Written by Jessica Bloomer

The annual Pilot Research Project (PRP) Symposium was held on October 11-12, 2018 in the University of Cincinnati’s Kowalewski Auditorium and Kettering Laboratory. The symposium highlighted research in various fields of occupational health and safety. Dr. Shuk-Mei Ho, Department of Environmental Health Academic Director, attended and welcomed the PRP attendees to the 19^th symposium.

Dr. Ho welcomes guests to the 19^th Annual PRP Symposium

The keynote speaker was Captain Lauralynn McKernan, Associate Director for Science of the CDC, NIOSH, Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluation, and Field Studies. Her presentation was called “Listen to the Music: How Rock ‘n’ Roll Provides Touchstones for the Evolution of Occupational Health” presented on the first day. Captain McKernan has conducted a variety of industrial hygiene field studies and has published articles on topics ranging from bioaerosols on commercial aircraft, blood lead monitoring techniques, diacetyl sampling methods, and lessons learned for first responders. The Keynote presentation was also live on WebEx to reach others who could not attend the symposium.

Keynote speaker, Captain Lauralynn McKernan

2017-18 PRP awardees presented their final project results. Topics included;

• Immunotoxicity of PFCs (perfluoroalkyl compounds) Found in Fire-Fighting Foams
• Comparing Health Status and Exposure Risk in Career Vs. Voluntary Firefighters
• Negative Responses to Workplace Incivility in Home Care Workers
• Microbiome Changes as Markers of Exposure and Stress in Firefighters
• Well-being of Youth Caregivers and its Effect on Pursuing a Career in Geriatrics
• Assessment of Diesel Particulates in Fire Departments using Different Exposure Metrics

Attendees watching presentations on day 1 of the PRP Symposium

The presentations on day one were broken up by the first poster session and poster Q&A panel with 2018-19 PRP awardees, moderated by Dr. Gordon Gillespie, PRP Deputy Director. Poster topics on the first day were;

• Development of a Sensor Frame Based Gait Assessment Device For Occupational Health In Nursing
• Effect of Heat Stress on Immune Function in Firefighters
• Gender Differences in Nursing Job Demands and Resources
• Fragility Analysis of Steel Buildings in Fire

Poster presenters discuss their research during the first poster panel Q&A

After the first day concluded, the attendees headed to Kettering Laboratory for a Networking Dinner provided by Ollie’s Trolley. Thank you to the PRP Steering Committee members for your donations! Without them, the networking dinner would not be possible.

Attendees gather for dinner after day 1 presentations

On day two, the rest of the 2017-18 PRP awardees presented on their topics;

• Establishment of an Aerosol Sampling Protocol using Passive Air Sampler (PAS) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM)
• Lightweight, Wearable Energy Storage Devices for Firefighters and First Responders
• Fabric Integrated Gas Sensors for First Responders and Miners
• Flame Resistant Nanofabric to Protect Firefighters Against Heat and Toxins

The second poster session followed with another Q&A panel, again moderated by Dr. Gordon Gillespie. The topics for the second poster session consisted of;

• Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) for Information Gathering during Urban Disaster Situations
• Exposure to Traffic-Related Air Pollution, Home Dust, and the Respiratory Mycobiome
• Neuromotor Effects of Manganese Exposure in Adolescents Entering Workforce
• Educational Intervention to Mitigate the Effects of Bullying in the Student Nurse Population
• Predicting Changes in Driving Safety Performance on an Individualized Level Under Naturalistic Driving Conditions
• Development of a Risk Prioritization Framework to Evaluate Consumer Cleaning Product Chemical Ingredients
• Healthcare Workers in the Home Environment: What are the Hazards?
• Developing an Observation Tool

Poster presenters discuss their project plans during the day 2 poster session

The second poster session was 2018-19 PRP awardees as well as two posters from students in the Education and Research Center Targeted Research Training Program, focusing on home healthcare research.

The symposium concluded with a discussion panel with experts in the field and awards presented; two for people’s choice favorite poster and podium presenters and two that a panel of judges selected for best podium and poster presenters.

Experts in various occupational health and safety fields form a panel to discuss topics presented at the PRP symposium

The award winners were:

Award for Distinguished Podium Presentation: Well-being of Youth Caregivers and its Effect on Pursuing a Career in Geriatrics, Jennifer Perion, University of Toledo, Health Education

Jennifer Perion presenting at the PRP Symposium

Award for Distinguished Poster Presentation: Development of a Risk Prioritization Framework to Evaluate Consumer Cleaning Product Chemical Ingredients, Mike Benjamin, University of Cincinnati, Environmental Health

Mike Benjamin receives the award for distinguished poster

People's Choice Award for Podium Presentation: Lightweight, Wearable Energy Storage Devices for Firefighters and First Responders, Paa Kwasi Adusei, University of Cincinnati, Mechanical and Materials Engineering

Paa Kwasi Adusei presenting at the PRP Symposium

People's Choice for Poster Presentation: Exposure to Traffic-Related Air Pollution, Home Dust, and the Respiratory Mycobiome, Christine Uebel-Niemeier, University of Cincinnati, Environmental Health

Christine Uebel-Niemeier receives the award for people’s choice poster presentation

This year, there was an addition of a live twitter feed at the event for people to tweet their questions, comments, and photos, which also serves as a program evaluation tool for the ERC (view a re-cap of the comments/questions by searching #19prp on twitter). The symposium gave many attendees the opportunity to interact with each other as well as learn about new research areas. This year was another successful event!