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About OSA

On January 25, 2006, U.S. EPA Administrator Steven L. Johnson announced the appointment of eminent scientist George M. Gray, PhD., to serve as Science Advisor. Read the News Release (PDF) (1 page, 55K). The EPA Science Advisor position was established by the former Administrator Christie Whitman in her May 24, 2002, memorandum on "Strengthening Science at the Environmental Protection Agency (PDF)" (2 pp, 417K).

The Science Advisor works across the Agency to ensure that the highest quality science is better integrated into the Agency's policies and decisions. In this capacity, the Science Advisor chairs the Agency's Science Policy Council which reviews selected science issues that have implications across program and regional offices.

The Science Advisor:

The Office of the Science Advisor, as directed by Chief Scientist Dr. Pai-Yei Whung, was established by former Acting Administrator Linda Fisher in her July 11, 2003, memorandum (PDF) (1 page, 16K) to provide leadership in establishing specific mechanisms for ensuring that sound science plays a prominent role in all regulatory decisions. These efforts help ensure regulations are interpreted and enforced in a manner consistent with the science supporting them and will strengthen EPA's overall scientific performance.

The Office of the Science Advisor has responsibility in several principle areas:

Human Studies Review Board - the Human Studies Review Board was chartered on February 21, 2006 to provide advice, information and recommendation on issues related to the scientific and ethical aspects of human subjects research, to the EPA Administrator, through EPA's Science Advisor. The HSRB is a Federal advisory committee operating in accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act. Exit EPA Disclaimer

Risk Assessment Forum - The Risk Assessment Forum is a standing committee of senior EPA scientists established to promote Agency-wide consensus on difficult and controversial risk assessment issues and to ensure that this consensus is incorporated into appropriate Agency risk assessment guidance.

Science Policy Council - the Science Policy Council (SPC) is chaired by the Science Advisor. The SPC is an important cross agency group of senior managers that focuses on major science policy issues and approves positions for the Agency.

The Science Policy Council (SPC) serves as a mechanism for addressing EPA's many significant science policy issues that go beyond regional and program boundaries. With a goal of integrating policies that guide Agency decision-makers in their use of scientific and technical information, the SPC works to implement and ensure the success of selected initiatives recommended by external advisory bodies such as the National Research Council and the Science Advisory Board, as well as others such as the Congress, industry and environmental groups, and Agency staff. In this way, the SPC contributes guidance for selected EPA regulatory and enforcement policies and decisions.

Examples of SPC activities include:

Other OSA Activities

The Science Advisor's role in the World Trade Center Review Panel.

Approved Abstracts Under the Broad Agency Announcement

Office of the Science Advisor Staff

Pai-Yei Whung, Chief Scientist

Office of the Science Advisor Immediate Office
Lu-Ann Kleibacker
Rose Powell
Kimberly Warren

Human Studies Review Board
Paul Lewis

Human Subjects Research Review Official
Warren Lux

Risk Assessment Forum
Elizabeth Lee Hofmann - Executive Director
Gary Bangs
Michael Broder
Resha Putzrath
Seema Schappelle

Science Policy Council
Norman Birchfield
Kathryn Gallagher
Melissa Kramer
Neil Stiber

Learn more about

Role and Use of Science at EPA

Other Links of Interest where you can learn about other EPA organizations, our partners in science, biography of the Science Advisor, databases and documents.

You will need Adobe Reader to view some of the files on this page. See EPA's PDF page to learn more.

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