NIOSH Office of Extramural Programs (OEP)

Mission Statement

The mission of the Office of Extramural Programs is to lead and support national occupational safety and health research and training programs reduce work-related injuries and illnesses through a diversified portfolio of high quality extramural research, education, and training in collaboration with global partners.

Organization and Staffing of OEP

To facilitate the management of the extramural grant and cooperative agreement portfolios, NIOSH has established the Office of Extramural Programs (OEP). The OEP is under the direction of the Associate Director for Research Integration and Extramural Performance, which reflects the Institute’s commitment to integrating research activities across NIOSH and to performance assessment of extramural research. OEP is located within the NIOSH Office of the Director. The OEP staff provides leadership to the review and program management activities as outlined below. To contact any of the OEP staff, please click on their name.

Office of Extramural Programs (404)-498-2530

Associate Director for Research Integration and Extramural Performance – Sarah A. Felknor, MS, DrPH
Director of OEP – W. Allen Robison, Ph.D.
Management & Program Analyst – Regina Emerson, MBA
Program Operations Assistant – Vacant

Program Analysis/Translation Coordination

Public Health Analyst – Stephanie Shack
Program Analyst – Antwana Phillips
Program Specialist – Vacant
Program Analyst – Peter Grandillo, MBA, CGMS, GMC

Research and Training Program Administration:

Program Team Lead – Steve Inserra, MPH, Captain USPHS
Associate Director for Science – Viji Potula, PhD
Scientific Program Official – Steve Dearwent, PhD, Captain USPHS
Scientific Program Official – Joan Karr, PhD
Scientific Program Official – Travis Kubale, PhD
Scientific Program Official – Maria Lioce, MD
Scientific Program Official – Elizabeth H. Maples, PhD
Scientific Program Official – Sharon Chiou, PhD

Scientific Review Administration:

Review Team Lead – Nina Turner, PhD
Scientific Review Official – Vacant
Scientific Review Official – Michael Goldcamp, PhD (Detail)
Scientific Review Official – Price Connor, PhD , CTR

Committee Management Specialist – Joanne Fairbanks
Program Specialist – LaTanya Jackson

In conjunction with OEP, the Procurement and Grants Office (PGO) of the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) performs the business administration for extramural awards.

Program Portfolio

The purpose of the NIOSH extramural program is to support research and training projects that are focused on the reduction of workplace risk for injury, illness, and death. NIOSH extramural research covers a wide range of program areas. To better coordinate the research activities in OEP, the Research & Training is organized into priority areas in occupational safety and health. These research priorities are derived from the National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA), a stakeholder driven research agenda designed to address the most pressing needs in workplace health and safety in the United States. Researchers are asked to identify the priority areas their projects address. Collectively, these research projects address a myriad of complex issues and further the state of art and knowledge related to the causes and conditions of occupational injury, illness, and mortality.

The NIOSH extramural portfolios are are organized into focused areas of interest. Contact information is provided for the Scientific Program Official responsible for each area. Additional information about these program areas may be found on the NIOSH Program Portfolio website.

View information on current NIOSH funding opportunities

Research Program Portfolio Areas	Extramural Program Official
Sector Portfolio
Agriculture, Forestry & Fishing	Steve Dearwent
Construction	Sharon Chiou
Healthcare & Social Assistance	Maria Lioce
Manufacturing	Joan Karr
Mining	Maria Lioce
Oil & Gas Extraction	Maria Lioce
Public Safety	Steve Inserra
Services	Joan Karr
Wholesale & Retail Trade	Maria Lioce
Transportation, Warehousing & Utilities	Steve Inserra
Cross-Sector Portfolio
Cancer, Reproductive, Cardiovascular Disease	Joan Karr
Hearing Loss Prevention	Viji Potula
Immune, Infectious and Dermal Disease Prevention	Maria Lioce
Musculoskeletal Health	Sharon Chiou
Respiratory Health	Steve Dearwent
Traumatic Injury Prevention	Sharon Chiou
Healthy Work Design and Well-Being	Maria Lioce
Core & Specialty Programs
Authoritative Recommendations	Allen Robison
Direct Reading & Sensor Technologies	Steve Dearwent
Emergency Preparedness & Response	Steve Inserra
Engineering Controls	Joan Karr
Exposure Assessment	Steve Dearwent
Health Hazard Evaluations	Joan Karr
Maritime Safety & Health Studies	Steve Dearwent
Motor Vehicle Safety	Joan Karr
Nanotechnology	Steve Dearwent
Occupational Health Equity	Joan Karr
Productive Aging and Work	Maria Lioce
Personal Protective Technologies	Sharon Chiou
Prevention through Design	Joan Karr
Safe • Skilled • Ready Workforce	Elizabeth Maples
Small Business Assistance	Steve Dearwent
Surveillance	Steve Inserra
Translation Research	Viji Potula
Worker’s Compensation Studies	Steve Inserra