Eileen Storey 2021 Alice Hamilton Awardee OHS Section APHA October 27

2021 Alice Hamilton Awardee: Eileen Storey, MD, MPH
Occupational Health and Safety Section of the American Public Health Association, October 27, 2021
Dr. Eileen Storey’s passion for occupational health was unwavering. An occupational medicine physician, she improved the health, treatment and care of workers for many decades. She dedicated her life to advancing the knowledge of the relationship between indoor environmental factors and adverse health effects, especially respiratory health outcomes. She also inspired many at the University of Connecticut Health Center (UCHC) to support and advocate for worker rights, safety protections and well-being, especially via the APHA OHS section. Because of her leadership, her team was encouraged to share their scientific findings and recommendations with many labor organizations, public health departments, and professional associations so that their data reached many audiences who serve working people.
Dr. Storey was an excellent communicator, and she taught others to actively listen to workers and show respect for their self-knowledge. As Director of the Center for Indoor Environments and Health at UCHC from 2000-2008, she provided clinical expertise, tracked and evaluated workers’ health symptoms, assessed buildings for causes of poor indoor air quality, and recommended engineering and technical resources to reduce worker risk of health symptoms and illnesses. Most notably, Eileen increased the understanding of the prevalence and severity of asthma and other environmentally related illnesses among office workers, teachers, union leaders, public health practitioners, and school children. Dr. Storey also served as Chief of the Respiratory Health Division at NIOSH from 2008-2017 devoting her to time to designing smarter surveillance systems for occupational health and safety to improve clinical care, empower patients, and reduce costs. She embodied the same spirit and dedication to occupational health as Alice Hamilton.
The APHA OHS Section extends our deepest sympathies to the loved ones of Dr. Eileen Storey, who passed away on September 26, 2021. Her contributions to worker safety and health will not be forgotten.
Alice Hamilton Award
Alice Hamilton (1869-1970) was considered the founder of occupational health in the U.S.
and was a tireless activist and physician who dedicated her life to improving the health and safety of workers. She was committed to science, service and compassion. This award
recognizes the life-long contributions of individuals who have distinguished themselves through a career of hard work and dedication to improve the lives of workers.