The Environmental Medicine Program (EMP) provides medical and epidemiological expertise in the evaluation and communication of the health impacts of environmental exposures to Soldiers, their family members, and DoD civilians in deployed and garrison settings.   Exposures of recent concern include particulate matter and dust, burn pit smoke, and other ambient contaminants, such as those in air, soil, water, as well as unique incidents involving certain chemical, biological, radiological (CBRN), and toxic industrial chemical (TIC) hazards. 

EMP now also offers the Environmental Medicine – Clinical Consult Service (EM-CCS) – a unique provider-to-provider service offered to military and VA healthcare providers to help address military environmental exposure related health concerns.

What We Do: 

Policy:  We assist with policy development and implementation guidance addressing environmental exposures and their documentation for immediate health applications and later medical inquiry.  

Science and Consults: We evaluate the potential for long-term health outcomes related to environmental exposures and characterize health risks based on assessments of environmental, epidemiological, and medical science.  We provide input policies and criteria to minimize health risks.  We also provide consultative services to medical health care providers regarding their patients’ exposures and health outcome concerns (see EM-CCS).

Outbreak investigations: We provide consultative assistance to installations confronted with concerns regarding disease possibly resulting from potential environmental or workplace exposures.

Communication: We create products to assist Soldiers, Army Civilians, and their families with understanding the implications of various environmental exposures, especially those common experienced during deployments.

Training: We precept and mentor Occupational Medicine residents on rotation from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS). We also provide training to military and VA providers at request.