June 6, 2018
10:00pm – 11:00pm
43-105 CHS
About the lecture: The organic food movement began in the 1800’s and has now grown to an 18 billion dollar industry. What is an organic food or cosmetic? Is consumption of organic foods related to improved health and are there improvements to the environment through organic farming practices. What role can environmental health science play in this expanding industry?
About the speaker: Before joining Southern California Edison (a Fortune 500 investor owned utility) in February of 2008 as the executive in charge of Corporate Environment, Health and Safety, Rick was the Assistant Vice Chancellor for Research – Administration, at UCLA where he managed the almost one billion dollar annual research portfolio for the institution. Prior to that position he was the Director of the UCLA Office of Environment, Health and Safety for 12 years. He has also been on the Epidemiology faculty in the School of Public Health since 1980 where he holds the title of Adjunct Professor. Rick has consulted for numerous biotechnology companies in a variety of disciplines ranging from infectious diseases to health and safety and served as a Science Advisor for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (USDA). He has also been a member of advisory groups such as the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases study group on sexually transmitted diseases and the U.C. Irvine Cancer Control and Prevention Board. Rick has also been involved with a number of successful business ventures. In the mid-1980s he established a diagnostic laboratory in Irvine, California, developed the business, and then sold it to Nichols Institute (an AMEX traded national laboratory). One of the divisions of the laboratory also produced diagnostic reagents and this portion of the business was sold to Clinical Standards Laboratories. In the early 1990s he and a partner established a manufacturing business for quality control microorganisms – Quality Technologies. Four years ago the business was sold to the Pelican Group (a venture capital firm). He has recently been appointed to serve on the National Organics Standard Board by the United States Secretary of Agriculture, Sony Perdue. In this capacity, he will advise the USDA and the Secretary on national organic policy issues.
For more information, contact Rebecca Greenberg at rgreenberg@ph.ucla.edu or at (310) 206-1619.