2024 EPA Region 4 Radon Stakeholders Meeting

See you in Alabama in 2025!

--------------EPA Region 4 Radon Stakeholders' Meeting Resources 2024--------------

 

Attendees List - 4-12-2024

Agenda

Workshop Agenda

Quiz (only valid for those who attended in person)

Presentations

 

 
 

Presenter Bios (as provided)

Kennedy Holt
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As an Environmental Toxicologist for the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Mr. Holt is responsible for responding to chemical incidents, determining potential health impacts related to exposures to contaminants, and communicating those health risks to communities across the state. During his career with DHHS Mr. Holt has provided public health guidance to multiple communities impacted by environmental contamination which include those impacted by coal ash, PFAS, and radionuclides. During the responses to these events, Mr. Holt worked extensively to communicate the health risks, not only to local health departments and other stakeholders, but to have conversations and work directly with community members to address their concerns. Furthermore, Mr. Holt routinely works with private well owners to help them better understand how contaminants in their wells may impact well owners and their families, but also provide recommendations on mitigation and treatment techniques to address those concerns. To this end, Mr. Holt has led the efforts to develop North Carolina’s first publicly available electronic tool for providing public health guidance for private well water analyses via the “Be Well Informed” platform. 

Mike Nolan
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Dr. Mike Nolan is a Professor at NC State College of Veterinary Medicine. Through his clinical appointment in the Veterinary Hospital, he oversees the division of radiation oncology. He is also principal investigator for several clinical trials aimed at developing both novel cancer therapies and radiosensitizers. His laboratory research focuses on reducing risk of severe cancer treatment-associated toxicity, with a focus on peripheral neuropathy and pain.

 

Blaire Johnston
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Blaire Johnston serves as the City of Charlotte’s Title I ADA Specialist. In this role, she supports HR’s mission to help employees thrive in all stages of their career. Her passion and commitment to self-advocacy is powered by her experience as a person with a disability.  She obtained her Master of Education from Auburn University. In her downtime, Blaire enjoys spending time with her family, books and choosing sides in the NC BBQ debate.

 

Amy Lanou
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Dr. Amy Joy Lanou is the Director for the North Carolina Institute for Public Health and a Professor in the Public Health Leadership Program. She formerly served as Executive Director of the North Carolina Center for Health and Wellness and Professor in the Department of Health and Wellness at UNC Asheville. She also served as the UNC Asheville Lead for the UNC Asheville – UNC Gillings Master of Public Health Program with a concentration in place-based health. She has 5 years of public health practice experience and 30 years of experience in nutrition and health promotion in academic, non-profit, and small business settings, specializing in nutrition for prevention, management, and treatment of chronic conditions. She is the author of Building Bone Vitality and Healthy Eating for Life for Children as well as numerous research articles.

Her interests include social connectedness to address social isolation and loneliness, the impact of dissemination of evidence-based health promotion programs on healthy aging, engaged, inter- and cross-disciplinary teaching and learning practices, health policy and food politics and nutrition policy, and plant-based eating styles for health promotion and disease prevention.  

Jim Chapman
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Jim Chapman is a Senior Geologist with the North Carolina Geological Survey (NCGS). Jim received bachelor’s degree from NC State University and while living in the northwest he attended Central Washington University for graduate school, specializing in remote sensing techniques while conducting research on the Cascadia Subduction Zone. After working in the petroleum industry and at the Hanford superfund site, Jim worked for the West Virginia Geological and Economic Survey for 7 years before coming to the NCGS in January 2019. Jim works on a variety of projects for the NCGS ranging from critical minerals research to river morphology. Jim’s foray into the geological controls of naturally occurring radon is an extension of his interest in telling stories with maps.

Diane Swecker
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Diane is the Executive Director of the Indoor Environments Association (formerly AARST), brings a fresh perspective and a strong dedication to IEA's mission. With 25 years of experience in various leadership positions within technical organizations, Diane has a proven track record in expanding membership, overseeing certifications, advancing standards development, and fostering collaboration among diverse teams. 

 

 

Zhenchun Yang
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Zhenchun is a dedicated environmental health researcher currently serving as a postdoctoral associate at the University of Southern California, Keck School of Medicine. His research focuses on environmental exposure and epidemiology. During his postdoctoral training, he has contributed to numerous environmental health studies by enhancing environmental exposure assessments using advanced statistical methods, satellite data, and low-cost sensors. Additionally, Zhenchun has delved into uncovering relationships between novel environmental exposure metrics such as greenness, nocturnal light exposure, and wildfire-induced indoor PM2.5 concentrations with various health outcomes. With a solid foundation from Imperial College London, Zhenchun is unwavering in his dedication to formulating cutting-edge solutions to mitigate health risks posed by environmental factors. This dedication is further bolstered by his ongoing efforts to understand the health repercussions of environmental shifts amidst our rapidly changing climate.

Vickie Fowler
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Katrin Kral
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Katrin Kral is a senior environmental health leader within EPA’s Indoor Environments Program in the Office of Radiation and Indoor Air. She has over 20 years of experience advancing national environmental programs to improve air quality and public health at the US EPA.