Regional Partners
CARERC combines the academic resources of four colleges at the University of Kentucky (UK) and Eastern Kentucky University (EKU) to provide a fully equipped and recognized resource for occupational safety and health research and training in Central Appalachia. Our core partners include veteran faculty and applied researchers in the UK College of Public Health, UK College of Engineering, UK College of Nursing, and the EKU College of Justice and Safety. Dedicated to serving 177 high-need counties in Central Appalachia, CARERC likewise works closely with researchers in the Cincinnati, Ohio, and Morgantown, WV, offices of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (CDC/NIOSH). CARERC is funded by CDC/NIOSH Cooperative Agreement 1T42 OH010278.
Each of the mid-South, Appalachian states included in CARERC’s scope – KY, TN, WV, VA, and NC – report high proportions of fatal occupational injuries related to transportation/highway incidents; injuries in agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting; and mining – all regionally important industries (BLS-CFOI 2009, 2011). CARERC therefore is engaged in recruitment, outreach, continuing education, and capacity-building efforts designed to include employers and institutions of higher learning throughout Central Appalachia. These include:
| Alliance Coal Company Bryan Lummus Waverly, KY |
Coal Company | Provides student internships and field research location for Mining Health and Safety program; host the Field Studies course each year allowing students to conduct hazard evaluations underground. |
| Building Epidemiologic Capacity in Kentucky (BECKY) Kentucky Epidemiologic Notes & Reports |
The Division of Epidemiology and Health Planning at the Kentucky Department for Public Health (KDPH) created a consortium of epidemiologists in local and state government t and academia to brainstorm ideas and collaborate on addressing public health problems. | Drs. Sanderson, Browning, Christian, and Winter are active members of BECKY and it serves as a major outreach forum for CARERC. |
| CEMEX Portland Cement Louisville, KY Ryan Langton Website |
Portland Cement producing company | Provides student internships; host the Field Studies course each year allowing students to conduct hazard evaluations in plant. |
| Council State and Territorial Epidemiologist SouthON Southeastern States Occupational Network |
Promotes multi-state research collaborations among occupational epidemiologists, public health departments, community partners, worker organizations, NIOSH, and academic colleagues in the southeast region | Works with CARERC, Deep South ERC, and Sunshine ERC to host the southern regional occupational network conference and joint ERC research symposium. Supports pilot research projects |
| Bridging Research Efforts and Advocacy Toward Healthy Environments (BREATHE) University of Kentucky Ellen Hahn, PhD Website |
Promote lung health and healthy environments to achieve health equity through a) research; b) community outreach and empowerment; c) advocacy and policy development; and d) access to health services. | Supports student research and CARERC outreach activities on respiratory diseases. |
| Deep South Center for Occupational Health and Safety, University of Alabama-Birmingham Birmingham, AL Claudiu Lungu, PhD Website |
ERC for research, training and outreach for Occupational Health Nursing, Industrial Hygiene, Occupational Health and Safety and Ergonomics | Partners on pilot research projects and co-hosts the southern regional occupational network conference and joint ERC research symposium. Supports activities derived from SouthON workshop. |
| North Carolina Agromedicine Institute East Carolina University Greenville, NC Robin Tutor-Marcom, EdD Contact |
Promote the health and safety of farmers, fishermen, foresters, their workers and their families through research, prevention/intervention, and education/outreach. | Collaborates on teaching, research, and outreach with CARERC students and SCAHIP. Directs the farmer health and safety training core within SCAHIP. |
| Kentucky Department of Agriculture Farm Safety Frankfort, KY Dale Dobson Website |
Increasing safety awareness and providing educational resources to ensure the safety of farmers and their families; conducts educational programs across Kentucky. | Provides safety and health training and research opportunities for students. Partners with CARERC on agricultural health and safety outreach activities. |
| Kentucky Department for Public Health Division of Epidemiology and Health Planning Frankfort, KY Doug Thoroughman, PhD Website |
Responsible for the control of communicable disease, disease surveillance and investigation, injury prevention and research, vital statistics and health data. | Provides research and surveillance data, internships, and practicum experiences for students. Provides lectures and seminars. Provides K-PHAST training and leads outbreak response activities involving student investigators. |
| Kentucky Farm Bureau Federation Todd Bright Website |
Insurance Company | Provides injury and health surveillance data to help prioritize research and outreach activities. Dr. Sanderson is a member of their Safety and Rural Health Advisory Committee. |
| Kentucky Injury Prevention Research Center University of Kentucky Terry Bunn, PhD Website |
A partnership between the Kentucky Department for Public Health and the University of Kentucky's College of Public Health that combines academic investigation with practical public health initiatives | Provides research and surveillance data, internships, and practicum experiences for students. Provides lectures and seminars. |
