAIHA; Alan Leibowitz, CIH, CSP, FAIHA; Nancy P. Orr, CIH, CSP, FAIHA; Nancy M McClellan, MPH., CIH, CHMM; FAIHA; John R. Mulhausen, PhD, CIH. Mr. Weekes has 50 years of outstanding contributions to the knowledge and practice of industrial hygiene. He is widely recognized and appreciated for his work in promoting active collaboration through alliances and partnerships, particularly in indoor air quality. By virtue of his concurrent membership in several professional societies, he has often served as an informal liaison between them. He clearly understood the importance of collaboration and cooperation between AIHA and various IAQ organizations and has worked tirelessly to strengthen these relationships. In addition to his professional practice in industrial hygiene, safety, indoor air quality, and environmental health, he has devoted countless hours to volunteer service in AIHA, ACGIH, ASHRAE, Indoor Air Quality Association (IAQA), the Board of Global EHS Credentialing (BGC), the Canadian Standards Association (CSA), the Indoor Environmental Quality – Global Alliance (IEQ-GA), the International Society of Indoor Air Quality and Climate (ISIAQ), and the Integrated Bioscience and Built Environment Consortium (IBEC) Scientific Advisory Board. Weekes has actively participated in multiple work groups that have created tools applicable beyond the OEHS profession. He also worked on publications designed for consumers on mold, indoor air quality, and
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AIHA Connect 2025
AIHA Connect 2025
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