Johns Hopkins APL's Anna Named AIHA Fellow

In formal recognition of his significant contributions to the industrial hygiene field, Dan Anna, of the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland, was recently named an American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) fellow.

Anna, assistant supervisor of APL’s Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) Group, recently received news of the prestigious appointment from AIHA Past President Kathy Murphy. Fellowship in AIHA is granted to no more than 5% of the association’s membership.

“I’ll never be able to pay back what AIHA has done for me,” Anna said. “But it felt great to be recognized by my peers and to hear they value my contributions to the association, and the health and safety profession.”

Anna’s involvement with AIHA is extensive. A member since 1992, Anna sat on the board of directors for 10 years. He led the association as president from 2015 to 2016 and received AIHA’s President’s Award in 2019. He also served as the editor for the third edition of the AIHA publication “The Occupational Environment: Its Evaluation, Control, and Management,” which covers a broad range of industrial hygiene topics and is an essential, internationally used core reference for occupational health and safety practitioners, educators and students. Anna is currently the editor for the fourth edition.

“I think it’s important for any professional, regardless of career path, to be part of their professional association,” Anna said. “And to remember there is a difference between just being a member and being involved.”

Such active participation equipped Anna with a trusted network of professionals and peers, whom he relied on in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. That network was especially helpful as Anna and Mike Ginther, the EHS group supervisor, led the implementation of APL’s health and safety protocols related to COVID-19. While the Laboratory navigated the pandemic and oft-changing regulations and recommendations, Anna and EHS collaborated with colleagues to share experiences and inform plans to keep APL’s workspaces and staff members safe.

In addition to his work at the Lab and involvement with AIHA, Anna was appointed to the National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA) Manufacturing Sector Council in 2017. NORA Sector Councils are administered through the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, which is a part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Anna also lends his expertise to the Manufacturing Sector Council’s COVID-19 Working Group, which formed in April 2020. As part of the group, Anna creates guides and informational material that will be referenced by companies across the country as employees return to the workplace.

Risk mitigation is critical to supporting APL’s research programs, and Anna’s experiences with AIHA have influenced his approach to evaluating programs and projects at APL. Those influences are most apparent when new ideas or requests are brought to his team: instead of deeming a project too hazardous to pursue, the department believes anything is possible.

“EHS recommends the right prevention measures so the Lab can engage in higher-risk work and provide valuable contributions to our sponsors,” Anna said.

Anna is valued for his expertise among staff members in EHS and across the Lab, and his colleagues find his designation as fellow fitting given his contributions to AIHA and the industrial hygiene field at large.

“Our EHS staff members, as well as others that work with Dan here, quickly learn how his vast EHS knowledge and dedication to the EHS field help ensure our staff members’ safety and well-being,” Ginther said. “This outstanding recognition Dan received is so well deserved.”