Brant A. Ulsh, Ph.D., CHP
PROFESSIONAL EXPERTISE Retrospective radiation dose assessment both in humans and in nonhuman species Radiation cytogenetics and biodosimetry Biological effects of low-dose radiation exposure Human health and ecological risk assessment
QUALIFICATIONS Twenty-five years of academic training, and governmental, academic, and private industry work experience in radiation fields including health physics, nuclear engineering, radiobiology and radioecology, during which I successfully: Collaborated with multidisciplinary teams of scientists Developed innovative scientific research proposals Designed precise scientific experiments and thoroughly analyzed results
SELECTED ACHIEVEMENTS Supervised interdisciplinary teams of scientists evaluating radiation dose reconstructions in a federal compensation program.
Reconstructed radiation doses received by workers in the USDOE nuclear weapons complex in support of compensability determination.
Investigated the risks to approximately thirty victims of a radiation accident in Thailand using advanced cytogenetic techniques for retrospective exposure assessment.
Taught radiation ecology to graduate students, radiation dosimetry to 4th year undergraduate medical and health physics students, and the biological basis of radiation risks to nuclear energy workers and health physicists.
Applied and tested a whole-chromosome painting probe for the detection of radiation-induced translocations in turtles – the first such probe for a reptilian species.
Authored a book chapter and ten manuscripts for publication in peer-reviewed scientific journals.
Presented research results at national and international research conferences, and Presidential Advisory Board meetings. These included invited oral presentations, and poster presentations.
Modeled the atmospheric dispersion of 222Rn from underground radium waste storage silos at the USDOE’s Fernald Environmental Management Project.
Assessed human and ecological risks from the USDOE’s nuclear weapons production complex under the 1994 Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement.
Sampled soils for 137Cs fallout. This effort involved sample collection, preparation, and counting, data analysis and publication of results. EDUCATION 2001-2003 Postdoctoral Fellow, McMaster University Institute of Applied Radiation Sciences. Co- taught medical physics and science inquiry courses. Research in advanced radiation biodosimetry techniques. 1995-2000 Ph.D., Radiological Health Sciences, Colorado State University. Dissertation, “Chromosome Translocations in Turtles: A Biomarker in a Sentinel Animal for Environmental Biodosimetry”. 1990-1992 M.Sc. Health Physics, University of Cincinnati. Thesis entitled, “A Study of Radon Dispersion Modeling Using the Industrial Source Complex Code at the Department of Energy's Fernald Environmental Management Project”. 1985-1990 B.Sc. Nuclear Engineering, University of Cincinnati.
HONORS Diplomate of the American Board of Health Physics (Certified Health Physicist) (2003). H.G. Thode Postdoctoral Fellowship, McMaster University (2001-2003). Selected for the U.S. National Research Council’s Young Investigators Program in Semipalatinsk, Kazakhstan (2000). Colorado State University Radiological Health Sciences Outstanding Ph.D. Candidate (1999). Elected to Sigma Xi Science and Engineering Honor Society (1999). National Merit Scholar (1985-90). University of Cincinnati Outstanding Freshman Scholar (1985).
RESEARCH FUNDING Research project, “Radiation Accident Biodosimetry” funded by Atomic Energy of Canada, Ltd. and the CANDU Owner’s Group ($60,000/yr, 2000-2003). Research project, “Environmental Biodosimetry” funded by the USDOE ($100,000/yr, 1997-2000). National Institute of Health Training Grant (1998-2000). Colorado State University Graduate Fellowship (1995-1998). University of Cincinnati Graduate Fellowship (1990-1992). Research project, “Air Dispersion of Radon-222 from the Fernald K-65 Silos” funded by the USDOE (approximately $30,000/yr, 1989-1992).
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE 9/2004-Present Research Health Scientist, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Perform scientific analysis of epidemiological and radiological studies for impact on the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act (EEOICPA) and manage interdisciplinary teams performing evaluation of petitions for addition of classes of nuclear weapons workers to the Special Exposure Cohort (SEC). Report to the President’s Advisory Board on Radiation Worker Health on SEC petitions and various technical issues related to the EEOICPA program. 3/2003-9/2004 Health Physicist, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Performed retrospective dose reconstruction for USDOE workers filing for compensation under EEOICPA. Conducted research activities related to chronic lymphocytic leukemia and radiation exposure. 1992-95 Senior Risk Assessment Specialist, Advanced Sciences, Inc. Performed ecological risk assessment for the Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for the USDOE’s nuclear weapons complex. Conducted regulatory compliance audits for the USDOE’s Waste Isolation Pilot Project. Completed ecological & human health risk assessments for Loring Air Force Base. 1992 Risk Assessment Specialist, Advanced Sciences Inc. Performed ecological and human health risk assessments for the USDOE’s Fernald Environmental Management Project. 1991-92 Environmental Engineer, Environmental Quality Management, Inc. Prepared regulatory permit applications, performed hazardous waste sampling and water sampling. 1990 Engineering Assistant, Waste Project Group, Feed Materials Production Center, Westinghouse Materials Company of Ohio. Performed engineering review of plans for waste treatment facility, and designed hazardous materials storage and containment system. 1989-90 Co-op Student, Solid Waste Compliance Group, Feed Materials Production Center, Westinghouse Materials Company of Ohio. Coordinated regulatory compliance, and developed storage and disposal options for hazardous waste. 1987-89 Co-op Student, Compliance Licensing Section, Sequoyah Nuclear Plant, Tennessee Valley Authority. Coordinated regulatory compliance inspections.
