NIOSH loses leader despite wide support
Business, labor, OH praised John Howard
The future direction of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is once again in question as Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director Julie Gerberding, MD, MPH, declined to reappoint John Howard, MD, as director.
Howard enjoyed widespread support from business, labor, occupational health and safety professionals, who blitzed Secretary of Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt with letters in favor of his reappointment. Even New York Gov. David Paterson wrote a letter on Howard's behalf; Howard was credited for his leadership in overseeing the health monitoring of workers involved in the 9/11 rescue efforts.
Gerberding did not explain why she decided not to reappoint Howard. In a statement, CDC noted that Howard "was very attentive in addressing the concerns and needs of NIOSH stakeholders and he has worked diligently on many challenging issues." For a short-term period, he will work as senior adviser to the CDC director to assure that World Trade Center activities are effectively managed during the transition," the statement said.
"This whole thing is baffling to me. I just can't believe you can have a director who is supported by nearly everyone outside the administration and they would turn around and not reappoint him," says Aaron Trippler, director of governmental affairs for the American Industrial Hygiene Association in Fairfax, VA.
NIOSH stakeholders are passionate in their support for the agency, which was created by Congress in 1970 to function as a research counterpart to the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
In 2004, NIOSH boosters protested a CDC reorganization that would have placed NIOSH a rank lower in the CDC hierarchy, as part of a "Coordinating Center for Environmental Health, Injury Prevention, and Occupational Health." Congress approved language in the 2004 appropriations bill that said NIOSH should remain a separate line item. As a result, while some administrative positions were realigned, NIOSH maintained its distinct position.
In July, Gerberding's decision not to reappoint Howard also provoked concern about NIOSH's leadership. Marc Freedman, director of labor law policy at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, calls it "an astounding decision," given Howard's widespread support.
"He was, in the end, someone who believed in accountability. That type of value is something a lot of people believe in," Freedman says. "He was willing to stand up and say, 'This is what we've done and this is why we did it.' His focus was on making the research programs more transparent so that people could see what they were doing and how they were being spent."
However, Howard's strong stance on screening and monitoring of 9/11 rescue workers may not have been welcomed by the Bush administration. Trippler noted the president's proposed FY 2009 federal budget cut funding for that program by $83 million. (In a statement to Congress, Howard said NIOSH would use other unspent funds to continue the program.)
"NIOSH was taking a $100 million hit in the [proposed] budget," he says. "I'm hopeful that regardless of who wins the White House, they will restore those funds and maybe even add more funds."
CDC announced that Christine Branche, PhD, NIOSH associate director, will take the helm of NIOSH until a replacement for Howard is named. The NIOSH director serves a six-year term and is not considered a political appointee. If a new director is named before the next administration takes office, the director would continue to serve out that term. Howard's term expired in July.
Without a permanent director, in the short-term, NIOSH may be weakened, says Freedman. "I think it will just create disruption and a lack of continuity," he says. "John had come in and created a new way of doing things. It will remain to be seen whether that approach continues."
The future direction of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is once again in question as Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director Julie Gerberding, MD, MPH, declined to reappoint John Howard, MD, as director.You have reached your article limit for the month. Subscribe now to access this article plus other member-only content.
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