Jeff Burgess, MD, MS, MPH, professor of environmental and occupational health at the University of Arizona Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, has been appointed Associate Dean for Research.

Dr. Burgess is the former director of the community, environment and policy division. His research focuses on improving the health of miners, firefighters and other first responders through reduction of injuries and hazardous exposures and improved treatment and evaluation of population-level exposures to arsenic in drinking water and diet.

Dean Iman Hakim said, “Advancing our research is a key priority for this college and the University given the ABOR mandate that the UA double its research enterprise by 2020. Dr. Burgess brings tremendous talent and expertise as a thought leader with a proven track record for research in the areas of toxicology and injury prevention.”

After receiving his medical degree from the University of Washington in 1988, Burgess first came to the University of Arizona for residency training in Emergency Medicine, followed by a fellowship in Medical Toxicology. After completing a fellowship in Occupational and Environmental Medicine in Seattle, he returned to the UA in 1997 as a new faculty member in the Arizona Prevention Center, which later became the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health. He also earned a master’s degree in toxicology and industrial hygiene from the UA in 1993 and a Master of Public Health degree from the University of Washington in 1996.

“I look forward to the opportunity to build on the strong research base established by my predecessor, Dr. Lynn Gerald, and previous Associate Deans for Research,” said Burgess. “My research goals are to help increase our faculty’s public health research through additional mentorship and expanded opportunities to work in areas of strength within our college and collaborations across campus.”

Burgess is the principal investigator for the CDC-funded Mountain West Preparedness and Emergency Response Learning Center, which helps public health professionals and communities be better prepared for disasters of all types. He is also a member of the Population Health and Health Outcomes Research Advisory Council for the Office of the Senior Vice President for Health Sciences.

Burgess has a multi-pronged research program focusing on toxicology and injury prevention, and also heads training programs in industrial hygiene, public health preparedness and mining health and safety. He participates in multiple university-wide health collaborations, including the Southwest Environmental Health Sciences Center, the Lowell Institute for Mineral Resources, the University of Arizona Cancer Center, Institute for the Study of Planet Earth, and Bio5. He also currently holds an adjunct appointment in the Department of Mining and Geological Engineering.