Top of page

Student/Staff Portal
Global Site Navigation

School of Medical and Health Sciences

Local Section Navigation
You are here: Main Content
  • Students and researcher working in the Food Microbiology lab

    Students and researcher working in the Food Microbiology lab

Related Contents

Environmental Health

What is an Environmental Health Officer (EHO)?

EHOs are community champions, who typically work for Local Government, and whose role includes:

  • Develop Public Health Plans to promote community health.
  • Investigate and respond to matters that impact public health.
  • Education and promotion of evidence based environmental health practices to local communities.

Why study this course?

This 3 year course will provide you with the knowledge and practical skills to become a “community champion” in ensuring public health protection by assessing, evaluating, and controlling the impacts that environmental health stressors (threats), have on the physical health and social well-being of individuals, and communities.

The course is accredited nationally by both Environmental Health Australia (EHA), and the Australian Occupational Health and Safety Education Accreditation Board (AOHSEAB) and internationally by the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH).

Click here for information on the Diploma in Environmental Health which leads into the degree

How do we deliver this course?

The course is taught using face to face and on-line lectures, workshops, group work, case studies, practical simulations, industrial/commercial visits, work integrated learning (200 hours), and student-centred learning.

On campus workshops bring together industry experts to support the practical learning aspects of the discipline, including hands on instrumentation and monitoring of biological, chemical, and physical hazards.

Research informs our teaching

The teaching staff are all researchers which means you are taught the most up to date information. Our research includes:

  • Analysing food borne pathogens, Bacillus cereus, general Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus in ready to eat foods.
  • Developing climate associated mosquito vector models.
  • Assessing bio-aerosol exposures related to water misting systems and cooling towers.
  • Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) testing and its possible role in determining the locations for collecting environmental swabs in food preparation areas.
  • A community health risk assessment of heavy metal cleavage particles in air pollutants in a mining town in Australia
  • Toxicity of bushfire smoke
  • Climate-related health impacts on outdoor workers

We also have research opportunities for Postgraduate students:

  • Health risks associated with nano particles in food.
  • The food safety risks associated with the direct to customer (DTC) delivery services.
  • Community Health Risk assessment of vehicular emissions along major freeways in Perth
  • The impacts of green eco-house design on indoor air quality
  • Exposure assessment, morphology, biosolubility, dose-response toxicity and health risk mitigation of airborne α-spodumene particulate in lithium mining and processing.
  • Airborne exposures of bushfire firefighters in Western Australia

For information about postgraduate student project opportunities, visit the SMHS HDR Students webpage

For more information about any EH issues please contact Professor Jacques Oosthuizen or Dr Edmore Masaka

Skip to top of page