A source of light and energy for our profession!

If NEHA is anything, it is diverse. We really do cover the waterfront. Our diversified membership is involved with the range of environmental health issues, just as our members come from virtually all walks of life.

In the course of our work, we find environmental health professionals in some interesting places. Some work in large urban communities, others toil in rural areas, and still others carry on in academia, other nations, special assignments, regulatory agencies, the private sector, the uniformed services, and so on.

Across this spectrum of diversity, we see and hear a not-surprising number of perspectives and viewpoints on our--your--profession. Unfortunately, as often as not, these perspectives aren't particularly flattering. Many in our ranks have struggled through budget-cutting periods, depleted staffing levels, lean resource bases, and inattention (from employers, publics, and even peers). Although most of the environmental health professionals with whom I have worked continue to profess a love for what they do, I also hear an understandable frustration and fatigue in their more private comments. Ours is not an easy job, and the applause we get for a job well done can sometimes be difficult to discern.

Years of discussions about our challenges have certainly had their impact on me. On the one hand, my personal admiration for the dedicated people in our profession just seems to grow and grow--the more I learn about some of the circumstances that our people have to work in. Environmental health professionals not only do their jobs, they often do them while climbing uphill. In addition, day in and day out, we maneuver, we balance, we juggle, and we innovate to make do with the resources we have. In many respects, that's quite a talent to develop and have.

On the other hand, this can all get pretty tiring pretty fast. Environmental health people don't just do their jobs; they must also struggle to find the time, resources, and equipment needed to get them done. I sometimes think that in addition to everything else, we might want to consider calling ourselves a "tired profession."

It is against this backdrop that I recently came across quite a surprise. On May 2, it was my pleasure to address the environmental health category of the U.S. Public Health Service (PHS). This was my first opportunity to actually visit this corner of our profession. As I was processing my experience, one word dominated over all others that came to my mind. The word wasn't "tired." In fact, it was just the opposite: "energy"!

The whole experience was inspiring. First there were the visuals. To a one, every attendee at the meeting was in uniform, and men and women alike looked like a million dollars. Then there was the way in which the meeting was organized and managed. Presentations were completed on time, the sequence of meeting events was well orchestrated, and absolutely everyone treated each other with genuine respect. Tradition and pride were also on full display. The U.S. Surgeon General's arrival was announced when he was about to walk into the room. Immediately, everyone rose to full attention while he and his entourage entered the room. What followed was a fast but impressive awards ceremony and then his departure. As I took in the experience and watched the people in our room, it was patently apparent that everyone was engaged and proud to be a part of something so special. Moreover, it was theirs.

I could go on--I was impressed that in addition to the years of experience that many of these officers had, the group also had many young people eager to move forward with their environmental health careers in uniform. There was also a sense of excitement in the background of many of my discussions as officers talked to me about possible future missions that they might someday undertake. The educational presentations were substantive and illustrated the breadth of knowledge that these people needed to have to do their jobs. Finally, in addition to everything else, one could feel a strong sense of togetherness that was reinforced by stories, rituals, dress, and even shared aspirations.

I also credit the leadership of the group for a lot of what I saw. CDR Joselito Ignacio chairs the Environmental Health Officers Professional Advisory Committee. In a message he recently wrote, he talked about the five items that are asked of every environmental health officer. His words are stirring. Here are his expectations for the members of his PHS category:

1. Represent the category and the U.S. PHS with distinction, every day and everywhere. Expanding on this expectation, he urges his colleagues to attain distinction in everything they do, wear the uniform properly--even triple-checking it before they go out in public--and maintain all appropriate courtesies and customs of the service.

2. Be ready to deploy anywhere and anytime.

3. Be technically and tactically competent in all areas of environmental health and public health.

4. Seize initiative and be resourceful.

5. Be ethical in all you do.

Don't you just love it? What a standard to have, stand by, and be identified with.

When I spoke to this group, I admonished them to continue to do what they have been doing. I also encouraged the officers to be a constant source of encouragement to all of their peers across this great profession of ours. We have many inspiring stories and people in the many corners that make up this diversified profession of ours. We have, however, too few instances of an entire group that charges out to its missions eager to show off our profession and demonstrate what it can do. If nothing else, this fine assembly of some 376 active-duty men and women shows what a group can do and, I believe, what an entire profession can do.

Thank you, environmental health professionals of U.S. PHS, for the invitation to be with you and for your shining example. I left your meeting with a huge energy boost. Keep the light shining from the corner of this diversified profession you work in. Your example and energy have the power to 1) extinguish some of the tiredness that we sometimes feel in environmental health and 2) give us all a vision for what an entire profession can look like.

For anyone interested in learning more about the U.S. PHS environmental health officer program, I encourage you to contact Joselito Ignacio at [e-mail].

Nelson E. Fabian

P.S. I should also proudly mention that two of NEHA's board members, Rick Collins and John Steward, come from the ranks of the environmental health category of the U.S. PHS.

Nelson Fabian, M.S.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]