North American Native Research and Education Foundation (NANREF)

NANREF is a 501c3 nonprofit organization that provides educational and research opportunities to Native American students. While encouraging life-long learning and sharing, NANREF acknowledges, respects, and shows humble gratefulness to all sacred cycles of life. The organization's goals are: to integrate learning for all disciplines while communicating and solving problems with all people; to involve students in real-world projects with deadlines, frustrations, and the beauty of true learning; and to raise the self-esteem and cultural pride of American Indian students. NANREF is founded and lead by Dr. Ed Galindo, Yaqui Indian and TIFO Board of Directors member.

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Karel Van Damme

Occupational Health Physician

Karel Van Damme is a Belgian physician specializing in Occupational Health. Dr. Van Damme has dedicated his career to protecting the health and safety of workers in several capacities: as a public administrator and labor inspector, as a personal advisor to several Belgian federal ministers of work, and as a president of the Belgian Compensation Fund for Occupational Diseases. He played an important role in improving Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) protection of workers at the EU level and was involved in developing regulatory processes both nationally and internationally in the field of OSH. He is a researcher at the Center for Human Genetics at the University of Leuven. In this capacity, he leads several national and European research projects, mainly related to scientific, social, and ethical aspects of susceptibility testing and health surveillance of workers, and on epidemiological research on haemato-lymphopoietic disorders resulting from occupational and environmental exposures. Dr. Van Damme has lectured internationally on OSH and serves as an external expert for the International Labor Organization.  Dr. Van Damme is a member of the Collegium Ramazzini, an international group of experts in the fields of occupational and environmental health. In 2017, Dr. Van Damme received the Ramazzini Award for his efforts to improve the ethical basis for screening and monitoring practices in occupational medicine and for his advocacy and efforts to improve occupational safety and health protections in Belgium and internationally.

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Bryn Thoms

Hydrogeologist

Bryn Thoms  is a hydrogeologist with Oregon Department of Environmental Quality's (ODEQ's) Cleanup Program. He oversees  cleanup projects, including solvent groundwater plumes, legacy pesticide sites, former wood products mill sites, petroleum releases, and abandoned mine lands. He is the technical director of the Environmental Health Council, an international non-profit organization dedicated to addressing environmental contaminants.  In 2015, he became active with the Interstate Technology and Regulatory Council as a result of overseeing one of the first ODEQ projects that utilized bioavailability adjustments in human health risk assessment. Mr. Thoms helped develop the Decision Section of the Bioavailability Guidance document, where his regulatory experience provided valuable perspective on incorporating bioavailability into the regulatory cleanup process. Mr. Thoms has a B.S. in geology from Oregon State University and has been an Oregon registered professional geologist since 1997.

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Phil Landrigan, M.D.

Pediatrician, Epidemiologist

Phil Landrigan is a world-renowned pediatrician, public health physician, and epidemiologist. Dr. Landrigan is on TIFO's Board of Directors. His research uses the tools of epidemiology to elucidate connections between toxic chemicals and human health, especially the health of infants and children. His early studies of lead poisoning were among the first to demonstrate that lead is toxic to children even at very low levels, which contributed to the US government's decision to remove lead from paint and gasoline. His research defined children’s unique susceptibilities to pesticides and other chemicals and catalyzed fundamental revamping of US policy. Dr. Landrigan was Chair of the Department of Preventative Medicine (1990-2018) and Dean for Global Health (2010-2018) at Mount Sinai School of Medicine. He was involved in the medical and epidemiological follow-up of 20,000 rescue workers from the 9/11 attack. From 2015 to 2017, he co-chaired the Lancet Commission on Pollution & Health, which reported that pollution causes 9 million deaths annually. Dr. Landrigan is the Director of the Global Observatory on Pollution and Health at Boston College.  He is President of the Collegium Ramazzini, an international academy of  experts in the fields of occupational and environmental health.

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Institute for Community Partnerships and Sustainable Development

Institute for Community Partnerships and Sustainable Development (ICPSD)  is a nonprofit organization with a  mission to achieve efficacy and resiliency in communities in Africa through the convergence of local knowledge, culture, science, and technology. ICPSD was founded when Dr. Romuald Afatchao, led a group of University of Idaho students on a service trip to Ghana. Passionate about the continent of his birth and expanding the cultural competency of American students, Dr. Afatchao challenged the students to see beyond the excitement of being in a new country and to look deeper into themselves and the situations they observed and participated in. The experience led to discussions  regarding development in Africa and the impact of outside aid and influences. ICPSD was born from these observations and goals for sustainable and community-driven development on the continent.

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Ed Lewis, Ph.D.

