photo of the UNLV flashlight statue

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.

Current Environmental and Occupational Health News

woman under tree poses by birds
People | October 2, 2023

The director of UNLV’s Occupational Therapy program likens her field to the nest-building skills of birds.

Students at Pida Plaza on the first day of classes (Josh Hawkins, UNLV).
Campus News | September 1, 2023

A roundup of prominent news stories highlighting university pride, research, and community collaboration.

Graduation surprise
Campus News | August 1, 2023

News stories from the summer featuring UNLV students and faculty.

grid with nine photos of young woman sneezing
Campus News | July 19, 2023

How the UNLV/CCSD Pollen Monitoring Program can help you keep tabs on local allergens.

a set of model teeth with blue plastic gums
Campus News | May 16, 2023

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

artistic illustration with woman as well as globe and chemistry bottles
People | October 31, 2022

After spending most of her public health career living out of a suitcase, Louisa Messenger has settled down to bring her expertise in infectious diseases and insects to Las Vegas.

Environmental and Occupational Health In The News

KSNV-TV: News 3
October 2, 2023

We're just days away from the first day of the WNBA finals.

Las Vegas Weekly
August 24, 2023

"What is the most dangerous animal in the world?” The answer might surprise you, according to Chad Cross and Louisa Messenger, professors with the UNLV School of Public Health.

Las Vegas Weekly
August 24, 2023

"What is the most dangerous animal in the world?” The answer might surprise you, according to Chad Cross and Louisa Messenger, professors with the UNLV School of Public Health.

Las Vegas Review Journal
July 9, 2023

Seven years ago, a Walmart in the Sunrise Manor neighborhood of northeast Las Vegas closed, leaving the area without a full-fledged grocery store. Until now.

Ira's Everything Bagel
May 30, 2023

This week, Ira spoke with Asma Tahir, supervisor of the Pollen Monitoring Program at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in collaboration with the Clark County School District. Asma talks about the origins of the program, which began in 2014; why UNLV is a National Allergy Bureau certified site; why pollen monitoring generates interest in the program from across the country; how pollen is collected and how it is rated; and the unique machine, the Burkard, which is used as a sampler.

Healthline
May 11, 2023

Have you ever spent a summer evening outside with friends only to find, hours later, that you’re covered in mosquito bites? Meanwhile, the people you were hanging out with have none. New research suggests that the soap you wash with could be to blame.

Environmental and Occupational Health Experts

A national authority on lead poisoning and human health.

Recent Environmental and Occupational Health Accomplishments

November 17, 2023
Sidath Kapukotuwa (Social and Behavioral Health), Ravi Batra (Environmental and Occupational Health), Kavita Batra (Medicine; Office of Research), Chia-Liang Dai (Teaching and Learning), and Manoj Sharma (Social and Behavioral Health) presented their poster, "Yoga for osteoarthritis: Current state of interventions," during the American Public…
November 16, 2023
Lung-Wen Antony Chen (Environmental and Occupational Health) and Lung-Chang Chien (Epidemiology and Biostatistics) presented a poster titled, "Assessing COVID-19 vaccination accessibility in Clark County, Nevada," on Nov. 12 at the 2023 American Public Health Association Annual meeting in Atlanta, Georgia.
November 16, 2023
Lung-Wen Antony Chen (Environmental and Occupational Health) gave a roundtable presentation titled, "An emerging hotspot analysis of COVID-19 in Clark County, Nevada, 2020-2023," on Nov. 14 at the 2023 American Public Health Association Annual Meeting in Atlanta, Georgia. 
October 25, 2023
Francisco Sy (Environmental and Occupational Health) received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the University of the Philippines Alumni Association in America (UPAAA) during the 2023 UPAAA Grand Reunion and Convention. The UPAAA Lifetime Distinguished Achievement Awards are given to senior alumni who have achieved professional distinction and…
October 16, 2023
Louisa Messenger (Environmental and Occupational Health) co-published an article titled, "Detection of insecticide resistance markers in Anopheles funestus from the Democratic Republic of the Congo using a targeted amplicon sequencing panel" in the journal Scientific Reports. Vector control strategies have been successful in reducing the number…
October 16, 2023
Prosun Roy (Mechanical Engineering), Lung-Wen Antony Chen (Environmental and Occupational Health), Yi-Tung Chen (Mechanical Engineering), Sajjad Ahmad, Eakalak Khan (both Civil and Environmental Engineering and Construction), and Mark Buttner (Environmental and Occupational Health) published an article on "Pollen Dispersion and Deposition in Real‑…