Mary S. Lopez, PhD, CPE & Michael J. Ellenbecker, ScD, CIH - ACGIH Chair & Immediate Past Chair - The Science of Guidelines and Standards

This week we welcome ACGIH Chair Mary Lopez, PhD, CPE and Immediate Past Chair Mike Ellenbecker, ScD, CIH to Iaqradio+. Our topic is how scientific organizations like ACGIH develop guidelines such as Threshold Limit Values using science as driving force behind development. Guidelines and standards are developed by many organizations lets look at how one of the most respected organizations in the world does it.

 

COL (Ret) Mary S. Lopez, PhD, CPE

 

Dr. Lopez retired from military service after 33 years as an Army officer. She currently serves as the Chair, ACGIH Physical Agents Committee. Dr. Lopez has been an active member of the ACGIH PAC since 2004, serving as a subject matter expert in Ergonomics and Human Factors, and as Vice Chair (2005-2010) and Chair (2010-2018). She has served on the ACGIH Board of Directors since 2019 and was elected ACGIH Board Chair for 2020. She is a Certified Professional Ergonomist (CPE) and a licensed Occupational Therapist.

 

Colonel (Retired) Mary S. Lopez graduated from San Jose State University with a bachelor’s degree in Occupational Therapy and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Army. She completed the OT internship at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, DC. COL(R) Lopez holds a Master of Health Administration from Baylor University and a PhD in Industrial Engineering—Human Factors and Ergonomics from Texas A&M University. She has held a variety of positions in her assignments at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Letterman Army Medical Center, Fort Ord, Brooke Army Medical Center, Fort Riley, the Center for Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine, the Uniformed Services University, and the Office of the Surgeon General, and the Europe Regional Medical Command. 

 

Michael J. Ellenbecker, ScD, CIH

 

Committed to improving the health and well-being of workers exposed to chemical and physical agents in their work environment, Dr. Ellenbecker, now Professor Emeritus, for almost thirty years taught occupational hygiene in the Department of Work Environment at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. In his continuing role as co-Director of TURI, he manages a staff of fifteen and has guided the Institute's research program from its inception in 1989. In addition to TURI’s mission, Dr. Ellenbecker’s research interests include aerosol science, ventilation system design, and evaluating occupational and environmental exposures to engineered nanoparticles. He is co-author of "Ventilation for Control of the Work Environment," the standard textbook for the design of industrial exhaust systems, and “Exposure Assessment and Safety Considerations for Working with Engineered Nanoparticles”. Harvard-educated, he holds Doctoral and Master degrees in Environmental Health Sciences and Industrial Hygiene and is a Certified Industrial Hygienist.