| Kentucky Occupational and Environmental Medical Association (KOEMA) Website |
KOEMA provides leadership to promote health and safety of workers by educating health professionals and the public; stimulating research; enhancing the quality of practice; guiding workplace and public policy; and advancing the field of occupational and environmental medicine. | Drs. Spengler and Prince are active member of KOEMA and while the OM residents are in training, they also serve as active members. The CARERC Outreach Core is actively involved in supporting KOEMA activities. |
| Kentucky Public Health Assistance and Support Team (K-PHAST) Frankfort, KY Sara Robeson, MSPH Training |
Training that incorporates concepts of Incident Command Structure (ICS), survey design, Epi Info software, HIPPA issues, interviewing skills, and basic applied epidemiology. | Allows students to participate in outbreak or emergency responses if a request is made by KDPH, so they can quickly provide support. |
| Mountain Air Project Nancy Schoenberg, PhD Project Page /td> |
Research project to reduce respiratory health disparities in Appalachian communities in Kentucky by drawing on long-standing community-academic partnerships. | Provides field research opportunities for CARERC students. Students are participating in data collection and analysis. |
| North American Stainless Ghent, KY Valarie Hines Website |
Stainless steel manufacturing plant | Provides student internships for steel production; host the Field Studies course each year allowing students to conduct hazard evaluations in plant. |
| OSHA Training Institute Education Center Eastern Kentucky University Tammy Cole, DrPH Website |
Serves the eight-state Region IV offering a variety of safety and health training. EKU draws upon the expertise of internationally-recognized safety and health professionals to develop and provide quality training. | Provides collaborative OSHA training with CARERC faculty and provides training and certification for students. Support CARERC Continuing Education activities. |
| RescuKats – Mining Engineering Student Mine Rescue Team Article |
The Mining Engineering Department at the University of Kentucky supports a student mine rescue team which trains and competes on mining rescue nationwide. | CARERC sponsors the UK RescuKats mine rescue team and is involved in their training and competitions. Dr. Sottile serves an advisor to this team and they provide training and outreach for CARERC students. |
| Shoulder to Shoulder Global University of Kentucky Tom Young, MD Website |
Brings variety of health disciplines together to provide health care and public health services to a community in Santo Domingo, Ecuador. | Provides an international experience for CARERC students to address environmental public health problems in Ecuador. |
| Southeast Center for Agricultural Health and Injury Prevention Wayne T. Sanderson, PhD, CIH Website |
Research, education, and health promotion to prevent injury and diseases among farm families in the southeastern region of the U.S. | Provides safety and health training and research opportunities for students. Partners with CARERC on agricultural health and safety outreach activities. |
| Sunshine ERC – University of South Florida, Tampa, FL Tom Bernard, PhD Website |
Promote graduate training and research related to occupational health and safety. | Partners on pilot research projects and co-hosts the southern regional occupational network conference and joint ERC research symposium. Supports activities derived from SouthON workshop. |
| Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky Georgetown, KY Ken Anderson Website |
Automobile manufacturing plant | Provides student internships and field research location for automobile manufacturing; host the Field Studies course each year allowing students to conduct hazard evaluations in plant. |
| University of Kentucky Agriculture Cooperative Extension Service Gary Palmer, PhD Website |
Agriculture research and education | Partners on field research and provides internships and practicum experiences for students. Provides lectures and seminars and serve on student research committees. |
| University of Kentucky Center for Appalachian Research Environmental Sciences Xianglin Shi, PhD Website |
Environmental health center to enhance research capacity focused on air and water quality. | Provides infrastructure and expertise to promote student career development and mentorship, and community-engaged interactions to facilitate research. Provides field and laboratory equipment and training. |
| University of Kentucky Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory Craig Carter, DVM, PhD Website |
Veterinary diagnostic service, research and teaching laboratory. Promotes human-animal bond through the principles of One Health. | Provides research and surveillance data, internships, and practicum experiences for students. Provides lectures and seminars and serve on student research committees. |
| Western Kentucky University Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Vijay Golla, PhD and Ritchie Taylor, PhD Master of Science in Environmental & Occupational Health Science |
Graduate program in occupational health; a NIOSH TPG | Partners on pilot research projects and co-hosts conferences and continuing education training. Supports our regional occupational network conference and joint ERC research symposium. Supports activities derived from SouthON workshop. |
The CARERC pilot studies program is particularly designed to foster the advancement of applied research throughout our five-state region. For more information, see our Research page.