LOOKING TOWARD the FUTURE of CROET

After more than 2 decades of service as the founding Director of the Center for Research on Occupational and Environmental Toxicology (CROET), Dr. Peter Spencer has accepted a new position as the Director of the Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) Global Health Center, effective October, 2009.  OHSU has made a commitment to initiate a national search for a new Director of CROET in early 2010. During this time, I have agreed to assume the role of Interim Director with the primary objective being to maximize CROET’s effectiveness in recruiting the best possible individual into the Director’s position, an individual whose research program is directly germane to CROET’s mission.

This time of transition will be characterized by a revitalized and expanded commitment to both OHSU and all Oregonians. Prior to this transition, I led CROET’s Strategic Planning committee which proposed an evolution to an increased emphasis of CROET‘s research on intervention and intervention effectiveness.  We have begun to increase CROET’s visibility in our local community and across the state through actively seeking partnerships with other organizations whose mandates and missions are to serve all workers within the State. This will be the theme of CROET as we recruit a new Director and plan the hiring of new faculty to implement our strategic plan.

I am privileged that Dr. Kent Anger will continue to serve as the Associate Director of CROET and as such, he will continue to lead an expansion of CROET’s outreach program which, together with CROETs applied and intervention research faculty, will continue to find ways to increase our impact at the Oregon Worksite.

I appreciate the opportunity to lead CROET during this transition period.  Having served as the Director of two Centers in Environmental Health and Medicine at the University of Texas Medical Branch prior to coming to OHSU and having served as the Chair of both the CROET Strategic Planning Committee and Budget Committee, I have an appreciation of the task and potential ahead.

I want to extend CROET’s and OHSU’s appreciation to Dr. Spencer.  As OHSU moves toward greater commitments to address the challenges facing global health issues, OHSU President, Dr. Joe Robertson selected Dr. Spencer to lead the university’s efforts in this area based on Dr. Spencer’s ongoing interest and expertise in this arena.  All of us who have the privilege of working in CROET are very grateful for Dr. Spencer’s leadership during these early years.  He played an integral role in laying the founding principles from which CROET has grown, and his vision and implementation of research, outreach and education.  Dr. Spencer will maintain his association with CROET while he takes on this new leadership role in building OHSU’s global health initiatives.

As we begin this new chapter for CROET, I look forward to renewing and deepening our commitments and contributions to worker health and safety with the help and support of the CROET faculty and staff.

R. Stephen Lloyd, PhD