FSPH's John Froines receives the 2013 Ramazzini Award

Dr. John Froines, Professor Emeritus of Environmental Health Sciences at the Fielding School of Public Health, has been awarded the prestigious 2013 Ramazzini Award for his outstanding efforts in occupational and environmental health research. The award is given annually by the Collegium Ramazzini, an independent, international academy based in Italy that is comprised of 180 renowned experts in the fields of occupational and environmental health.

Each year the Collegium selects one scientist whose efforts serve to safeguard human health. This award pays tribute to Froines’ pioneer work in the development of a federal standard for lead and cotton dust exposure, and for his major contribution in California that helped identify diesel exhaust as a significant air contaminant. 

The mission of the Collegium Ramazzini is to advance the study of occupational and environmental health issues. The award was conferred in Carpi, Italy, by the town’s mayor on Oct. 26 during Ramazzini Days, an annual event hosted by the academy where Ramazzini Fellows and guests participate in workshops on scientific topics and present new data from their respective institutions.

Upon bestowing the Ramazzini Award, Dr. Phil Landrigan, president of the Collegium, issued a proclamation, which said in part: "John Froines has translated his research to inform policy in both occupational and environmental health... His extraordinary accomplishments continue to this day… It is the great privilege of the Collegium Ramazzini to bestow this well-deserved award upon our friend, colleague and public health hero."

"I am honored to receive the award and will cherish it always," said Froines. "It proves the value of integrity in science and demonstrates that one is able to combine solid science with policy."

Most recently, Froines was the co-author of "Risk and Decision: Evaluating Pesticide Approval in California," a major report issued by the UCLA Sustainable Technology and Policy Program, where he serves as associate director. The report presented a case study regarding the approval of methyl iodide as a fumigant in the state; it is expected to have major implications for the conduct of risk assessment.

Froines also serves as associate director of the Southern California Environmental Health Center, and is the former director of the UCLA Center for Occupational and Environmental Health.