(Provided by Committee): The Institute of Occupational and Environmental Health (IOEH) was established in 1987 at West Virginia University and first received NIOSH support for training in occupational medicine in 1988. The residency has been fully accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) since 1998. The program is unique in being the only rural-based OM training site and it specifically seeks to address the shortage of OM physicians in the Appalachian region. The presence of a large NIOSH facility on the campus is a unique asses of the program, so that a large number of NIOSH personnel are active in numerous educational efforts through the IOEH and OM trainees spend six months part-time at NIOSH during the practicum year of the training program. ? ? The first year of the program consists of coursework towards completion of a Master's of Public Health (MPH) degree with a Special Emphasis in Occupational and Environmental Health. A total of 39 (quarter) units are required for the MPH degree, including the following coursework: ? ? Course Number ? Title ? Credit Hours ? PUBH 611 ? Applied Biostatistics for Health ? 3 ? CHPR 612 ? Social and Behavioral Theory ? 3 ? CHPR 635 ? Management for Community and Public Health ? 3 ? PUBH 650 ? Environmental Health ? 3 ? PUBH 660 ? Public Health Epidemiology ? 3 ? PUBH 630 ? Policy and the Health System ? 3 ? (3 courses) ? Practicum - proposal, conduct, report ? 6 (total) ? Special Emphasis Courses taken by OM trainees ? ? PCOL 562 ? Occupational Toxicology ? 3 ? IMSE 561 ? Industrial Hygiene ? 4 ? PUBH 691C ? Appalachian Summer Course in Occupational Health ? 3 ? PUBH 695 ? Advanced Studies - EOH Evaluation (worksite visits) ? 1 ? PUBH 712, 713 ? Medical Aspects of Environmental Health (attendance at weekly IOEH rounds) ? 1 ? PUBH 791C ? Advanced Studies - Special Topics in Toxicology ? 1 ? CMED 788 ? Critical Review of the Literature (Seminars in Occupational Epidemiology) ? 1 ? ? The trainees can take additional approved electives relevant to the Special Emphasis. ? ? The practicum year includes a wide variety of industrial, administrative, and clinical rotations. Rotations have been developed both inside and outside of the state to ensure a broad exposure and accommodate trainee career goals. ? ? Six months are based in Morgantown, during which trainees take the following rotations concurrently: ? * NIOSH - Division of Respiratory Disease Studies or the Division of Safety Research (minimum of 3 half-days per week) ? * Oasis Occupational Rehabilitation ? * IOEH clinic ? * Other clinic rotations at WVU (dermatology, pulmonary medicine, etc.) ? ? Additional industrial rotations are taken in a block format: ? * Small Business Outreach (1-2 months) ? * Weirton Steel Medical Department (1-2 months) ? ? Trainees also spend 2-3 months in Charleston and take rotations with the West Virginia Workers' Compensation Commission; Division of Occupational and Environmental Health of Marshall University; Kanawha Charleston County Public Health Department; West Virginia Poison Center; and a private occupational medicine consultant. The trainees can take rotations in Clarksburg, WV; Washington, DC; and Detroit, MI - depending on their educational objectives. ? ? All trainees are encouraged to complete on research project of publishable quality to satisfy the requirements of the practicum year, if this was not completed as part of the MPH. Throughout both years of the program, trainees also participate in the OM clinic operated through the IOEH. In 2005, a dedicated Post-Graduate Year 1 will become available. ? ? Twelve trainees will graduate from the program under the most recent five year project period. Six of the seven most recent program graduates are board certified and in full-time OM practice, with four of these located in Appalachia. The program is based in the School of Medicine of a state university, so teaching is also provided to all second year medical students. Teaching in occupational health is also provided to the West Virginia School of Osteopathy by IOEH faculty. ? ?
