Principal Investigator / Institution

Janelle Rios, Ph.D.
Principal Investigator
Tel 713-500-9477
[email protected]
Southwest Center for Occupational and Environmental Health
The University of Texas School of Public Health
1200 Pressler Street, RAS W1008
Houston, Texas 77030

Program Description

University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston logo

The Prevention, Preparedness, and Response (P2R) Consortium delivers health and safety training to workers across the United States with a targeted focus in Public Health Regions 5, 6, and 8.  With a vision to reduce work-related harm and improve disaster preparedness and response, the P2R Consortium has two primary goals: to prepare workers and communities to protect themselves, their colleagues, and their environment from exposures to hazardous materials in the workplace; and, to promote the health, resiliency, and financial stability of communities most vulnerable to disasters.  To accomplish these goals, the P2R Consortium leverages the collective experience of health and safety experts from across the country.  Its leaders include researchers from The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, the University of Utah, University of Michigan, and Texas A&M University.  

Meeting the immediate and critical training needs of the workforce is a foremost concern of the P2R Consortium.  An external advisory board, composed of occupational leaders from a variety of fields, guides the consortium in this endeavor.  Additionally, the P2R Consortium works with the NIEHS and other federal, state, and local agencies to enable quick, coordinated responses to disasters (such as Hurricane Harvey) and outbreaks (such as the COVID-19 pandemic).

The P2R Consortium’s course curricula is divided into two training programs: Hazardous Waste Worker Training (HWWTP) and the Hazmat Disaster Preparedness Training (HDPTP).  Course topics cover an array of health and safety concerns.  Examples include basic first aid, hazardous waste operations, emergency response, opioids in the workplace, and infectious disease awareness and control.  Funded by the NIEHS Worker Training Program since 2010, the P2R Consortium (formerly, the Texas-Utah Consortium) continues to grow through partnerships with community organizations and other universities.  From August 2015-July 2020, the Consortium trained 24,918 people through 808 courses for a total of 143,363 hours of training.  Over the next five years, the P2R Consortium will continue to expand its in-person and online training courses (in multiple languages) to reach an even larger audience.

Project Duration

  • August 17, 2020 - May 31, 2025 (HWWTP, HDPTP)

Grant Numbers

  • U45 ES019360 (HWWTP, HDPTP)

Other Participating Organizations