EOHSI

Biographical Info

Dr. Derek G. Shendell, D.Env (UCLA 2003), MPH (Yale University 1998), BA (Dartmouth College 1996) is an Associate Professor, Department of Environmental and Occupational Health & Justice, Rutgers School of Public Health (SPH). In addition, he is Principal Investigator/Director of NJ Safe Schools Program.

Education

• D.Env, UCLA Fielding School of Public Health / Institute of the Environment and Sustainability
• MPH, Yale University School of Medicine, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Division of Environmental Health Sciences (Environmental Epidemiology and Policy tracks)
• AB, Dartmouth College

Dr. Shendell’s CV

Research Areas

Dr. Shendell “bridges” science, education and policy in a multidisciplinary fashion to reduce and/or prevent environmental exposures and health effects. He focuses on community/schools-based research with local participation in planning and execution; educational training (in-person and online/hybrid) and materials, service and technical assistance; and, evidence-based policy recommendations.   Dr. Shendell also, as Director of the NJ Safe Schools Program (http://www.njsafeschools.org), leads injury surveillance for both adolescents/young adult workers on- and off-campus and student-athletes, cosmetology and Right to Know, science-to-policy, regular statewide e-communications, and training for teachers, supervisors and administrators as well as students in secondary career-technical-vocational education concerning safety and health, child labor laws and wage and hour laws.  Dr. Shendell also leads an Interagency Alliance for Young Worker Safety and Health in NJ.

Research Highlights

The NJ Safe Schools Program team, led by Dr. Shendell, has become a national leader—with access to their website-based materials reaching a worldwide  audience consistently over  the last  five  years—in the area of young worker  safety and  health, particularly concerning online injury surveillance and science-based cosmetology safety and health training with evaluation tools to assess immediate impacts on knowledge, awareness  and attitudes  of adolescents and young  adult workers and their  supervisors/teachers in public  secondary or high schools. His doctoral-level research and other projects during years at E.O. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and subsequent agency (e.g., State of California survey) and non-profit studies, provided the significant justification for the ongoing use and sustainability/availability of U.S. EPA IAQ Tools for Schools Program, multiple state and local laws and policies around environmental preferable purchasing, and improved mechanical ventilation with proper filtration in public, private and charter K-12 schools. Through UMDNJ/Rutgers and Yale Engineering he  published 1st peer-reviewed paper worldwide to use quantitative measures of estimated exposures to specific genera and species of fungi in house dust—collected from floors in main living areas with peer-reviewed method and of health outcomes, i.e., lung function (spirometry), among older adults with doctor-diagnosed asthma and/or chronic bronchitis (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease). This field and laboratory research improved asthma epidemiology and led to other groups in the U.S. and the E.U. to conduct similar analyses for children with asthma using banked dust samples and these advanced lab techniques (qPCR, then next-generation sequencing). His team””s development of and publication about the “Central California Outdoor Air Quality Flag Program,” with a science-based description and initial evaluation data, and conference presentations before it, led to expansion of this voluntary program, with formal EPA and American Lung Association endorsement, throughout not only State of California but also the entire U.S. Indeed, this program was adopted and remains sustainable through EPA and Sustainable Jersey for Schools certification program.

Selected Service to Profession

• Member/Appointee, NJ Child Labor Law Enforcement Advisory Board (2011-present)
• Member/Appointee, NJ Interagency Working Group Environmental Education (K-12) (2008-present)
• Member/Appointee, Children’s Health Protection Advisory Committee, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (2020-2023)
• Member/Appointee, Federal Board of Scientific Councilors, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (2017-2024)

