Professor and students test water in a laboratory

Environmental Health Sciences

The Division of Environmental Health Sciences teaches, researches, advocates and works collaboratively and cooperatively with scientific and community partners to advance environmental public health practices.

Our faculty engages, trains and mentors the next generation of environmental health scientists and environmental public health practitioners. These public health experts go on to careers focused on identifying, preventing and mitigating human and animal exposures to and diseases caused by harmful chemical, microbiological and physical stressors in the environment.

Academic programs

PhD Environmental Public Health
Develop your research expertise as you learn and understand the intersection between public health and the environment, and the multidisciplinary approaches needed to make an impact.
MPH Environmental Health Sciences
Develop the knowledge and skills to identify and limit human exposure to hazards in the environment.
MS Environmental Public Health
Gain greater understanding of the connections between human health and the environment including epidemiology, toxicology and global health.
BSPH Environmental Public Health
An interdisciplinary specialization for students who have an interest in both the environment and health, how environments impact health and a desire to find solutions to the challenges of environmental effects on the health of communities.

Occupational Safety and Health Graduate Certificate
An interdisciplinary offering with the College of Engineering, learn how to identify, evaluate and control hazardous situations and exposures that may impact workers and the community.
Global One Health Graduate Certificate
To more efficiently and effectively achieve the best health outcomes for people, animals and the environment, develop your expertise in the surveillance, prevention, mitigation and intervention strategies that promote a healthy world.
Environmental Public Health Risk Assessment Graduate Certificate
Gain the knowledge and skills applicable to exposure hazard assessment and disease risk assessments involving environmental and occupational toxic chemical and infectious microbial agents.
Occupational Safety and Health Graduate Minor
Current graduate students can pursue this interdisciplinary offering with the College of Engineering to learn how to identify, evaluate and control hazardous situations and exposures that may impact workers and the community.

Research expertise

Environmental and occupational health monitoring, assessment and modeling

Infectious and toxic-based disease risk assessment

Water and wastewater surveillance

Food safety

Air quality surveillance

Toxicology and epigenetics

Human exposure and disease biomarkers

Environmental justice

Environmental analytical chemistry

Community and environmental epidemiology

Interdisciplinary partnerships

Division faculty collaborate with experts across Ohio State and those at local, state, national and international organizations to address population-based environmental public health issues. At the university alone, our partners include:

The James Comprehensive Cancer Center
Global One Health initiative
Global Water Institute
Infectious Diseases Institute
Sustainability Institute
Food and Agricultural Transformation
Translational Data Analytics Institute

See our partners

Student experience

Samir Atai, MPH, Environmental Health Sciences

Division faculty

Jiyoung Lee, PhD

Chair

“Our faculty and students are uniquely positioned to tackle the profound global challenges posed by environmental contaminants and stressors, including climate change, which threaten public health. Our faculty engage in high-impact and diverse research — from laboratory- and field-based environmental health science to broader big-data-driven and translational sciences. This research recognizes the global environmental burdens that impact people and ecosystems worldwide. We are deeply committed to applying the principles and practices of environmental health to a "One Health" approach to teaching, research and practice. Now more than ever, environmental health researchers and practitioners are needed to address a myriad of environmental challenges that pose health threats in workplaces and communities.”

Olorunfemi Adetona, PhD

Associate Professor