International Affairs Committee through its officer cycle, including chairing the Committee. Mehta is known as the “Father of Industrial Hygiene” in India due to his founding of the first IH Master’s program in that country. He also founded the Central Industrial Hygiene Association (CIHA) in India, a partner organization of the AIHA. He has vast experience conducting industrial hygiene, construction safety, process safety, and general safety audits and assessments at more than 400 workplaces in 35 countries. He has developed training modules and conducted more than 150 training programs on Industrial Hygiene, Process Safety, Construction Safety, and OSHA’s general industry and construction industry standards, providing in-person and virtual training to thousands of professionals globally. He established the non-profit trust, Empowering Progress Foundation, in India with the prime objective of promoting female education. Maharshi once said that the next Einstein could be found among such people if they only had some opportunity. He also supports the non-profit organization, Home for Humanity, in India that cares for mentally challenged men and women.” AIHA Volunteer Groups Named Awards LILA ALBIN AWARD Presented by the AIHA Indoor Environmental Quality Committee Established in 1997, this award recognizes a peer reviewed article in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health. This year’s recipient is J. David Krause for Controlling Legionella pneumophila growth in hot water systems by reducing dissolved oxygen levels, Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene , 21:4, 259-269, DOI: 10.1080/15459624.2024.2313580. CANNABIS INDUSTRY HEALTH AND SAFETY BEST STUDENT POSTER Presented by the AIHA Cannabis Industry Health and Safety Committee This award is presented to the author of the student poster at AIHA Connect that best focuses on the OEHS aspects of this industry. Recipients for this award are chosen immediately before AIHA Connect—please support our students by attending the student poster session on Tuesday, May 20 from 9:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m.
of Engineering Technology (ABET) Industry Advisory Council, working to provide ABET leadership with the perspectives of major employers on accreditation policy issues, acting as an advocate for the meaning and value of ABET accreditation to major technical employers and other key ABET stakeholders (2024-current). As an adjunct professor, she has influenced many undecided students and early career OSH students to continue their education and pursue an MS IH degree. She also encouraged numerous early career professionals to pursue professional certifications offered by the Board for Global EHS Credentialing (BGC). Ms. Brown actively serves as Treasurer/Past-President of AIHA Mid-America local professional section (2024-current), having served successfully as President- Elect and President of the Mid-America local section (2022-2024). She provided professional expertise on the finalization team for the AIHA Hierarchy of Controls white paper and was a participant on the ACGIH Pandemic Response Task Force serving on the Effectiveness of Face Coverings for Preventing SARS-COV-2 Transmission. Ms. Brown was recently selected as one of the featured University of Central Missouri Alumni Foundation’s 10 Under 40 (2024) and has served as a mentor to STEM high school students in the North Kansas City school district. She influenced numerous students to consider STEM careers, and more specifically, the Industrial Hygiene profession. She participated in the AIHA Emerging Leaders program (2022) and served on the BCSP Emerging Professionals Committee (2023- 2024). Rayna was one of the main authors on the 2022 Synergist article, The Business Case for EHS. 2025 YANT AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING INTERNATIONAL SERVICE This award recognizes outstanding contributions in OEHS or allied fields through academic research, teaching/education, and/or professional practice to professional societies reflective of a global perspective.
ROCHELLE CREW MEMORIAL AWARD Presented by the Construction Committee This award honors the best construction-related paper, education session, or PDC presentation at the previous year’s AIHA Connect. It commemorates Rochelle Crew’s dedication to construction safety. This year’s recipient is Arlen W. Siert, PhD, CIH, CSP for O2: Excavation Pipeline Welding Exposure Assessment . CULTURAL HERITAGE HEALTH AND SAFETY ADVOCATE AWARD Presented by the AIHA Museum and Cultural Heritage Working Group This award honors individuals who have significantly impacted occupational health and safety within the cultural heritage industry. This year’s recipient is Nancy Nash for her dedicated efforts in promoting OSHA On- Site Consultation services to small museums and cultural institutions. Over the past seven years, her collaboration with AIHA has significantly advanced health and safety outreach within the cultural heritage sector. H. KENNETH DILLON MEMORIAL AWARD Presented by the AIHA Biosafety and Environmental Microbiology Committee This award honors the memory of Dr. Ken Dillon, a former AIHA Fellow and the principal instructor for several years of the popular PDC, Prevention, Determination, and Remediation of Biological Contamination in Indoor Environments. Recipients for this award are chosen immediately before AIHA Connect—please support our students by attending the student poster session on Tuesday, May 20 from 9:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m. DONNA DOGANIERO AWARD Presented by the AIHA Safety Committee This award recognizes exceptional contributions to safety education. It honors Donna Doganiero, CIH, FAIHA, for her outstanding achievements in the field of industrial hygiene and safety. This year’s recipient is George Gruetzmacher for his presentation, Unspoken Principles Affecting Safety. DR. JACK DRISCOLL BEST REAL-TIME DETECTION STUDENT POSTER AWARD Presented by the AIHA Real-Time Detection Systems Committee This award recognizes the author of the student poster at AIHA Connect that best focuses on real-time detection. Recipients for this award are chosen immediately
before AIHA Connect—please support our students by attending the student poster session on Tuesday, May 20 from 9:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m. FELLOWS SIG MID-YEAR CAREER AWARD Presented by the AIHA Fellows SIG This award honors an industrial hygienist with 10 to 25 years of industrial hygiene work experience who exhibits outstanding leadership and/or technical capabilities, has worked as a volunteer for AIHA committees, project task forces and/or SIGs, and has exhibited a commitment to contribute to the industrial hygiene profession throughout their career. This year’s recipient is Joshua Maskrey . HEALTH AND SAFETY VIRTUAL EXHIBIT OF THE YEAR AWARD Presented by the AIHA Museum and Cultural Heritage Industry Working Group This award recognizes a virtual exhibit and its sponsoring organization for excellence in communicating risk control challenges related to worker and/or public health and safety. This year’s recipients are the Yale University Library Online Exhibitions for Selling Smoke, which explores the marketing of tobacco and public health responses, and the David J. Sencer CDC Museum for the Virtual Ebola Exhibit, which highlights strategies to detect, control, and prevent disease during the Ebola outbreak. DR. WILLIAM C. HINDS AWARD FOR BEST AEROSOL STUDENT POSTER Presented by the AIHA Aerosol Technology Committee This award honors the authors of the best student aerosol science poster presented at AIHA Connect. The poster must focus on aerosol science and technology as applied to the occupational environment. The award commemorates Dr. William C. Hinds, an AIHA Fellow and esteemed educator who founded the Industrial Hygiene academic program at UCLA. Recipients for this award are chosen immediately before AIHA Connect—please support our students by attending the student poster session on Tuesday, May 20 from 9:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m. THE NANCY PEARCE AND JOHN REKUS AWARD Presented by the AIHA Confined Spaces Committee In memory of Nancy Pearce and honoring John Rekus, this award will be presented to the best confined spaces- related education session at AIHA Connect 2025.
Maharshi P. Mehta, CIH, CSP, FAIHA Nominated by Laurence Svirchev, MA, BSc, CIH
Mr. Mehta has been an outstanding member of the international OEHS community for the past 40 years, with his latest achievements including serving as President of IOHA (2022-2023) through its four-year officer cycle. In parallel volunteer work, he served as an officer of the AIHA
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AIHA Connect 2025
AIHA Connect 2025
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