AIHA Volunteer Groups Named Awards

2024-2025 Volunteer Groups Named Award Recipients

Lila Albin Award
Presented by the AIHA Indoor Environmental Quality Committee

Established in 1997, this award recognizes a peer reviewed article in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health. This year’s recipient is J. David Krause for Controlling Legionella pneumophila growth in hot water systems by reducing dissolved oxygen levels, Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene, 21:4, 259-269, DOI: 10.1080/15459624.2024.2313580.

Cannabis Industry Health and Safety Best Student Poster
Presented by the AIHA Cannabis Industry Health and Safety Committee

This award is presented to the author of the student poster at AIHA Connect that best focuses on the OEHS aspects of this industry. Recipients for this award are chosen immediately before AIHA Connect—please support our students by attending the student poster session on Tuesday, May 20 from 9:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m.

Rochelle Crew Memorial Award
Presented by the AIHA Construction Committee

This award honors the best construction-related paper, education session, or PDC presentation at the previous year’s AIHA Connect. It commemorates Rochelle Crew’s dedication to construction safety. This year’s recipient is Arlen W. Siert, PhD, CIH, CSP for O2: Excavation Pipeline Welding Exposure Assessment.

Cultural Heritage Health and Safety Advocate Award
Presented by the AIHA Museum and Cultural Heritage Industry Working Group

This award honors individuals who have significantly impacted occupational health and safety within the cultural heritage industry. This year’s recipient is Nancy Nash for her dedicated efforts in promoting OSHA On Site Consultation services to small museums and cultural institutions. Over the past seven years, her collaboration with AIHA has significantly advanced health and safety outreach within the cultural heritage sector.

H. Kenneth Dillon Memorial Award
Presented by the AIHA Biosafety and Environmental Microbiology Committee

This award honors the memory of Dr. Ken Dillon, a former AIHA Fellow and the principal instructor for several years of the popular PDC, Prevention, Determination, and Remediation of Biological Contamination in Indoor Environments. Recipients for this award are chosen immediately before AIHA Connect—please support our students by attending the student poster session on Tuesday, May 20 from 9:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m.

Donna Doganiero Award
Presented by the AIHA Safety Committee

This award recognizes exceptional contributions to safety education. It honors Donna Doganiero, CIH, FAIHA, for her outstanding achievements in the field of industrial hygiene and safety. This year’s recipient is George Gruetzmacher for his presentation, Unspoken Principles Affecting Safety.

Dr. Jack Driscoll Best Real-Time Detection Student Poster Award
Presented by the AIHA Real-Time Detection Systems Committee

This award recognizes the author of the student poster at AIHA Connect that best focuses on real-time detection. Recipients for this award are chosen immediately before AIHA Connect—please support our students by attending the student poster session on Tuesday, May 20 from 9:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m.

Fellow Sig Mid-Year Award
Presented by the AIHA Fellow SIGs

This award honors an industrial hygienist with 10 to 25 years of industrial hygiene work experience who exhibits outstanding leadership and/or technical capabilities, has worked as a volunteer for AIHA committees, project task forces and/or SIGs, and has exhibited a commitment to contribute to the industrial hygiene profession throughout their career. This year’s recipient is Joshua Maskrey.

Health and Safety Virtual Exhibit of the Year Award
Presented by the AIHA Museum and Cultural Heritage Industry Working Group

This award recognizes a virtual exhibit and its sponsoring organization for excellence in communicating risk control challenges related to worker and/or public health and safety. This year’s recipients are the Yale University Library Online Exhibitions for Selling Smoke, which explores the marketing of tobacco and public health responses, and the David J. Sencer CDC Museum for the Virtual Ebola Exhibit, which highlights strategies to detect, control, and prevent disease during the Ebola outbreak.

Dr. William C Hinds Award for Best Aerosol Student Poster
Presented by the AIHA Aerosol Technology Committee

This award honors the authors of the best student aerosol science poster presented at AIHA Connect. The poster must focus on aerosol science and technology as applied to the occupational environment. The award commemorates Dr. William C. Hinds, an AIHA Fellow and esteemed educator who founded the Industrial Hygiene academic program at UCLA. Recipients for this award are chosen immediately before AIHA Connect—please support our students by attending the student poster session on Tuesday, May 20 from 9:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m.

