About Us

The Department of Environmental and Occupational Health is now a core department of the COPH, but originated in 1990 as part of the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology in the UAMS College of Medicine. Under the leadership of Dr. Jay Gandy as Chairman, the department has four primary faculty members whose skills are complementary, but yet diverse in the various fields of environmental and occupational health (e.g., industrial hygiene, toxicology, exposure assessment and molecular epidemiology).  These primary faculty members are involved in teaching, research and service activities that complement the department's missions and goals for healthier environments.  

The Department also has a number of secondary faculty members and lecturers who all offer tremendous variety and field experience in environmental and occupational health topics.  These individuals work at other units of the University, other local institutions, the private sector, or the Arkansas Department of Health.  Please visit our “People” link to learn more about our faculty and staff.  The EOH department offices are located on the 1 rst floor of the College of Public Health building on the UAMS campus.  You may call 526-6663 to schedule an appointment with one of our faculty or staff members .

One of the mission's of the Occupational and Environmental Health department is to educate students in the anticipation, recognition, evaluation and control of workplace or environmental factors or stresses which may cause sickness, impaired health, significant discomfort or inefficiency among workers or citizens of the community.  Those who graduate from our EOH program will be qualified for entry level positions in both private industry and the public sector.  Students can use their degrees to help become, for example, a registered environmental health specialist, certified industrial hygienist, or certified safety professional.   Upon graduation, employment can be found at various government agencies [for example, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), the Arkansas Department of Health (ADH)], institutions such as hospitals and military bases, and a variety of private employers ranging from manufacturing, utility, and transportation companies to environmental consulting firms.  Many of our students hold full-time jobs and, therefore, the majority of our classes are conveniently offered in the evening.  In addition, we offer a number of courses either partially or completely online.

Two Degree Programs and a Certificate Program Offered

We offer two degree programs and a certificate program. The two degree programs are the Masters of Public Health (MPH) with a specialty in Environmental and Occupational health and the Master of Science (MS) in Occupational and Environmental Health. The certificate program is a 12 credits program of 4 classes. For all these programs, we offer a number of courses including, but not limited to: Environmental and Occupational Health, Occupational and Environmental Hazard Control, Toxicology in Public Health, Emerging Horizons in Occupational Health Seminar, Environmental Exposure Assessment, Toxicology and Government Regulations, Environmental and Occupational Health Policy.  The MS and MPH also include opportunities for directed study. We also encourage our students to choose topics for their thesis, or integration and preceptorship projects that are relevant and meaningful to the field of Environmental and Occupational Health for the MS and MPH programs.

Student Comments/Reflections

“The M.S. in OEH from UAMS not only prepared me to be an Occupational and Environmental Health Specialist, it allowed me to transition from lower level OEH positions to the professional level in a shorter time frame than I had anticipated.”  – Chuck Johnson , MS

"I feel like the OEH Masters Program is really great! The program lays a solid foundation to enter fields associated with Occupational and Environmental Heath, for instance the fields of Industrial Hygiene or Environmental Compliance.  Going through the program at UAMS was the best career decision I ever made.  The instructors are very knowledgeable and full of insight." – Kim Foster , MS

“I found the Environmental and Occupational Health class to be very interesting. The class covered a wide variety of environmental issues. The knowledge I gained is priceless. My knowledge of environmental and occupational health issues was greatly enhanced by being a part of this class. – James Duffy, MPH student