About the talk
Human health risk assessments preferentially are based on direct human evidence. Results from epidemiological studies provide information that is obviously and directly relevant to humans, and avoid uncertainty due to extrapolation from laboratory or experimental data. Unfortunately epidemiological evidence is often unavailable for specific agents of interest. However, when epidemiological studies do present quantitative results indicating an association between exposures and disease risk, are they necessarily fit for use in risk assessments? This talk will explore the tension between the need for risk information that is directly relevant to humans and the greater causal clarity of experimentally derived evidence.

Lunch will be available at 11:30am in room 105.

About Kenneth Mundt
More than 25 years of training and experience in the application of epidemiological concepts and methods to a wide range of occupational and environmental health challenges, with particular expertise in the application of epidemiological concepts and methods; occupational and environmental exposure to chemicals; cancer, reproductive, cardiovascular, musculoskeletal injury and other health outcomes; quality-based critical reviews (QBCR) of epidemiological literature; expert testimony; epidemiological instruction and training.

Experience Highlights Conducted epidemiological studies of chemical hazards, critical reviews of the human health literature, and consulted on epidemiologic issues related to polymers, solvents, metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, ionizing radiation, dusts, occupational and community health investigations, disease cluster evaluations, injury and disability research, and epidemiological concepts and methods. Conducted multiple large epidemiological studies of military and civilian populations, including a study of 10,000 disabling knee injuries in the United States Army, a study of disability and vaccination against anthrax, a record-linkage study of the utilization of Veterans Administration hospitals and services among soldiers discharged from the Army, and a mortality study of civilian employees of a large Air Force base. Developed and implemented health and exposure surveillance systems, including biomonitoring and integrated evaluation. Provided scientific litigation support, including research, consultation, and testimony. Investigated frequent international business travel and its potential health effects on employees and their spouses, including impact on health insurance claims. Serves as Adjunct Professor in the Department of Epidemiology at the School of Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He also holds adjunct appointments in the Department of International Health at the School of Nursing and Health Studies, Georgetown University and the Department of Epidemiology at the School of Public Health and Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Served for ten years on the faculty of the Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology at the University of Massachusetts, where he directed the Occupational Epidemiology Unit. Serves as editor for two scientific journals. Prior to joining ENVIRON, served as President and Founder of Applied Epidemiology, Inc. Education PhD, Epidemiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill MS, Epidemiology, University of Massachusetts at Amherst MA, English, University of Virginia at Charlottesville AB, English, Dartmouth College.