The Nancy Pearce and John Rekus Award
Presented by the AIHA Confined Spaces Committee

In memory of Nancy Pearce and honoring John Rekus, this award will be presented to the best confined spaces related education session at AIHA Connect 2025.

Lydia Renton Outstanding IAC Volunteer Award
Presented by the AIHA International Affairs Committee

This award recognizes an active committee member whose service and dedication to build global capacity and/or raise awareness have had profound influence and measurable contribution to the advancement of worker and community health and safety. It honors Lydia Renton for her unwavering commitment to protecting workers’ rights, reducing hazards, and fostering environments where the health and safety of workers worldwide is paramount. This year’s recipient is Tuan Nguyen, MBA, CIH, CSP, FAIHA.

David L. Swift Memorial Award
Presented by the AIHA Aerosol Technology Committee

This award honors the memory of Dr. David L. Swift for his outstanding contributions to aerosol and industrial hygiene research. It is given to the author(s) of aerosol research papers published during the previous year in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene. This year’s recipients are Osho, B., Elahifard, M., Wang, X., Abbasi, B., Chow, J.C., Watson, J.G., Arnott, W.P., Reed, Wm.R., and Parks, D. for their paper, Evaluation of PVC and PTFE filters for direct-on-filter crystalline silica quantification by FTIR (JOEH 2024; 21(8):539–550) https://doi.org/10.1080/154596....

Tishchauer Award
Presented by the AIHA Ergonomic Committee

This award recognizes a student ergonomics presentation at AIHA Connect. Recipients for this award are chosen immediately before AIHA Connect—please support our students by attending the student poster session on Tuesday, May 20 from 9:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m.

Upton Sinclair Lecture Award
Presented by the AIHA Social Concerns Committee

The Upton Sinclair Memorial Lecture, Protecting Miners: Insights Into Black Lung Disease and Regulatory Challenges, will be delivered at AIHA Connect 2025. It will elaborate on the hidden epidemic of severe black lung disease among coal miners, which promoted significant regulatory changes. This year’s recipient is Howard Berkes, NPR.

David L. Swift Memorial Award
Presented by the AIHA Aerosol Technology Committee

This award recognizes the authors of the best professional (non-student) aerosol science poster presented at AIHA Connect. The poster must focus on aerosol science and technology as applied to the occupational environment. The award honors the legacy of Dr. Klaus Willeke and Dr. Paul A. Baron, renowned researchers and collaborators in aerosol science. Recipients for this award are chosen immediately before AIHA Connect—please support our students by attending the student poster session on Tuesday, May 20 from 9:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m.

Aileen Yankowski Outstanding Leader of the Year Award
Presented by the AIHA Women in IH (WIH) Committee

This award is presented to an individual who, through volunteerism, supports the career development of professional women, promotes leadership skills, and disseminates critical information relevant to women working in industrial hygiene. This year’s recipient is Courtney Gendron for her outstanding leadership, mentorship, and advocacy throughout 2024. Her active involvement across OEHS organizations, dedication to mentoring, and focus on women’s health and safety issues exemplify the spirit of this award.

2024 Best Seller

This award is presented to the editor(s) of a recent publication that sold the most copies during the year. The 2024 best seller award is presented to Carter B. Ficklen, III, CIH, CSP for the Industrial Hygiene Reference and Study Guide, 4th edition.

2024 AIHA Critic's Choice Award

Presented by the AIHA Content Portfolio Advisory Group (CPAG)
This award recognizes a publication completed in 2024 for its impact on the profession, originality, and quality of writing. This year’s recipients are Alex H. Lehocky, MS, CIH; Cheri Marcham, PhD, CIH, CSP, CHMM, FAIHA; Patrick D. Owens, CIH, CSP; and J. David Krause, PhD, MSPH, CIH, FAIHA for Odor Thresholds for Chemicals, 4th edition.