Marin Science Seminar Presentation: "Emerging Issues in Public Health: Climate Change, e-Cigarettes and More" (October 7, 2015) Download the flyer here.

Public health is charged with protecting and improving the health of communities through education, promotion of healthy lifestyles, and research. Environmental health scientists, as public health practitioners, seek to prevent or control disease and injury related to interactions between people and their environment. Meet Julie Pettijohn from the California Department of Public Health and learn about the important field of public and environmental health. Ms. Pettijohn with talk about public health aspects of global climate change, including recent media attention on this complex issue affecting people and planet Earth, plus what we can do to help. She'll also discuss recent research on e-cigarettes, and why they aren't nearly as safe as they are marketed to be. She'll examine advertisements about e-cigarettes, and the work by teens for teens on anti-e-cigarette education. Finally, Ms. Pettijohn will discuss the recent cases of plague in California's Yosemite National Park, and why public health is 'on our side' in preventing plague from (hopefully) becoming a widespread public health problem in California.

Julie Pettijohn is a Research Scientist Supervisor and Certified Industrial Hygienist at the California Department of Public Health. She has worked as an environmental health scientist, designed and completed environmental site assessments for industrial and commercial properties, worked as a Lead Risk Inspector/ Assessor, and audited facilities for compliance with hazardous materials management & worker health and safety regulation. Ms. Pettijohn has also published in the fields of toxicology, risk assessment, and human health risk.

Ms. Pettijohn received her BA in Aquatic Biology from UC Santa Barbara and her Masters of Public Health from UC Berkeley

Previous presentation: Clean Air, Clean Water, Clean Work - How Public Health Research & Policy Improves Our Lives Get the flyer here. (October 16, 2013)

Many people are aware of policies for clean air and clean water but may not link these with the field of 'public health' research. Public Health has given us clean drinking water from the tap, food package labeling, tobacco control, vaccinations and much more. Meet Julie Pettijohn of the California Department of Public Health and learn about the important field of industrial hygiene. (Hint: It doesn't involve cleaning your teeth or cleaning factories!) Ms. Pettijohn will bring some sampling and personal protective equipment that she uses in her job. She will tell about the history of the field, discuss public health aspects of global climate change, and highlight emerging public health issues such as fracking and Ebola.