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Jamie Bartram, Ph.D., professor of environmental sciences and engineering and director of the Water Institute at UNC-Chapel Hill, has been named to the Institute of Medicine's Roundtable on Environmental Health Sciences, Research and Medicine.

"The roundtable is important because it offers an interdisciplinary mechanism to bring together people to discuss emerging issues in environmental health, which is key to what we do here at the Water Institute," Bartram said.

Bartram will serve as discussion moderator for the group's presentation Monday (April 30) on "The Health Impact Assessment of New Energy Sources: Shale Gas Extraction," in Washington, D.C.

The roundtable was established to provide a mechanism for representatives from academics, industry and the federal government to discuss challenging environmental health issues in a neutral setting. The Institute of Medicine is an independent, nonprofit organization that works outside of government to provide unbiased and authoritative advice to decision-makers and the public.  It’s the health arm of the National Academy of Sciences.

From 2006 to 2009, Bartram served in Geneva as the World Health Organization's coordinator for assessment and management of environmental risks to health. Prior to that, he chaired UN-Water, the organization that coordinates United Nations efforts on water and related issues.

Bartram's research focuses on connections between water (including sanitation and hygiene) and health, especially the links between science, policy and practice in developing and developed countries. He earned a doctorate at the University of Surrey in 1996.

News Services contact: Mike McFarland, (919) 962-8593