Professor, Department Head

Ed Lewis is Professor and Head of the Department of Entomology, Plant Pathology and Nematology  in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences and Co-Director of the Center for Health in the Human Ecosystem at the University of Idaho. Dr. Lewis has a B.S. from Cornell University, an M.S. from University of Missouri, and a Ph.D. from Auburn University. His research includes studies of behavior, population ecology, community ecology, and evolutionary biology within several groups of insects, nematodes, and bacteria. Dr. Lewis also pursues research in biological control of crop pests, predicting the impact of crop management on pest and beneficial organisms, and restoration ecology.  

 

Shirley Luckhart, Ph.D.

Professor

Shirley Luckhart  is a Professor in the Department of Entomology, Plant Pathology and Nematology in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, Professor of Biological Sciences in the College of Science and Co-Director of the Center for Health in the Human Ecosystem at the University of Idaho. Dr. Luckhart has a B.S. from the University of Florida, an M.S. from Auburn University, and a Ph.D. from Rutgers. She is an expert in arthropod-borne infectious diseases. Her background training includes natural resource conservation, entomology, biochemistry, microbiology, parasitology and innate immunity. Dr. Luckhart’s work focuses on malaria, a disease that adversely affects low-income countries throughout the tropics. In particular, her lab has studied murine and non-human primate malaria parasite development and transmission, transmission of the human malaria parasite  under field conditions in endemic countries.

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Ian von Lindern, P.E., Ph.D.*

TIFO Co-Founder

Ian von Lindern holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Carnegie-Mellon University and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Environmental Science and Engineering from Yale University. Along with his wife, Dr. Margrit von Braun, Dr. von Lindern is co-founder of TerraGraphics Environmental Engineering and co-founder of TerraGraphics International Foundation (TIFO). Dr. von Lindern has 38 years of US and international environmental engineering and science experience. He has directed over 40 major health and environmental investigations involving primary and secondary smelters and battery processors, landfills, and tailings at several major mining and smelting sites in the United States, as well as in Asia, Africa, Australia, and Latin America. Dr. von Lindern was the lead risk assessor for the State of Idaho on the Bunker Hill/Coeur d’Alene Basin Superfund Site for over thirty years. He has extensive experience applying exposure and biokinetic lead modeling in human health risk assessment, cleanup criteria development, and remedial design. Dr. von Lindern has served on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency  Science Advisory Board on five occasions, reviewing the scientific basis for domestic lead regulatory policy.

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R. Denny Dobbin

Occupational Hygienist

R. Denny Dobbin has over 40 years occupational hygiene experience as an officer in the US Public Health Service and as an independent practitioner. Mr. Dobbin is President of TIFO's Board of Directors. His assignments with the Public Health Service included seventeen years with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health where he managed research programs and developed policy including a two-year assignment with the U.S. Congress in the Office of Technology Assessment. Mr. Dobbin worked on toxic chemical issues at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and managed a Superfund grant program for model hazardous waste worker and emergency responder training for ten years at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. Since 1997 he has worked independently on occupational, environmental, and public health policy issues for non-profit, labor, and other non-governmental organizations. He has a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Idaho, and a M.Sc. in Occupational Hygiene from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

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Lindsay Wichers Stanek, Ph.D.

Environmental Scientist

Lindsay Wichers Stanek is an expert in air pollution, specifically particulate matter (PM), ozone, nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides, and lead. Dr. Stanek serves on TIFO's Board of Directors. Her expertise in animal toxicology  was developed during her Ph.D. research at University of North Carolina on cardiovascular and pulmonary effects in rodents exposed to PM. Through her subsequent assessment work at the Office of Research and Development’s National Center for Environmental Assessment and research oversight role at the National Exposure Research Laboratory, she has developed cross-disciplinary knowledge that enables integration of scientific evidence. Dr. Stanek’s responsibilities have also entailed working across EPA’s ORD, Program Office partners, and Regional Office partners to design and execute research that is of the greatest impact to fulfill a mission of protecting public health and the environment.

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Alta Science & Engineering, Inc.

Alta Science & Engineering, Inc. (Alta) believes that positive impacts can be made for communities and the environment by working together. Alta's business philosophy is simple - provide clients straightforward solutions to engineering and environmental challenges, no matter the size or complexity. Alta’s personnel have devoted more than 20 years to assisting government agencies with characterizing, evaluating, planning, designing, remediating, and restoring contaminated sites, particularly mining-impacted communities. Alta focuses on doing the right thing for employees, clients, communities, and the environment.

