Susan Arnold, PhD
Associate Professor, with tenure, Division of Environmental Health Sciences

Contact Info
Associate Professor, with tenure, Division of Environmental Health Sciences
Director, Exposure Science and Sustainability Institute
PhD, Environmental and Occupational Health, University of Minnesota, 2015
MS, Occupational Health, Medical College of Ohio, 2005
BS, Biomedical Toxicology, University of Guelph, Ontario, 1987
Summary
I develop, evaluate, and apply exposure assessment methods to gain a better understanding of occupational and non-occupational exposures to chemical, biological and radiological agents. I am a certified industrial hygienist (CIH) with 20+ years of experience in professional practice that informs my research, teaching and service.
I especially enjoy leading and working with interdisciplinary teams in answering complex questions involving the anticipation, recognition, evaluation, and control of health hazards.
Since 2021, I have served as deputy director of the Midwest Center for Occupational Health and Safety, the NIOSH-funded education and research center.
Expertise
Exposure assessment, professional judgment, exposure modeling, indoor air, personal protective technology development, and evaluation
Awards & Recognition
Professional Associations
Research
Research Methods/Techniques
Research Funding Grants
- 2021 – 2026, NIEHS R25 grant, "The Interdisciplinary Training, Education and Research Activities for Assessing and Controlling Contaminants from Emerging Technologies (InTERACCT) Program," PI.
- 2021-2022, Donor funded, "Factors Influencing the Transmission of Airborne Viruses (FITrAV)," co-PI (P. Raynor, co-PI)
- 2020 – 2023, Institute for Engineering in Medicine (IEM) Rapid COVID-19 Grant, "Evaluating Inhalation Exposure Risks of Fibers from Masks Constructed with EX-101 and EX-103 Materials," co-PI (M. Hillmeyer, co-PI)
Publications
Select Publications
- Susan Arnold, Patricia A. Stewart , Gregory C. Pratt, Richard K. Kwok, Aaron Blair, Lawrence S. Engel, Dale P. Sandler and Mark R. Stenzel. "Estimation of Aerosol Concentrations of Oil Dispersants COREXIT™EC9527A and EC9500 During the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Response And Clean-Up Operations." Annals of Work Exposures and Health.
- Urs Schlüter, Susan Arnold, Francesca Borghi, et al. "Theoretical Background of Occupational Exposure Models – Report of an Expert Workshop of the ISES Europe Working Group “Exposure Models." IJERPH.
- J. Sahmel, S. Arnold, G. Ramachandran. "Influence of Repeated Contacts on the Transfer of Elemental Metallic Lead Between Compartments in an Integrated Conceptual Model for Dermal Exposure Assessment." Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health Part A.
- Mark R. Stenzel, Susan F. Arnold, Gurumurthy Ramachandran, et al. "Estimation of airborne concentrations of oil dispersants COREXITTM EC9527A and EC9500 during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill response and cleanup operations." Annals of Work Exposures and Health.
- Underwood J, Sturchio G, Arnold S. "Patient Release and Instructions for Lutetium Dotatate Radiopharmaceutical Therapy." Health Physics.
- Jeronimo M, Arnold S, Astrakianakis G, et al. "Spatial and Temporal Variability in Antineoplastic Drug Surface Contamination in Cancer Care Centers in Alberta and Minnesota." Annals of Work Exposures and Health.
- Antti Joonas Koivisto, Michael Jayjock, Kaarle J. Hämeri, Markku Kulmala, Patrick Van Sprang, Mingzhou Yu, Brandon E. Boor, Tareq Hussein, Ismo K Koponen, Jakob Löndahl, Lidia Morawska, John C. Little, Susan Arnold. "Evaluating the Theoretical Background of STOFFENMANAGER® and the Advanced REACH Tool."Annals of Work Exposures and Health.
See a full list of publications at the National Library of Medicine
Teaching
Academic Interests and Focus
Teaching Areas
Occupational health, industrial hygiene, exposure science
Courses
I teach courses in occupational health and safety, exposure science and industrial hygiene, including PubH 6150: Interdisciplinary Evaluation of Occupational Health and Safety Field Problems; PubH 6172: Industrial Hygiene Applications; and PubH 6193: Advanced Topics in Human Exposure Science. I strive to build a safe environment that encourages my students to make inquiries, identify best practices, and apply them. I use interactive teaching methods, such as hands-on exercises and case studies. I apply my own research and practice experiences to help cultivate the next generation of outstanding industrial hygienists. I also use my industry network to create opportunities for students to gain exposure to, and experience in, diverse work environments to reinforce classroom learning.
Community Engagement
My service roles provide excellent opportunities to collaborate with others and magnify the impact of our work through shared learning. My work is largely research-to-practice oriented and relies on input from industry partners, which highlights knowledge gaps requiring more fundamental research and continues to connect academia to industry.
I co-founded and am director of the University of Minnesota Exposure Science and Sustainability Institute, which delivers research and training to our industry partners.
Media
In The News
In the Media
- Is it safe to rent clothes during the Coronavirus Pandemic? (HuffPost)
- Health In All Matters: Episode 7: Reopening: Navigating To A New Normal (COVID-19: When a Pandemic Sweeps the Modern World)
- Five-step plan for reopening business is put to the test in China (Washington Post)
- Water Gremlin, state meet in Ramsey County court over closure of the plant (MPR)