Associate Professor of Occupational & Environmental Health Sciences

Dr. McGlothlin is the Director of the Graduate Program in Occupational and Environmental Health Sciences. Dr. McGlothlin specializes in ergonomics, exposure assessment, occupational hygiene, engineering controls and epidemiology. His research interests include but are not limited to: 1) integration of ergonomic, epidemiologic and occupational hygiene principles and tools to evaluate and control physical, chemical, radiological and biological hazards in the environment, 2) development and administration of ergonomic programs to prevent musculoskeletal injuries, promote health, and improve productivity and quality in the workplace, 3) improvement of healthcare delivery through the integration of engineering, management and scientific principles, and 4) understanding tipping points in the development and implementation of national and international public health laws and policies. Dr. McGlothlin’s research activities are to plan, design, conduct and report on engineering control technology projects to decrease injuries and promote health in the occupational environment. Recent specific research activities include: methods development and field studies for systematic evaluation of worker exposure to musculoskeletal hazards and airborne chemical exposures as a function work practices and engineering controls, development of patient-centered design for current and future state hospital systems using virtual reality technology, developing of rapid detection systems to detect and identify airborne infectious agents, including avian flu; quantifying finger tip radiation exposure among nuclear pharmacists, reducing worker exposure to high potency drugs during manufacturing, and improving patient care by controlling noise in hospital settings. Prior to his appointment at Purdue in 1999, he was a senior researcher in ergonomics with the CDC/NIOSH.  The author of more than 140 scientific, technical, and government reports, Dr. McGlothlin has three patents: #6,094,780 on an ergonomically designed handle, #7,126,121 for a Real-Time Video Radiation Exposure Monitoring System, and #7,205,891 for a Real-Time Wireless Video Exposure Monitoring System. He is certified as a professional ergonomist (CPE).

His primary focus is on current international collaborations with: 1) the Minister of Health, in Cappadocia, Turkey for aronite fibers that cause mesothelioma among its citizens, and 2) for wood dust exposure and asthma among workers in the logging industry in New Zealand.  Specifically he will be using VEM technology that he pioneered, including two patents, to evaluate occupational exposure to inhalable fibers in the wood working industry with colleagues in New Zealand (Associate Professor Jeroen Douwes, and Bradley Prezant, in the School of Public Health, Massey University).  

Representative Publications:

1. McGlothlin, J.D.,  Hubbard,  B.J., Aghazadeh, F., &  Hubbard, S.M. (2009). Case Study:  Safety Training Issues for Hispanic Construction Workers.  Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene, Vol. 6 Issue 9 pp. D1-D6.
2. Rademaker, A, McGlothlin, J, Moenning J, Bagnoli M, Carlson, G, Griffin C; (Accepted for publication in the February 2009 issue of the JADA) Evaluation of two nitrous oxide sc avenging systems using infrared thermography and real-time air analysis to visualize and control fugitive emissions. Journal of the American Dental Association.
3. Bidassie,B , McGlothlin, J, Goh, A, Feyen, R, Barany, J; (Accepted for 2009 publication JAE) Limited Economic Evaluation to Assess the Effectiveness of a University-Wide Office Ergonomics Program, Journal of Applied Ergonomics.