PROFESSIONAL SOCIETY MEMBERSHIPS Health Physics Society: Membership Committee Chairman, 2009-2012, radiation effects topic editor for “Ask the Experts” website Cincinnati Radiation Society: President, 2008-2009
VOLUNTEER WORK Serve as a peer-reviewer for manuscripts submitted for publication in Radiation Research, Health Physics, Dose-Response, Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, and Science of the Total Environment Adjunct Professor of Radiological Health Sciences, Colorado State University Assistant coach, Batavia Youth Football and Glen Este Youth Basketball Martial arts instructor at Aikido of Cincinnati, Ohio
PRESENTATIONS Oral presentations: 1) Invited Lecture: Tritium Dose and Relative Risk in Perspective, International Scientific Symposium on Human Health and the Biological Effects of Tritium in Drinking Water, Hamilton, Canada, August 26-27, 2010 2) NIOSH supplemental recommendation on the Mound Laboratory Special Exposure Cohort petition, meeting of the President’s Advisory Board on Radiation Worker Health, Niagara Falls, NY, May 19, 2010 3) NIOSH recommendation on the Mound Laboratory Special Exposure Cohort petition, meeting of the President’s Advisory Board on Radiation Worker Health, Las Vegas, NV, January 8, 2008 4) Supplemental information on the Rocky Flats Special Exposure Cohort petition, meeting of the President’s Advisory Board on Radiation Worker Health, Denver, CO, June 11, 2007 5) NIOSH recommendation on the Rocky Flats Special Exposure Cohort petition, meeting of the President’s Advisory Board on Radiation Worker Health, Denver, CO, May 3, 2007 6) NIOSH evaluation of the Blockson Chemical Company Special Exposure Cohort petition, meeting of the President’s Advisory Board on Radiation Worker Health, Naperville, IL, December 12, 2006 7) Update to the Advisory Board on science issues, meeting of the President’s Advisory Board on Radiation Worker Health, Naperville, IL, December 12, 2006 8) NIOSH evaluation of the Chapman Valve Special Exposure Cohort petition, meeting of the President’s Advisory Board on Radiation Worker Health, Las Vegas, NV, September 20, 2006 9) Update to the Advisory Board on science issues, meeting of the President’s Advisory Board on Radiation Worker Health, Las Vegas, NV, September 19, 2006 10) NIOSH evaluation of the Rocky Flats Special Exposure Cohort petition, meeting of the President’s Advisory Board on Radiation Worker Health, Denver, CO, April, 27, 2006 11) Target organ selection for EEOICPA dose reconstruction, Health Physics Society Annual Meeting, Spokane, WA, 2005 12) Physical and cytogenetic consequences of a radiation accident, Health Physics Society Annual Meeting, San Diego, CA, 2003 13) Platform Lecture: Cytogenetic biomarkers of radiation exposure in nonhuman organisms, International Conference on Radioactivity in the Environment, Monaco, 2002 14) Invited Lecture: Biological defense mechanisms against low doses of radiation, Professional Enrichment Program Lecture, Health Physics Society Annual Meeting, Tampa, FL, 2002 15) Comparative genome stability and radiation cytogenetics in reptiles and mammals, Radiation Research Society Annual Meeting, San Juan, Puerto Rico, 2001
16) Environmental biodosimetry, Society of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry Annual Meeting, Nashville, TN, 2000 17) Invited Lecture: Including reptiles and amphibians in ecological risk assessment, Wildlife Applications in Remediation Decision Making Conference, Denver, CO, 1999
Poster presentations: 1) Evaluation of the solubility and biokinetic properties of radioactive aerosols – potential application to stable metal compounds, NIOSH Salt Fork Conference, Cambridge, OH, 2010 2) Environmental biodosimetry, Networking Radiation Sciences in Health, Safety, and the Environment Conference, Hamilton, Canada, 2002. 3) Biodosimetry of a radiation accident using 3-color FISH, Networking Radiation Sciences in Health, Safety, and the Environment Conference, Hamilton, Canada, 2002. 4) Spectral karyotyping as a tool for biodosimetry, Networking Radiation Sciences in Health, Safety, and the Environment Conference, Hamilton, Canada, 2002. 5) Environmental biodosimetry, Radiation Research Society Annual Meeting, San Juan, Puerto Rico, U.S.A., 2001 6) Environmental biodosimetry, Workshop on Comparative Radiobiology and Protection of the Environment, Dublin, Ireland, 2000 7) Chromosome translocations in turtles – a biomarker for radiation exposure, Wildlife Applications in Remediation Decision Making Conference, Denver, Colorado, U.S.A., 1999 8) Chromosome translocations in turtles – a biomarker for radiation exposure, International Congress on Radiation Research, Dublin, Ireland, 1999 9) Development of a whole-chromosome painting probe for T. scripta, Radiation Research Society Annual Meeting, Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.A., 1998
