ADVANCEMENT OF THE PRACTICE
DIRECT FROM AAS
The Path of the Environmental Health Professional: If You Can Dream It, We Can Build It!
CDR Jessica Otto
CAPT Jill Shugart
CDR Jennifer Dobson
fied. In recent years, key demographics such as gender and race have become more diverse among environmental health practitioners (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2021). There are also shifting eorts to sup- port inclusion and equity in the services we provide to not only our communities but also our members. Many programs are incorpo- rating the Seven Vital Conditions for Health and Well-Being into environmental health responses as a way to consider one’s environ- mental health practice and mindset (Com- munity Commons, n.d.). Since its inception in 1966, AAS (also called the Academy) has remained commit- ted to promoting and enhancing the profes- sion through certification, education, men- toring, and recognition of achievements. The Academy has had a wide and varied member- ship throughout its long and storied history, with the common purpose of defining and promoting the professional status of an envi- ronmental health professional, recommend- ing that laws be developed and promulgated requiring registration, and developing and promoting education and additional quali- fications. In short, it is an organization that guides the practice and ensures proficiency! If you are not yet familiar with the Academy, it represents a prestigious collection of pro- fessionals from across the country who repre- sent numerous disciplines. Many past NEHA presidents, for example, are Academy mem- bers (Zemel, 2015). If you ask Academy members what accom- plishments they are most proud of, there is a good chance you will see proud smiles and knowing glances as they share stories about their support of students and early career professionals. The Academy includes many of the leaders and thinkers within the envi-
Editor’s Note: In an eort to provide environmental health profes- sionals with relevant information and tools to further the profession, their careers, and themselves, the National Environmental Health Association (NEHA) has teamed up with the American Academy of Sanitarians (AAS) to publish two columns a year in the Journal . AAS is an organization that “elevates the standards, improves the practice, advances the professional proficiency, and promotes the highest levels of ethical conduct among professional sanitarians in every field of environmental health.” Membership with AAS is based on meeting certain high standards and criteria, and AAS members represent a prestigious list of environmental health professionals from across the country. Through the column, information from dierent AAS members who are subject-matter expects with knowledge and experience in a multitude of environmental health topics will be presented to the Journal’s readership. The conclusions and opinions of this column are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the views of NEHA. CDR Jessica Otto is a retail food specialist at the Food and Drug Administration. She became a diplomate of AAS in 2020. CAPT Jill Shugart is the associate director for emergency management for the National Center for Environmental Health and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. She became a diplomate of AAS in 2019. CDR Jennifer Dobson is a senior epidemiologist with the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium. She became a diplomate of AAS in 2019. All three authors serve on the AAS Board of Directors.
G reetings from three new board mem- bers of the American Academy of Sanitarians (AAS). Despite our dif- ferent career paths and stories, we share a strong desire to help grow the environmental health profession. While none of us are cur- rently stationed in Kansas, we would like to apply the yellow brick road metaphor to our quest for excellence within the environmen- tal health profession. Likewise, we want to
help YOU be the best environmental health professional you can be and to have the best tools, resources, and support along the way. Are you ready? No magic wand is required! Although it is too bad magic wands do not work on bacteria, viruses, or chemical spills! The profession of environmental health has always been diverse as a practice, so it is no surprise that over the past few decades, the community of professionals has also diversi-
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