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What is Scientific Consulting?
ChemRisk, LLC 101 Second St., Suite 700 San Francisco, CA 94105 http://www.chemrisk.com
Matt Grespin Johns Hopkins Bloomberg
School of Public Health December, 2012
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Personal Background
• B.S. Biology – James Madison University (2005) • M.S. Biology – The College of William and Mary
(2008) • S.M. Environmental Health – Harvard School of
Public Health (2010)
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Consulting Typically Involves… • Outside clients • Often short deadlines • Fast pace of work, daily schedule
unpredictable • Multi-tasking (juggling around 2-6
projects at any given moment) • Frequent client interactions • Wide variety of scientific topics • Publishing data and conclusions • Becoming rapidly proficient with
complex scientific problems
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Pros of Consulting • Unlimited opportunities to learn and
grow intellectually • A career based on merit • Skill sets learned are transferable and
valuable • Flexible pathways for career evolution
and growth • Challenging setting with diverse
colleagues from many scientific disciplines
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Cons of Consulting
• A career based on merit • At times, frequent travel • At times, long hours • Often bring your work home with you • No resting on laurels - - even senior
leadership need to “perform” • Societal view of consultants not always
positive • Juggling multiple tasks and goals often
difficult to manage
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Characteristics of an Exceptional Consultant • Able to produce high
quality work product • Timely work completion • Team player • Works independently • Thinks independently • Self-starter • Proficient writer and
speaker • Problem solver
• Acknowledged expert • Always learning • Shares successes • Responsible attitude • Thinks ahead • Able to manage projects • Able to manage people • Good mentor • Personable
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Our History • ChemRisk® founded in 1985 to provide a
comprehensive range of human health and consumer product risk assessment services
• A wealth of experience delivering scientific and legal strategies to solve a broad range of challenging problems – Our scientists have a successful track record
of providing expert advice and opinions on many of the most prominent health and safety issues in the United States
– ChemRisk® scientists have published nearly 400 peer-reviewed papers and 50 book chapters
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Our Team
• Toxicologists • Environmental Health Scientists • Epidemiologists • Industrial Hygienists • Modeling/Engineers/Mathematicians • Physician • Products Sustainability Experts
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Our Vision
• Provide clients a very high end consulting service with the goal of finding creative and scientifically solid solutions to environmental and occupational health challenges
• Provide all of our employees a challenging and unique opportunity to build their careers at a pace and in a manner that they desire, without impediment by any person or corporate structure
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Practice Areas • Human Health and Environmental Risk Assessment • Industrial Hygiene • Toxicology • Environmental & Mathematical Modeling • Exposure Assessment
• Dose Reconstruction
• Consumer Products • Medical Device/Pharmaceuticals • Biological Monitoring • Epidemiology
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Short Term Outlook (2012-2017)
• Tier I – Nanotechnology – Occupational health – Dioxins/chlorinated
compounds – Asbestos – Benzene – Food flavorings – Products sustainability – Green chemistry – Prop.65/REACH
• Tier II – Lead – Mercury – Exotic metals (Be) – Contaminated groundwater – Contaminated sediments – Medical monitoring – Medical devices
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Tire Industry Project Group (TIPG)
• ChemRisk working with the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) and 11 tire companies to understand human health and environmental impact of tire manufacture and use
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Phase I • State of knowledge regarding human and ecological health
risk associated with tire materials and tire wear particles (TWP) – completed 2007
– Summary found on WBCSD website (http://www.wbcsd.org)
– Data gaps/needs identified; research plan prepared for TWP
• Physical/Chemical properties • Measurement in the environment • Toxicity
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Phase II • Collection of TWP for research studies
– Roadway simulator – On-road collection
• Physical and chemical characterization of TWP
• Environmental leaching
• Acute aquatic toxicity
• Evaluation of airborne fraction
• Bioaccessibility of chemicals in TWP from inhalation
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Catalyst Exposure at Refinery • Catalyst allegedly caused
respiratory disease in workers who loaded and unloaded catalyst from reactors
• 1960s to 1990s
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Areas of Investigation • State of the science
– What does the science (epi/tox) say?
• H&S Program
– How does this compare to regulatory requirements & non-regulatory guidelines?
• IH records
– What were the exposures?
• Medical review – Do the symptoms support
the diagnosis?
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Los Alamos National Laboratory, New Mexico
• LANL started in 1943 as part of the Manhattan Project to create the first atomic weapons
• Followed by R&D programs in numerous fields • Radionuclides and other toxic chemicals were released in
significant quantities that are not well-known • Contracted by CDC
– To identify and prioritize releases in terms of their relative importance from the standpoint of off-site health effects
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Los Alamos National Laboratory, New Mexico
• More than 10 years • Reviewed more than a
million documents – Many were at one time
classified • Emissions quantified • Modeling was conducted
– Estimate concentrations in the community
• Interesting components – High-security clearance – Design under the direction
of an oversight panel – All phases of the study
were communicated to the community
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Asbestos Exposure
• Nearly 3000 different historical products contained asbestos
• Exposure to asbestos in
sufficient quantities can cause asbestosis, lung cancer, and mesothelioma
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Research Studies
• Exposure simulation studies of mastics, bakelite, brakes/clutches, gaskets/packing
• State-of-the-science assessment of the hazards of asbestos
• Exposure assessment of maritime operations
• Threshold analysis of lung cancer and mesothelioma
• Exposure assessment of craftsmen
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A “Typical” Day
• Communicate with clients and internal staff
• Work on reports, presentations, or other deliverables
• Meetings with team members and project managers
• Administrative tasks • Data analysis • Mentoring • Professional development
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Concluding Thoughts…How to Prepare for a Consulting Career • Consider classes
– Risk/exposure assessment – Epidemiology – Environmental toxicology – Industrial hygiene, etc.
• Get research experience • Accept public speaking opportunities • Publish whenever possible • Invest in yourself and your career