Hundreds of environmental health professionals across the nation report challenges and research needs in six areas — drinking water quality, wastewater management, healthy homes, food safety, public health pests and emerging issues such as disaster risk reduction and new facility types for body art and cannabis-infused products — in research from Baylor University and partners. The article — “Environmental Health Practice Challenges and Research Needs for U.S. Health Departments” — is published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives. It explores new findings and builds on the initiative Understanding Needs, Challenges, Opportunities, Vision, and Emerging Roles in Environmental Health (UNCOVER EH), launched by partners Baylor University, the National Environmental Health Association and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2017. More than 1,700 environmental health professionals in health departments across the country provided input for the effort to assess and improve the EH profession and practice. While EH represents one of the largest segments of the public health workforce, 26 percent of EH professionals working in United States health departments are expected to retire in five years, while only 6 percent of public health students are pursuing environmental health concentrations, as highlighted in the report. To view the full article visit Bayor University.