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Shehu Muhammad Anka

Environmental Health Officer

Shehu Muhammad Anka  is a Nigerian national and employee of the Zamfara State Environmental Sanitation Agency. He has a Certificate in Science Laboratory and Technology from Federal Polytechnic Kaura Namoda, a Higher National Diploma in Environmental Science from Kaduna Polytechnic, and a Post-Graduate Diploma in Public Health from Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Bauchi. Mr. Anka, a Registered and Licensed Environmental Health Officer, has trained local, state, federal, and international stakeholders in lead health risk assessment, mitigation, and communication. He worked as Assistant Project Manager on the Lead Poisoning Environmental Response in Northern Nigeria and currently coordinates the Institutional Controls Program for Zamfara State lead-impacted villages. Mr. Anka has presented at multiple conferences and workshops and co-authored several peer-reviewed publications. He has worked with international NGOs including TIFO, Occupational Knowledge International, Médecins Sans Frontières, World Health Organization, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on safer mining in ASGM, community engagement, environmental remediation, risk assessment, and project sustainability.

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Mary Jean Brown, R.N., Sc.D.

Public Health Expert

Dr. Mary Jean Brown  is an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Social and Behavioral Sciences at the Harvard Chan School of Public Health and the former Chief of the Healthy Homes and Lead Poisoning Prevention Branch at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). An internationally recognized expert and leader in the field of childhood lead poisoning prevention, Dr. Brown has provided her expertise to health officials in the US, China, Kosovo, and Nigeria. She works regularly with other US public health agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Housing and Urban Development, and international organizations including the World Health Organization  and Doctors Without Borders. She has published more than 100 peer-reviewed articles, commentaries, and policy documents. Dr. Brown received a Doctor of Science degree from the Harvard School of Public Health in 2000.  She is a registered nurse with a B.S. degree from Boston College in 1982.

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Gregory Moller, Ph.D., F.N.A.I.

Professor

Gregory Moller has degrees in chemistry from Wichita State (B.S.) and University of California Davis (Ph.D.). For the past three decades, Dr. Moller has pursued teaching environmental toxicology and sustainability in many forums. He is a professor at the University of Idaho and faculty at Washington State University and has received multiple teaching excellence awards, including the National Excellence in College and University Teaching (2014), the Excellence in Teaching award (2007), Excellence in Outreach Award (2002), Outstanding Environmental Sciences Faculty Award (2001), and Outstanding Research Award (2010). Dr. Moller’s online digital education films have been recognized by the Yosemite International Film Festival. His research focuses on translational, trans-disciplinary sustainability solutions to water pollution and has resulted in seven patents for innovative, award winning water treatment technology.

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Environmental Defender Law Center

The Environmental Defender Law Center (EDLC) has worked since 2003 to protect the human rights of people in developing countries who are fighting against harm to their environment. EDLC identifies cases and enlists top lawyers to help communities stop unwanted resource development projects; bring claims against domestic and multinational corporations for past and threatened harms; and defend persecuted environmental defenders. EDLC also makes grants to fund litigation costs, and advises and provides scientific and other resources to environmental defenders and their lawyers.

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Lauren Cooney, M.S., R.N. 

Lauren Cooney is a registered nurse with an M.S. in Public Health and Tropical Medicine. In addition to 10 years of clinical nursing experience in acute care settings in Australia and the UK, Ms. Cooney has 14 years of experience in international health settings in senior coordination and leadership positions. Ms. Cooney has worked in, coordinated, and advised on projects with Médecins sans Frontières, including working with TIFO on the 2010 lead poisoning outbreak in Nigeria, where she was the Project Emergency Manager.

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Lubia Cajas de Gliniewicz, Ph.D. 

Lubia Cajas de Gliniewicz, a Guatemalan national, earned her Ph.D. in Environmental Science at the University of Idaho (UI) and served as the Environmental Science Program Coordinator. Her areas of interest are sustainability, environmental and social entrepreneurship, and international development. She is a recipient of numerous awards and fellowships, including the Fulbright Program, the Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research, and the Ford Foundation. Since 2009 she has coordinated programs for international students at UI. Dr. Cajas de Gliniewicz worked at the University of San Carlos in Guatemala and at the National Council for Protected Areas as the department head of the Hydrobiological section. Additionally, she was engaged in education and development programs for rural areas and indigenous communities in her home country.

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Sa Liu, PhD, MPH, CIH

Assistant Professor

Sa Liu is an Assistant Professor of Occupational and Environmental Health Sciences at School of Health Sciences, Purdue University. She is an exposure scientist and certified industrial hygienist. Her research focuses on assessing chemical exposure by multiple pathways in both occupational and environmental settings. She has led several occupational and environmental health studies and participated in major occupational epidemiologic studies. Dr. Liu's current projects focus on, 1) assessing workers' exposure to manganese in welding fumes; and 2) assessing community's exposure to volatile organic compounds in groundwater and related health effects through taking a community based participatory research approach. These projects are funded by NIEHS and private foundations.