Beginning Nov. 1, Dr. Linda Rosenstock, director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), will take her position as dean of the School of Public Health at the University of California, Los Angeles.
"While I am excited about this new opportunity, it is difficult to leave NIOSH and all that we have accomplished over the last six years," said Rosenstock. "I sincerely believe that working people are better off because of NIOSH''s research and prevention activities. I am confident that the hard work and dedication to the field of occupational safety and health will continue long after I leave the Institute."
Rosenstock began her tenure at NIOSH in April 1994. After weathering attempts by the 104th Congress to eliminate the Institute in 1995, Rosenstock went on to lead NIOSH in many accomplishments.
Since her six years as director NIOSH has:
- Expanded its scope of responsibility by acquiring the health and safety functions of the former Bureau of Mines and its staff of 400 in the Pittsburgh and Spokane research centers.
- Increased its annual appropriations by $85 million.
- Developed, in collaboration with 500 external partners, the National Occupational Research Agenda, a framework for guiding occupational safety and health research.
- Increased the number of research grants funded by NIOSH by 467 percent.
- Increased partnership efforts.
- Developed and fully staffed its new state-of-the-art research laboratory in Morganstown, W.Va.
Rosenstock received her bachelor''s degree in psychology from Brandeis University and M.D. and M.P.H. from the Johns Hopkins University.
Her advanced training was at the University of Washington, where she was chief resident in Primary Care Internal Medicine and a Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholar.
She held appointments at the University of Washington as professor of medicine in the School of Medicine and professor of environmental health in the School of Public Health and Community Medicine.
Before becoming NIOSH director, she chaired the United Auto Workers/General Motors Occupational Health Advisory Board.
by Virginia Sutcliffe