Papilio
- Mar 10, 2022
- 4 min read

OEHA E-Blast

Oregon Environmental Health Association

What's Inside? OEHA In-Person AEC in Bend April 5-7, 2022, NEHA Award Nominations open, Scholarships to the virtual InFORM Conference, Free 5-Part Private Well Webinar Series, Active CDC Outbreaks, Video about CDC Investigations, Hosting EH Interns, the NEHA AEC, OEHA Membership Renewal and more!

What's New?

In-Person OEHA Annual Education Conference is coming soon!

The in-person OEHA Annual Educational Conference (AEC) is scheduled for April 5-7, 2022 in beautiful Bend, Oregon! Look for more details about the AEC in the upcoming OEHA Newsletter. OEHA Awards will not be given during this conference, but we will be recognizing outstanding individuals in our field. Meanwhile, think ahead about who you would like to nominate for an OEHA Award in 2023.

Scholarships to the 2022 InFORM Conference are now open!

InFORM Conference will be held virtually from April 26-29, 2022

The InFORM Conference brings together the network of public health officials involved with foodborne and enteric disease outbreak response. This includes federal, state and local public health and environmental health specialists, epidemiologists, health communicators, and laboratory scientists. Held every two years, the conference will consist of a keynote speaker, plenary and discipline-specific sessions, and poster presentations.

The focus of the conference is to support efforts to improve public health through the prevention and control of disease, disability, and death caused by foodborne, waterborne, and environmentally transmitted infections. The conference is an opportunity to discuss strategic goals and exchange expertise about improving surveillance systems and practices for detecting, investigating, and controlling enteric disease outbreaks.

Registration scholarship submission is now open, all are encouraged to apply as there are many scholarship opportunities. Employees of state, local, and tribal health departments as well as Students are all eligible. Scholarship applications must be submitted no later than March 14, 2022 to be considered.

Continuing education credits offered through NEHA, APHL and CDC.

NEHA Award Nominations Open

Join NEHA as we recognize the significant achievements of environmental health professionals who safeguard communities through healthy environments. Nominate a worthy individual or group for the following honors in 2022:

· NEHA Joe Beck Educational Contribution Award

· NEHA Walter S. Mangold Award

· NEHA Dr. Bailus Walker, Jr. Diversity and Inclusion Awareness Award

· NEHA/NSF Walter F. Snyder Award

Free 5-Part Private Well Webinar Series: Well Surveillance, Treatment, and Well Testing Approaches for Safe Groundwater and Private Wells

Join this webinar series with water experts from academia, public health, and industry to learn the latest information about domestic well water quality and safety. Webinar 1: A Mental Models Approach to Risk Communication for Private Well Testing. Presented by Dr. Jacqueline MacDonald Gibson, Professor and Chair, Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, School of Public Health, Indiana University. March 3, 12–1 pm EST. Webinar 2: Private Water System Protection and Treatment. Presented by Susan Boser, Andy Yencha, and Danielle Rhea, Water Resources Educators, Penn State Extension. March 7, 1–2 pm EST. Webinar 3: Collaborative Pilot-Scale Evaluation of Granular Activate Carbon (GAC) and Ion Exchange Medias for Removal of PFAS From Groundwater. Presented by Dr. Adam Redding, Technical Director - Drinking Water Solutions, Calgon Carbon Corporation. March 9, 2–3 pm EST. Webinar 4: Tennessee DOH's Approaches to Estimating Private Wells, Private Well Users and Risk Estimations. Presented by Mariah Caballero, Doctoral Student, Austin Fernandez, Doctoral Student, and Dr. Yolanda Jane McDonald, Professor, Vanderbilt University, and Judy Manners, Environmental Health Specialist, Tennessee Department of Health (DOH), March 17, 2–3 pm EDT. Webinar 5: New Mexico DOH's Approaches to Estimating Private Wells, Private Well Users and Risk Estimations. Presented by Rose Galbraith, Drinking Water Epidemiologist, New Mexico Department of Health (DOH). March 22, 3–4 pm EDT.

Active CDC Outbreak Investigations

· E. coli Outbreak Linked to Packaged Salads

· Listeria Outbreak Linked to Packaged Salads Produced by Dole

· Listeria Outbreak Linked to Packaged Salads Produced by Fresh Express

New Video: How CDC Investigates Foodborne Outbreaks CDC released a new animated video explaining how public health staff and the public can work together to help solve foodborne outbreaks. In the video, an epidemiologist interviews a patient, taking the viewer through each step of the process for investigating a foodborne outbreak. The video explains whole genome sequencing and how the PulseNet laboratory network uses this modern technology to detect outbreaks. Watch the video here!

NEHA Has EH Interns That Want to Work With You!

There is still time to get your application in to be matched with an EH-educated intern this summer as part of the National Environmental Public Health Internship Program (NEPHIP). NEHA currently has more applications for interns than host health departments. Apply today to be matched with a qualified EH intern! NEPHIP isn’t like other internships. It focuses on building the EH workforce by giving undergraduate and graduate EH students a first-hand opportunity to work on an EH project at a public health department. Consider an EH intern if you could use:

· Hours: 400 hours of an EH student’s time

· Focus Periods: 10 weeks concentrated on one project

· EH Educated Support: An intern who is studying EH and planning a career in the field

· Financial Support: Interns receive generous stipends from CDC so are able to focus on your project at no cost to your organization

If you are interested in supporting the next generation of EH professionals and you or a colleague have a project that might be a good fit, we encourage you to apply today.

Applications are due by March 9.

NEHA AEC - A Hybrid Event The 2022 NEHA Annual Educational Conference will be held in Spokane, Washington from June 28-July 1, 2022. It will be a hybrid event to ensure accessibility and inclusion for everyone who wishes to participate. Read more on the 2022 AEC website.

Did You Renew? The time to renew your OEHA Membership is now! OEHA memberships ran at the end of the calendar year and your previous OEHA membership expired at the end of December 2021. If you have not already done so, please go online and renew your OEHA membership now, using the new online form: Membership | OEHA (oregoneha.org)