What is Scientific Consulting?

Transcription

1 What is Scientific Consulting? Matt Grespin Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health December, 2012 ChemRisk, LLC 101 Second St., Suite 700 San Francisco, CA

2 Personal Background B.S. Biology James Madison University (2005) M.S. Biology The College of William and Mary (2008) S.M. Environmental Health Harvard School of Public Health (2010) 2

3 Consulting Typically Involves Outside clients Often short deadlines Fast pace of work, daily schedule unpredictable Multi-tasking (juggling around 2-6 projects at any given moment) Frequent client interactions Wide variety of scientific topics Publishing data and conclusions Becoming rapidly proficient with complex scientific problems 3

4 Pros of Consulting Unlimited opportunities to learn and grow intellectually A career based on merit Skill sets learned are transferable and valuable Flexible pathways for career evolution and growth Challenging setting with diverse colleagues from many scientific disciplines 4

5 Cons of Consulting A career based on merit At times, frequent travel At times, long hours Often bring your work home with you No resting on laurels - - even senior leadership need to perform Societal view of consultants not always positive Juggling multiple tasks and goals often difficult to manage 5

6 Characteristics of an Exceptional Consultant Able to produce high quality work product Timely work completion Team player Works independently Thinks independently Self-starter Proficient writer and speaker Problem solver Acknowledged expert Always learning Shares successes Responsible attitude Thinks ahead Able to manage projects Able to manage people Good mentor Personable 6

7 ChemRisk 7

8 Our History ChemRisk founded in 1985 to provide a comprehensive range of human health and consumer product risk assessment services A wealth of experience delivering scientific and legal strategies to solve a broad range of challenging problems Our scientists have a successful track record of providing expert advice and opinions on many of the most prominent health and safety issues in the United States ChemRisk scientists have published nearly 400 peer-reviewed papers and 50 book chapters 8

9 2012 (80 Employees) ChemRisk San Francisco Orange County Boulder Pittsburgh Chicago New York 9

10 Our Team Toxicologists Environmental Health Scientists Epidemiologists Industrial Hygienists Modeling/Engineers/Mathematicians Physician Products Sustainability Experts 10

11 Our Vision Provide clients a very high end consulting service with the goal of finding creative and scientifically solid solutions to environmental and occupational health challenges Provide all of our employees a challenging and unique opportunity to build their careers at a pace and in a manner that they desire, without impediment by any person or corporate structure 11

12 Practice Areas Human Health and Environmental Risk Assessment Industrial Hygiene Toxicology Environmental & Mathematical Modeling Exposure Assessment Dose Reconstruction Consumer Products Medical Device/Pharmaceuticals Biological Monitoring Epidemiology 12

13 Short Term Outlook ( ) Tier I Nanotechnology Occupational health Dioxins/chlorinated compounds Asbestos Benzene Food flavorings Products sustainability Green chemistry Prop.65/REACH Tier II Lead Mercury Exotic metals (Be) Contaminated groundwater Contaminated sediments Medical monitoring Medical devices 13

14 What is Scientific Consulting at ChemRisk? Selected ChemRisk Projects 14

15 Tire Industry Project Group (TIPG) ChemRisk working with the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) and 11 tire companies to understand human health and environmental impact of tire manufacture and use 15

16 Phase I State of knowledge regarding human and ecological health risk associated with tire materials and tire wear particles (TWP) completed 2007 Summary found on WBCSD website ( Data gaps/needs identified; research plan prepared for TWP Physical/Chemical properties Measurement in the environment Toxicity 16

17 Phase II Collection of TWP for research studies Roadway simulator On-road collection Physical and chemical characterization of TWP Environmental leaching Acute aquatic toxicity Evaluation of airborne fraction Bioaccessibility of chemicals in TWP from inhalation 17

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19 Catalyst Exposure at Refinery Catalyst allegedly caused respiratory disease in workers who loaded and unloaded catalyst from reactors 1960s to 1990s 19

20 Areas of Investigation State of the science What does the science (epi/tox) say? H&S Program How does this compare to regulatory requirements & non-regulatory guidelines? IH records What were the exposures? Medical review Do the symptoms support the diagnosis? 20

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22 Los Alamos National Laboratory, New Mexico LANL started in 1943 as part of the Manhattan Project to create the first atomic weapons Followed by R&D programs in numerous fields Radionuclides and other toxic chemicals were released in significant quantities that are not well-known Contracted by CDC To identify and prioritize releases in terms of their relative importance from the standpoint of off-site health effects 22

23 Los Alamos National Laboratory, More than 10 years Reviewed more than a million documents Many were at one time classified Emissions quantified Modeling was conducted Estimate concentrations in the community Interesting components High-security clearance Design under the direction of an oversight panel All phases of the study were communicated to the community New Mexico 23

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25 Asbestos Exposure Nearly 3000 different historical products contained asbestos Exposure to asbestos in sufficient quantities can cause asbestosis, lung cancer, and mesothelioma 25

26 Research Studies Exposure simulation studies of mastics, bakelite, brakes/clutches, gaskets/packing State-of-the-science assessment of the hazards of asbestos Exposure assessment of maritime operations Threshold analysis of lung cancer and mesothelioma Exposure assessment of craftsmen 26

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28 A Typical Day Communicate with clients and internal staff Work on reports, presentations, or other deliverables Meetings with team members and project managers Administrative tasks Data analysis Mentoring Professional development 28

29 Concluding Thoughts How to Prepare for a Consulting Career Consider classes Risk/exposure assessment Epidemiology Environmental toxicology Industrial hygiene, etc. Get research experience Accept public speaking opportunities Publish whenever possible Invest in yourself and your career 29

30 ChemRisk Pioneering innovative human health and ecological risk assessment methods 30