PUBLICATIONS Articles in Peer-Reviewed Journals: 1) B.A. Ulsh. Checking the foundation: recent radiobiology and the linear no-threshold theory. Health Physics, 99, 747-758 (2010). 2) B. A. Ulsh, B.L. Rich, M.H. Chew, R. Morris, M. Sharfi, M. Rolfes. Establishing bounding internal dose estimates for thorium activities at Rocky Flats. Health Physics 95, 81-88 (2008). 3) B. A. Ulsh, S. M. Miller, F. F. Mallory, R. E. J. Mitchel, D. P. Morrison, and D. R. Boreham. Cytogenetic dose-response and adaptive response in ungulate species exposed to ionizing radiation. Journal of Environmental Radioactivity. 74, 73-81 (2004). 4) B. A. Ulsh, L. Dugan, T. G. Hinton, F. W. Whicker, and J. S. Bedford. Environmental biodosimetry: a biologically relevant tool for ecological risk assessment and biomonitoring. Journal of Environmental Radioactivity, 66, 121-139 (2003). 5) T.M. Carlsen, L.E. Peterson, B.A. Ulsh, C.A. Werner, K.L. Purvis, and A.C. Sharber. Radionuclide contamination at Kazakhstan’s Semipalatinsk Test Site: Implications on human and ecological health. Human and Ecological Risk Assessment, 7(4), 943-955 (2001). 6) B. A. Ulsh, J. D. Congdon, T. G. Hinton, F. W. Whicker, and J. S. Bedford. Culture methods for turtle lymphocytes. Methods in Cell Science, 22, 285-297 (2001). 7) B.A. Ulsh, F.W. Whicker, T.G. Hinton, J.D. Congdon, and J.S. Bedford. Chromosome translocations in T. Scripta: the dose-rate effect and in vivo lymphocyte radiation response. Radiation Research, 155, 63-73 (2001). 8) M.C. Mühlmann-Díaz, B.A. Ulsh, F.W. Whicker, T.G. Hinton, J.D. Congdon, J.F. Robinson, and J.S. Bedford. Conservation of chromosome-1 in turtles over 66 million years. Cytogenetics and Cell Genetics, 92, 139-143 (2001). 9) B.A. Ulsh, M.C. Mühlmann-Díaz, F.W. Whicker, T.G. Hinton, J.D. Congdon, and J.S. Bedford. Chromosome translocations in turtles: a biomarker in a sentinel animal for ecological dosimetry. Radiation Research, 153, 752-759 (2000). 10) B.A. Ulsh, S. Rademacher, and F.W. Whicker. Variations of 137Cs depositions and soil concentrations between alpine and montane soils in northern Colorado. Journal of Environmental Radioactivity, 47, 57-70 (1999).
Book Chapters: 1) B.A. Ulsh and D.R. Boreham. In vitro biomarkers of radiation exposure in the environment. In: In Vitro Methods in Aquatic Toxicology (Eds. C. Mothersill and B. Austin). Springer-Praxis. Chichester, U.K. Pages 279-293 (2003).
Abstracts and Conference Proceedings: 1) Hinton, T.G., Bedford, J., Whicker, F.W., Ulsh, B. Environmental radiation effects: A need to question old paradigms and to enhance collaboration among radiation biologists and radiation ecologists. Abstract in Abstracts of Papers of the American Chemical Society. March, 2003. 2) B. Ulsh, S. Miller, F. Mallory, R. Mitchel, D. Morrison, J. Bedford, F. Whicker, T. Hinton, and D. Boreham. Cytogenetic biomarkers of radiation exposure in nonhuman organisms. Abstract in the Proceedings from the International Conference on Radioactivity in the Environment. September, 2002, Monaco. 3) D.R. Boreham, B. Ulsh, J-A Dolling, R.E.J. Mitchel, W. Lausoontornsiri, T. Bueblinvong, W.F. Blakely, and P.G.S. Prasanna. Biological dosimetry and risk assessment of the Thailand accident. Paper presented at the 8th Annual Nuclear Science and Technology Conference, June, 2001, Bangkok, Thailand. 4) B.A. Ulsh, F.W. Whicker, T.G. Hinton, and J.S. Bedford. Chromosome translocations in turtles: a biomarker in a sentinel animal for ecological dosimetry. Abstract in the Proceedings of the 21st Annual Meeting of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, November, 2000, Nashville TN. 5) L. Tomczak, H.B. Spitz, K.A. McCartney, R.W. Oney, B. Ulsh, J. Zimmerman, and D. Muller. Effectiveness of bentonite sealant in reducing Rn-222 emissions at the Fernald K-65 silos. Proceedings of the 26th Midyear Topical Meeting of the Health Physics Society, 1993, Richland, WA.