The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston School of Public health received a $100,000 grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) to create a Biosafety and Infectious Disease Training Initiative.

To summarize the statements of Robert Emery, professor in the Department of Epidemiology, Human Genetics and Environmental Sciences at UTHealth School of Public Health and vice president of safety, health, environment and risk management at UTHealth, the recent experiences with Ebola in Texas raised concerns about infectious disease exposures outside of the healthcare community. The grant will allow the University to develop and deliver training to a wide audience including those who aren’t normally considered at risk of exposure to infectious diseases. This would include public service employees, waste vendors, funeral directors and others.

UTHealth will partner with the Nebraska Biocontainment Unit, one of only three biocontainment units in the country, to establish this new training program.

The program will include an intensive hands-on operations-level course, an awareness-level course and a community-level course to be delivered online.

Submitted by:

Matt Anderson
NSF 49 2016 Cover

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