OHHI History in Brief
An Oceans and Human Health Initiative (OHHI) was
established within NOAA by Congress in 2003. The OHHI is designed to coordinate and focus agency
activities on critical areas of concern and identify crucial gaps in coverage of the connection between
the oceans and our health. The Initiative will bring together expertise across NOAA, in partnership
with the academic and private sector communities, and in collaboration with other Federal and coastal
State agencies, to focus the widely spread capabilities within these communities on making significant
strides in understanding the nature of interactions between human health and ocean processes, and on
providing useful information to policy and decision makers.
Scope of Research
The program draws largely on several NRC reports,
including
From
Monsoons to Microbes: Understanding the Ocean's role in Human Health,
as well as
Under
the Weather: Climate, Ecosystems, and Infectious Disease, and
Marine
Biotechnology in the Twenty-First Century: Problems, Promise, and
Products.
The scope includes infectious diseases, harmful algal blooms, sentinel
species as environmental indicators, marine toxins and
pathogens, marine biomedicine and pharmaceuticals, as well as climate,
weather and coastal hazards that may affect human
health.
Highlights
OHHI
Programmatic Elements
NOAA Centers of Excellence
NOAA is pleased to announce its three new Centers of Excellence, which together will serve as a
cornerstone of the Oceans and Human Health Initiative:
Together, these three Centers will serve as a strong scientific focus for NOAA's oceans and human
health efforts. The Centers are built on collaboration with both academic and private sector partners.
Each NOAA Center will focus on a suite of scientific issues. A few of the issues will involve all
three Centers, others will involve two of the Centers, and the remainder will receive focused attention
of just one of the Centers. For any scientific issue that is associated with two or all three of the
Centers, OHHI will work with the Centers in their coordination with each other, and with other federal,
state, regional and local groups with management responsibilities for human health matters associated
with the oceans.
External Grants Program
Internal Awards Program
Due to FY07 budgetary constraints there is no current Request For Proposals. Please check back periodically for further updates.
The Internal Awards Program competition will foster close collaborative and cooperative application
of research findings, within NOAA and across NOAA line offices, in oceanic and socioeconomic research,
to problems inherent in ocean and human health issues.
Distinguished Scholars Program
Due to FY07 budgetary constraints there is no current Request For Proposals. Please check back periodically for further updates.
The Distinguished Scholars program will provide opportunities for scientists, from
internationally recognized scholars to pre-doctoral candidates, to develop and share scientific
expertise in support of NOAA's OHHI goals and objectives.
Traineeship Program
Information on the NOAA OHHI Traineeships and the currently funded projects is available
by clicking
here
UCAR/SOARS (Significant Opportunities in Atmospheric Research and Science)
Outreach and Community Building
Outreach and Community Building activities will be organized to facilitate coordination and
collaboration across NOAA, with other agencies, and with the academic and non-governmental communities.
Press Release (2004)
NOAA Magazine article (2004)
Data Management
Program News
OHHI National Advisory Panel
OHHI Publications
OHHI Workshops and Meetings
OHHI Principal Investigators Meeting (18-20 January 2006)
NOAA Workshop on Oceans and Human Health: Research, Programs and
Related Activities (3-4 May 2004)
NOAA Workshop on Oceans and Human Health Initiative (October 2003)
Relevant Legislation
NSF/NIEHS Centers for Oceans and Human Health
Contact Information
Paul A. Sandifer,Ph.D.
Senior Scientist, Coastal Ecology
NOAA's National Ocean Service
c/o Hollings Marine Laboratory
331 Fort Johnson Road, Room A112
Charleston, SC 29412
843/762-8814
FAX 843/762-8737
paul.sandifer@noaa.gov
Other Links
Interagency OHH Annual Report, 2004-6 released. A one-pager is available here.
The First Interagency Report on the Future of OHH Research is now available.
A two-pager is available here
