NIOSH Appoints New Director of Western States DivisionRyan Hill, MPH, has been appointed as director of the Western States Division.Apr 20, 2017According to a report, NIOSH has appointed Ryan Hill, MPH (CDR, USPHS) as director of its Western States Division. Hill will service as the Division’s first full-time director beginning May 1, the agency said. Hill will help scientists reduce hazards in high-risk OSH industries, such as oil and gas extraction, maritime, commercial fishing, aviation, and more. He will also maintain and improve partnerships with industry, labor, academia, and state and federal agencies to maximize the impact of research and apply strategy to help eliminate injury and death. “CDR Hill possesses a wealth of expertise in the safety and health issues and unique hazards facing workers in the western United States,” said NIOSH Director John Howard, M.D. “I am confident that under CDR Hill’s leadership, NIOSH’s Western States Division can achieve its mission to improve workplace safety in the high risk industries of the West." Hill has worked with NIOSH since 2007, where he started as an epidemiologist in the Alaska Pacific Office in Anchorage. He then worked as the manager of the NIOSH Oil & Gas Extraction Safety and Health Program.