December 2022 • Journal of Environmental Health 7 foundation—combined with a requirement for the completion of a practical, hands-on internship—results in graduates that are well prepared to immediately enter the environmental health workforce or to continue their academic journeys. Many environmental health professionals may not know that graduation from an EHAC-accredited program is required to enter U.S. Public Health Service, U.S. Army, and U.S. Navy environmental science and engineering careers. Graduates of EHAC-accredited programs meet the criteria to take the NEHA Registered Environmental Health Specialist/ Registered Sanitarian (REHS/RS) credential examination after graduation. Please reach out to a program in your area. I know you will enjoy your time at your local college or university’s “happiest department on campus” while sharing your experience about the “happiest profession on Earth.” If there are no EHAC-accredited program in your area, there are local colleges or universities that may be interested in starting an environmental health science program. Further, please reach out to the Association of Environmental Health Academic Programs (AEHAP). We need more environmental health science programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels both nationally and internationally. There are more jobs than graduates, which results in countless jobs being filled by those not possessing an environmental health science degree. Unlike many other fields, even if the number of environmental health science programs doubled or tripled and the number of graduates quadrupled or quintupled—which would be a wonderful thing—there would still be an abundance of jobs filled by those not possessing an environmental health science degree. I want to provide a little background about an unsung organization in our field: AEHAP. In 1999, AEHAP volunteers and a small sta began working alongside EHAC volunteers to promote the value of environmental health education and degrees. The goal was to launch more environmental health professionals into careers of significance for the care, health, and protection of our communities. From then to now, the goal remains to encourage more students to pursue a science-based degree in environmental health. AEHAP and EHAC would love to have more environmental health professional involved—the more the merrier. Hopefully, we will be able to enjoy some well-deserved time o during these holidays. I wish all of you the very best, along with health and happiness throughout the coming year. A little more sparkle, a little less stress. As environmental health science rings in the New Year, I leave you with a quote from David Bowie: “I don’t know where I’m going from here, but I promise it won’t be boring.” gary.brown@eku.edu The food industry moves fast. The Certified Professional–Food Safety (CP-FS) credential keeps you up-todate with the rapidly changing food industry and tells your community that you know the science and practice to keep them safe. neha.org/credentials Membership provides environmental health professionals with connection, education, and advancement in their careers. Our nationally recognized credentials, extensive learning opportunities, and community of dedicated leaders position our members for greater professional success. We believe that the success of our members elevates the entire environmental health profession. We o er several di erent membership options: Professional, Emerging Professional, Retired Professional, International, and Life. Learn more about membership and its benefits at www.neha.org/membership. Did You Know?
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