Awards

• National Environmental Health Association, Presidential Citation, 7-10/2020
• President’s Award – NJ Environmental Health Association (2017) – The President’s Award has served to recognize outstanding public health professionals among both the Association membership and the general public.
• Rutgers Leadership Academy – Rutgers University (2017-2019 cohort) – The Rutgers Leadership Academy is a two-year program for mid-career faculty and staff who aspire to broadened leadership roles within their units.
• Centennial Honor Roll – Yale University School of Public Health (YSPH) (2015) – Centennial Honor Roll for Excellence and Service was established to honor 100 alumni and/or faculty who made outstanding contributions to public health and/or the Yale School of Public Health during the school’s first 100 years.
• Excellence in Teaching and Mentorship Award – Rutgers School of Public Health (SPH) Student Government Association (2015) – The Excellence in Teaching and Mentoring Award recognizes graduate faculty who have made significant contributions at Rutgers University.
• Faculty Member – Delta Omega Honor Society in Public Health, Rutgers SPH (2010) – Delta Omega is intended to not only recognize merit, but also to encourage and further excellence in and devotion to public health work.
• Excellence in Teaching and Mentorship Award – UMDNJ SPH (2009) – The Excellence in Teaching and Mentoring Award recognizes graduate faculty who have made significant contributions to graduate education at Rutgers University.

Recent Publications

Click here to view all publications by Dr. Shendell.

1. Aggarwal, J, Shendell, DG, Nguyen, KT, Rehman, M, Campbell, ML. Newer New Jersey work-based learning teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic: school safety regarding ventilation, trainings, and awareness of government agencies resources. Int J Environ Health Res. 2024; :1-10. doi: 10.1080/09603123.2024.2378097. PubMed PMID:39003756
2. Aggarwal, J, Campbell, ML, Rehman, M, Nguyen, KT, Shendell, DG. Perspectives and Attitudes of Newer New Jersey High School Teachers towards Cleaning, Sanitizing, and Disinfecting Consumer Products Used in School Classrooms. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2024;21 (2):. doi: 10.3390/ijerph21020211. PubMed PMID:38397700 PubMed Central PMC10887922
3. Aggarwal, J, Nguyen, KT, Campbell, ML, Shiau, S, Shendell, DG. Factors Associated with COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy and Case Status among New Jersey Secondary Educational Professionals. Vaccines (Basel). 2023;11 (11):. doi: 10.3390/vaccines11111667. PubMed PMID:38005999 PubMed Central PMC10674534
4. Rattanawitoon, T, Siriwong, W, Shendell, D, Fiedler, N, Robson, MG. An Evaluation of a Pesticide Training Program to Reduce Pesticide Exposure and Enhance Safety among Female Farmworkers in Nan, Thailand. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023;20 (17):. doi: 10.3390/ijerph20176635. PubMed PMID:37681775 PubMed Central PMC10487852
5. Nguyen, KT, Aggarwal, J, Campbell, ML, Shiau, S, Shendell, DG. COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy among New Jersey Teachers and Impacts of Vaccination Information Dissemination. Vaccines (Basel). 2023;11 (2):. doi: 10.3390/vaccines11020466. PubMed PMID:36851344 PubMed Central PMC9967281
6. Shendell, DG, Black, LF, Way, Y, Aggarwal, J, Campbell, MLF, Nguyen, KT. Knowledge, Attitudes, and Awareness of New Jersey Public High School Students about Concepts of Climate Change, including Environmental Justice. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023;20 (3):. doi: 10.3390/ijerph20031922. PubMed PMID:36767299 PubMed Central PMC9915891
7. Campbell, ML, Shendell, DG. Survey of New Jersey K-12 Professionals on Work-Based Learning During COVID-19: A Preliminary Study and Future Implications. J Sch Health. 2023;93 (2):123-127. doi: 10.1111/josh.13285. PubMed PMID:36370006 PubMed Central PMC9878248
8. Rehman, M, Gonzalez, LN, Shendell, DG. Introducing high school students to human rights to help promote environmental justice and health: An example from NJ and NYC. Explore (NY). 2022;18 (5):621-623. doi: 10.1016/j.explore.2022.06.017. PubMed PMID:35989237
9. Aggarwal, J, Gichura, MW, Campbell, MLF, Nguyen, KT, Shendell, DG. COVID-19 School vs. Community-Based Outbreak Trends among New Jersey K-12 Schools during the 2020-2021 School Year. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022;19 (15):. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19159285. PubMed PMID:35954643 PubMed Central PMC9367846
10. Black, L, Li, K, Shendell, DG. Expanding awareness of climate change, sustainability, and environmental health through an introductory short online course for high school students. Explore (NY). 2022;18 (3):381-383. doi: 10.1016/j.explore.2022.03.006. PubMed PMID:35379587