R. William Field is an academic scholar and Professor in the Department of Occupational and Environmental Health and Department of Epidemiology within the College of Public Health at the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized into 12 coll ...

. He received a BS and MS degree in Biology from

Millersville University of Pennsylvania Millersville University of Pennsylvania (commonly known as Millersville University, The Ville, or MU) is a public university in Millersville, Pennsylvania. It is one of the fourteen schools that comprise the Pennsylvania State System of Higher E ...

and a PhD in Preventive Medicine from the College of Medicine at the

in 1994. Field is currently an occupational and environmental epidemiologist as well as an internationally recognized expert on the measurement and health effects of radon gas. He started his research career in the aftermath of the

Three Mile Island accident The Three Mile Island accident was a partial meltdown of the Three Mile Island, Unit 2 (TMI-2) reactor in Pennsylvania, United States. It began at 4 a.m. on March 28, 1979. It is the most significant accident in U.S. commercial nuclea ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; (Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, Ma ...

in 1979. His study describing the occurrence of radioactive iodine in meadow voles (

Microtus pennsylvanicus The eastern meadow vole (''Microtus pennsylvanicus''), sometimes called the field mouse or meadow mouse, is a North American vole found in eastern Canada and the United States. Its range extends farther south along the Atlantic coast. The wes ...

) was the only peer-reviewed scientific study documenting radioactive contamination of the wild food chain in the vicinity of Three Mile Island. Subsequent studies examining the deposition of cesium-137 in the white-tailed deer indicated there was not widespread contamination of cesium in the vicinity of Three Mile Island following the Three Mile Island accident. The Iowa Radon Lung Cancer Study, which was overseen by Field, is widely considered the most comprehensive residential radon study ever performed. The study found a 50% increased lung cancer risk at the EPA's radon action level of 4 pCi/L. Field is considered one of the leading advocates in the world for the reduction of radon exposure in homes, schools and workplaces. He is also widely credited with identifying protracted radon exposure as the "''leading environmental cause of cancer mortality in the United States''". He has been actively involved at the local, state, national, and international level in communication efforts (i.e. research-to-practice) to reduce smoking and radon-related lung cancer since publication of the landmark radon study. In 2009, his Keynote address at the International Radon Meetings launched the World Health Organization's (WHO) Handbook on Indoor Radon - A Public Health Perspective on behalf of the WHO International Radon Project. Field currently directs the

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH, ) is the United States federal agency responsible for conducting research and making recommendations for the prevention of work-related injury and illness. NIOSH is part of the ...

's funded Occupational

Epidemiology Epidemiology is the study and analysis of the distribution (who, when, and where), patterns and determinants of health and disease conditions in a defined population. It is a cornerstone of public health, and shapes policy decisions and evide ...

Training Program at the University of Iowa. He has served on numerous national and international committees including the

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level o ...

's International Radon Project, the

United States Environmental Protection Agency The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is an independent executive agency of the United States federal government tasked with environmental protection matters. President Richard Nixon proposed the establishment of EPA on July 9, 1970; it ...

's (EPA) Science Advisory Board, and as the chair of the Board's Radiation Advisory Committee in 2014. He has also previously served on numerous National Academy of Science's Committees. President Barack Obama appointed Field to the Advisory Board on Radiation and Worker Health in October 2009. The board is appointed by the President to advise the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services on its activities under the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act of 2000. In 2011, Field was honored as the recipient of Millersville University of Pennsylvania's highest alumni honor, the Distinguished Alumni Award and in 2012 received the University of Iowa's Michael J Brody Award, which is considered one of the highest awards for faculty, for his long-term efforts to improve the health of the state and nation.

References

EPA Board

Presidential Appointment
* https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/ocas/ocasadv.html#members {{DEFAULTSORT:Field, R. William American epidemiologists Living people University of Iowa alumni University of Iowa faculty Year of birth missing (living people)