Director's Message
CROET, the Center for Research on Occupational and Environmental Toxicology is a research institute of Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) that seeks to address and solve health and safety problems in Oregon workplaces. By mandate of the State of Oregon, CROET was founded in 1988 and placed at OHSU to maximize the effectiveness of the institute’s programs in research, education, and outreach to working Oregonians and beyond. The great breadth and diverse nature of CROET’s programs are detailed throughout this website. Our sister web site at www.CROETweb.com provides a rich variety of occupational safety and health information for practitioners in the workplace as well as researchers and students.
CROET research scientists are putting science to work for working Oregonians. We aggressively leverage our dedicated base support from the Workers’ Benefit Fund to maximize federal and other research dollars that can be used to advance the CROET mission. The many individual research and education awards won by CROET’s world-class scientists, and our Annual Reports show how we leveraged every $1.00 from the State’s Workers’ Benefit Fund to bring an additional $2.40 of federal and private support to Oregon (averaged over recent years).
CROET’s research results in discovery, discoveries are spread through education, and education and training promote disease and injury prevention, and more effective methods to diagnose and treat illness at an early, curable stage. CROET researchers translate their research findings from bench to workplace in ways that benefit every Oregonian.
Also described on this website is CROET’s Chemical Risk Information Service, which provides employers and employees with access to information on the hazards of workplace chemicals. We back this up with CROET’s Toxicology Information Center that offers detailed assessments on workplace and other hazards that Oregonians face, and www.CROETweb.com that provides an organized directory of occupational safety and health resources.
To promote healthy and safe behaviors at work, two CROET faculty have licensed novel computer-based training programs to a newly created Oregon-based start-up company. Other faculty members have created a high- tech company that seeks to commercialize novel molecular biology methods for repair of skin damaged at work, and in the prevention of cancer. Funds generated from these new companies will help support further research, contribute to the advancement of Oregon’s portfolio of companies, and increase opportunities for leading-edge jobs.
The origin of CROET’s success is found in the diverse disciplines and methodological approaches that work in synergy in this unique Oregon research institute. While the strengths and influence of individual faculty members are evident from their grant successes, scholarly publications, invited contributions to the editorial boards of scientific journals, and their service on local, regional, and national committees, it is the special mix of talent and ambition that is indispensable to producing tangible results for working Oregonians. Key results include: molecular, cellular, tissue, human and population studies that advance understanding of common diseases affecting the workforce; communication of new health and safety knowledge throughout the state and beyond; prevention of avoidable injuries through effective training and assessment; and detailed analyses and reporting of occupational fatalities that hopefully will help prevent workplace deaths.
Thank you for your interest in CROET and I encourage you to explore our website, send us feedback, visit our public outreach are to search for information on occupational safety and health, meet members of our staff at Oregon OSHA conferences and other conferences around the state, or meet our research faculty at major scientific meetings around North America and beyond.
Peter S. Spencer, PhD, FRCPath
