OHRCA’s research agenda requires expertise in toxicology, industrial hygiene, occupational medicine, epidemiology, and occupational health field studies. Central to its success is the ability to enlist the flight attendant and pilot work forces in the collection of air sampling and health effects data. The consortia provide expertise in these fields and a demonstrated history of field research and data collection.

Occupational Health Research Consortium in Aviation [OHRCA]
1. University of Oregon | Labor Education Research Center
Steven Hecker, MSPH, Associate Professor, Principal Investigator
Laurel Kincl, PhD, Program Manager
The UO Labor Education and Research Center is a an occupational health and safety research and training program with extensive experience in industrial hygiene, ergonomics, worker training, and participatory field research studies.

2. University of California | San Francisco
Robert Harrison, MD, MPH, Medical Director, UCSF Occupational Health Services
John Balmes, MD, MPH, UCSF Professor of Medicine;
Chief, Division of Occupational & Environmental Medicine, San Francisco General Hospital
UCSF is a leading center of occupational medicine research and practice, and Dr. Robert Harrison and his clinic have examined many of the airline crewmembers who have reported symptoms from air quality incidents. Dr. Balmes’ research is occupational and environmental lung disease, especially regarding the health effects of air pollution.

3. University of British Columbia
Christian van Netten, PhD, Professor, Health Care and Epidemiology, Occupational Hygiene
The University of British Columbia brings toxicology and industrial hygiene expertise, and will lead the air sampling instrument development and provide the laboratory services for analysis of air samples. Professor van Netten is the leading authority in North America on bleed-air contamination of airline cabins, and has published extensively on the pyrolysis products of hydraulic and engine oils. He was a member of the National Academy of Sciences Committee on Air Quality in Passenger Cabins of Commercial Aircraft.

4. Association of Flight Attendants | CWA, AFL-CIO
Judith Murawski, MSc., CIH, Industrial Hygienist
Christopher Witkowski, JD, Director of Air Safety, Health, and Security
John Cornelius, Vice President, AFA Alaska Airlines Master Executive Council
The AFA is the largest flight attendant union in the world, representing approximately 46,000 flight attendants at 26 airlines. Its members work at airlines that fly a broad spectrum of aircraft types on both domestic and international trips. AFA is known for its leadership role among flight attendant unions on the issues of aircraft air quality and incident reporting. AFA has long demonstrated a commitment to collaborative research with scientists that work independently of industry funding.