William Steiger Memorial Award

The William Steiger Memorial Award honors individuals from the social/political sphere whose efforts have contributed to advancements in occupational safety and health. Rosemary Sokas, M.D., M.Sc., M.Occ.H. is this year's Steiger Award recipient for making such contributions.

Dr. Sokas rejoined the Occupational Safety and Health Administration in November, 2008, as Director of the Office of Occupational Medicine in the Directorate of Technical Support and Emergency Management, a position she previously held from 1997-1999. She previously served as Lead Medical Officer and as the Associate Director for Science at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.

Dr. Sokas received her M.D. from Boston University School of Medicine, her M.Sc. and M.Occ.H. from the Harvard School of Public Health, and is board certified in occupational medicine and in internal medicine. Dr. Sokas currently holds a research professorship at the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health (UIC). She has held a tenured professorship, directed the Division of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, and founded and directed the Illinois Public Health Research Fellowship Program at UIC. Prior to her tenure at UIC, she held faculty appointments at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences. Dr. Sokas has delivered clinical care in migrant and community health centers and in the VA. Her research publications evaluate the impact of occupational exposures on common health outcomes, training intervention effectiveness in health care and in construction, and novel approaches to addressing the needs of immigrant, high-risk, contingent and low-income workers.

ACGIH^® is pleased to honor Dr. Sokas as the recipient of this year's William Steiger Memorial Award. The Steiger Award will be presented at the Opening Session of AIHce on Monday, June 1, 2009 in the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.

Previous Award Recipients

1979 — Congressman David R. Obey
1982 — George Taylor (AFL–CIO)
1983 — Edgar L. McGowan, Commissioner of Labor, South Carolina
1984 — Gershon W. Fishbein, Editor, Occupational Health and Safety Letter
1985 — Congressman Joseph M. Gaydos of Pennsylvania
1986 — William G. Philips
1987 — Sheldon Samuels, Director, Health, Safety and Environment, Industrial Union Department, AFL–CIO
1988 — Senator Robert C. Byrd of West Virginia
1989 — Richard F. Boggs, Vice President of Organization Resources Counselors, Inc.
1990 — Joseph A. Kinney, Executive Director of The National Safe Workplace Institute
1991 — David P. Rall, M.D., Ph.D., Director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (1971–1990) and Director of the National Toxicology Program (1978–1990)
1992 — Molly J. Coye, M.D., Director of the Department of Health Services of the State of California
1993 — J. Donald Millar, M.D., D.T.P.H. (Lond.), the Assistant Surgeon General and Director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
1994 — Eula Bingham, Ph.D., Professor of Environmental Health; past Director of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration
1995 — Margaret Seminario, Director of Occupational Safety and Health for the AFL–CIO
1996 — James Merchant, M.D. of the University of Iowa, College of Medicine and Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa
1997 — J. Davitt McAteer, Assistant Secretary for the U.S. Labor Department s Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) and Andrea M. Hricko, Deputy Assistant Secretary for MSHA
1998 — Linda Rae Murray, M.D., MPH, Winfield Moody Health Center
1999 — Gerald F. Scannell, Director, National Safety Council; previously Director of the Office of Standards in the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA
2000 — Phil Landrigan, MD, Mount Sinai Medical Center
2001 — James Melius, M.D., Dr.P.H.
2002 — Congressman George Miller (D-CA) and Congressman Major R. Owens (D-NY)
2003 — Brian Davies, CIH
2004 — John Howard, MD, MPH, JD, LLM
2005 — Ernest Mastromatteo, C.D., M.D., D.P.H., D.I.H., F.A.B.P.M. (Occ Med), C.C.B.O.M., M.F.O.M. (London)
2006 — Charles E. Adkins, CIH
2007 — Earl Dotter, Photojournalist
2008 — John L. Henshaw, CIH, MPH

2009 Awardee

Previous Award Recipients