Acknowledgments

This Toxicology Curriculum for Communities Trainer’s Manual is a result of the collaborative efforts of many individuals. The Institute of Public Health would first like to thank the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), for funding this effort for the last three years and for supporting the development of the curriculum. We are extremely grateful for the agency’s dedication to providing information and education to communities impacted by hazardous waste. In particular, we would like to thank Dr. Carolyn Harper from ATSDR’s Division of Toxicology at ATSDR for her commitment and support to this project.

Particular acknowledgments and sincere appreciation go to Dr. Mildred McClain (President) and Reverend Vernell Cutter, (Project Manager for this project), both from Harambee House, Inc. – Project: Citizens for Environmental Justice, Savannah, Georgia and to Mr. Marvin Crafter, Project Manager, Woolfolk Citizen’s Response Group, Fort Valley, Georgia. These persons, both individually and collectively, crafted the design and content of this curriculum, along with input from their respective community members.

In addition, appreciation also goes to Mr. Leonard Inge, from Florida A&M University’s Continuing Education Center for his input and consultation in the development of this curriculum. Added thanks go to the residents of the Hudson Hill Community and the African American Environmental Justice Action Network for their valuable input into the content of the curriculum.

Mr. James E. Melton, Jr., MPH and Mr. Lucien Alexi Benedict, MPH both worked on the development of this toxicology curriculum for their special research project while they were students in the Master of Public Health (MPH) Program at Florida A&M University’s Institute of Public Health, in the College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. Mr. Melton completed his studies in August 1999 and Mr. Benedict completed his studies in May 2000. Because of their dedication and hard work, this project is focused on community driven issues. In addition, a number of MPH students from the Institute of Public Health volunteered to conduct the community needs assessments, in order to gather community perceptions on important toxicology issues.

Special thanks go to many others for their support including Institute of Public Health faculty and staff members, particularly Ms. Gloria James, for her invaluable contribution to the design of the visual aids for the modules, with help from Ms. Calondra Tibbs, Ms. Tina Lumas, Ms. Tijuanna Clemons and Ms. Flosetta Rowry, 2001 MPH graduates from the Institute of Public Health.

Adrienne L. Hollis, Ph.D.
Project Director
Institute of Public Health
September 2002