IN MEMORIAM
an active member of the NEHA History Project Task Force in the last years of his life and lent his research and writing expertise to help record the living history of environmental health and NEHA. Dr. Koren was recognized as a Diplomate Laureate of the Ameri- can Academy of Sanitarians (AAS) in 2012—one of just 14 people to hold this recognition. He was also the recipient of the Davis Calvin Wagner Sanitarian Award from AAS in 2018. In October 2021, NEHA Executive Director Dr. David Dyjack had the honor of visiting Dr. Koren and his wife Donna to “soak in the lifetime of reflections from an individual who made count- less contributions to environmental health.” As he explained in his January/February 2022 Journal column, “Dr. Koren and Donna are the case definition of golden: in age (octogenarians), in character, and in their shared commitment to improving the world around them. Dr. Koren’s passion for environmental health is contagious. He regaled me with the story of his life and profes- sional challenges, his work with communities, and his strategies for success. He possesses the wisdom of an elder and the curios- ity of a child.” The following is an excerpt about Dr. Koren from the 2005 Mangold Award brochure: Koren began his career as a rural field sanitarian with the Penn- sylvania Department of Public Health in 1955, and in 1963—at the age of 26—he became the youngest supervisor in the history of the Philadelphia Health Department. Under his leadership at the department, much-needed community rodent control and immu- nization programs were developed. Koren then designed sanitation and infection control programs as chief of environmental health and safety at Philadelphia General Hospital. In 1967, Koren started the environmental health program at Indi- ana State University (ISU) and was appointed as assistant professor of health and safety and coordinator of the environmental health internship program. In his position as professor, he advised students and graduates, formed a student environmental health association, brought high school students into environmental health classes for 10-week periods, assisted numerous universities in establishing environmental health programs, and traveled to several di£erent states to promote ISU’s environmental health and internship pro- grams. As a result of Koren’s e£orts at ISU, the university became one of the first accredited schools of environmental health.
One of his most notable achievements was the creation of a new environmental health internship program at ISU in 1969. Through a U.S. Public Health Service grant, Koren was able to secure paid internships at county health departments and federal agencies for his environmental health students. To his credit, over 1,150 internships in 28 states and 70 di£erent programs were provided. In 1995, Koren retired from ISU, but not from the field of environ- mental health. In the words of Jerrold M. Michael, ScD, DrPH, DEE, RS (retired), Assistant Surgeon General, U.S. Public Health Service, and adjunct professor of global health at George Washington University, “The most lasting of all of his accomplishments is his devotion to the academic community and the education of environmental and occupational health professionals who cur- rently populate many programs serving our country and the global community. Koren has spent a lifetime dedicated to envi- ronmental health practice, research, teaching, and public service. As Koren himself says, ‘I still hope to help young people become the best that they are capable of being. Teaching to me is essen- tial to my life. I’m trying to return to others what my mentors and professors gave to me. They allowed me to try to help other people to live a better life through the creation of a healthier and safer environment.’” We extend our condolences to the family, friends, and colleagues of Dr. Koren. He influenced generations of professionals within our field and left an indelible mark on environmental health. His death has left a void in our profession and the world, but his spirit and passion will live on in all the people that he touched through his teachings, books, mentorship, friendship, and leadership. He will be greatly missed. Editor’s Note: If you would like to share information about the passing of an environmental health professional to be mentioned in a future In Memoriam, please contact Kristen Ruby-Cisneros at kruby@neha.org. The Journal will publish the In Memoriam section twice a year in the June and December issues, or in other issues as determined appropriate.
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September 2024 • Journal of Environmental Health
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