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Department of Environmental and Occupational Health News

The Department of Environmental and Occupational Health emphasizes the role of air, water, the home environment, and the workplace as critical determinants of health. Our accredited programs provide mentorship, community involvement opportunities, and research projects for students to grow as experts and leaders in their fields.

Current Environmental and Occupational Health News

Students pass by Lied Library as they walk campus on the first day of Fall 2024 semester classes
Campus News |

A collection of news highlights featuring students and faculty.

Josh Hawkins, UNLV
Campus News |

News highlights featuring UNLV students and staff who made (refreshing) waves in the headlines.

students in spring
Campus News |

News highlights starring UNLV students and faculty who made local and national headlines.

cropped photo of smiling woman with dark hair
People |

Public Health professor Erika Marquez receives 2024 Community Engagement Award for her work breaking down barriers to reach marginalized communities.

young female student carrying football across field
Campus News |

Partnership with the Las Vegas Raiders uses sports to boost body image and mental well-being of teenage girls.

Spring Flowers (Becca Schwartz)
Campus News |

A roundup of the top news stories featuring UNLV students and faculty.

Environmental and Occupational Health In The News

KTNV-TV: ABC 13

With cooler temperatures here, that means mosquito season is thankfully coming to an end. Following up on a story I covered on Monday when I stopped at UNLV to talk to experts about how bad this past mosquito season was, on Tuesday I wanted to find out what can be done to help fight the problem.

KTNV-TV: ABC 13

If you have noticed more mosquitoes — or felt their bites — this past summer... You are not alone. Experts said not only did we have more mosquitoes, but we had more cases of West Nile virus when comparing it to previous years.

Everyday Health

Mosquito season is here and that means it’s time for us to start being vigilant about protecting ourselves from the pesky pests. While the most common side effect of a mosquito bite is an itchy red bump, mosquitoes can also spread dangerous diseases like West Nile, Lyme disease, Zika, dengue, and more.

KTNV-TV: ABC 13

The number of confirmed cases of West Nile virus in Clark County has risen again as mosquitoes positive for the virus are found in 44 Southern Nevada zip codes.

KLAS-TV: 8 News Now

UNLV and the Las Vegas Raiders are coming together to create a program focused on empowering middle school girls through flag football. Other groups in the Las Vegas valley are using sports to boost body image and mental well-being. Grit, no fear, and getting the job done on a football field.

MonsterTalk

We’re joined by mosquito and disease expert Dr. Louisa Messenger of the Las Vegas PARAVEC lab. It turns out that gators and snakes aren’t the big danger in a swamp. And this monster isn’t constrained to swamps. In fact, it’s probably in your own backyard.

Environmental and Occupational Health Experts

An expert in infectious diseases and HIV/AIDS prevention.
An expert on the intersection of sports, physical activity, and health.
A national authority on lead poisoning and human health.

Recent Environmental and Occupational Health Accomplishments

Laurencia Bonsu (Environmental and Occupational Health), Smriti Neupane (Nevada Institute for Children's Research and Policy), and Asma Awan and Manoj Sharma (both Social and Behavior Health) presented a poster tilted “A phenomenological study of the lived experiences of how international students viewed a mass shooting at a large southwestern…
Casey Barber (Epidemiology and Biostatistics) presented a talk titled "Novel trend analysis of SARS-CoV-2 wastewater surveillance and COVID-19 case incidence in Southern Nevada" at the 2024 Annual Meeting of the American Public Health Association in Minneapolis, Minneapolis, on October 28, 2024. Co-authors included Lung-Chang Chien and Brian Labus…
Louisa Messenger, Karen Figeruoua Chilito and Richard Oxborough (all Environmental and Occupational Health) coauthored a paper titled “Malaria vector control in sub-Saharan Africa: complex trade-offs to combat the growing threat of insecticide resistance” in the journal The Lancet Planetary Health, in association with Filemon Tokponnon. The paper…
Juliana Byzyka (Transportation Research Center) joined her colleagues Erin Breen (Transportation Research Center) and Courtney Coughenour (Environmental and Occupational Health) at the regional conference with the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) - Las Vegas #74 at the Tuscany Suites and Casino. The panel engaged in…
Louisa Messenger (Environmental and Occupational Health) coauthored an article titled “Bio-efficacy of field aged novel class of long-lasting insecticidal nets, against pyrethroid-resistant malaria vectors in Tanzania: A series of experimental hut trials” in the journal PLOS Global Public Health, in association with researchers from London, Canada…
Louisa Messenger (Environmental and Occupational Health) co-published an article titled "Evaluation of bio-efficacy of field-aged novel long-lasting insecticidal nets (PBO, chlorfenapyr or pyriproxyfen combined with pyrethroid) against Anopheles gambiae (s.s.) in Tanzania" in the journal Current Research in Parasitology & Vector-Borne Diseases…