Worker Training Program

Dr. Kim Gaetz is a Health Specialist in the Worker Training Program (WTP) of the Division of Extramural Research and Training (DERT) at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS). The NIEHS Worker Training Program is an innovative program that supports development and delivery of safety and health training programs for workers involved in hazardous waste cleanup and emergency response throughout the nation. Training is delivered by universities, unions, community colleges, and non-profit organizations who are funded through cooperative agreements with the NIEHS Worker Training Program.

As a Health Specialist, Dr. Gaetz is primarily responsible for supporting translating research into training and practice for topics related to areas of hazardous waste handling and transport, disaster recovery and emergency response, and nuclear and radiation safety. She serves as an editor and writer in major documents and reports and assists with administering and analyzing grants and contracts related to the extramural training program. 

Dr. Gaetz has worked for over 20 years in public health with a primary focus on applied environmental and occupational health at the local, state, and federal level. She brings expertise in data collection and analysis, radiation safety, adult and child lead poisoning prevention, disaster response and infectious disease control, indoor air quality, vector control and surveillance, outbreak investigation, and mental health.

Prior to joining WTP, Dr. Gaetz worked as a Science Editor at the NIEHS journal Environmental Health Perspectives. Prior to joining NIEHS, she was an epidemiology supervisor with the NC Division of Public Health Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology branch, and principal investigator of NIOSH and CDC grants. 

Dr. Gaetz earned a doctorate degree in Environmental and Occupational Epidemiology and a Master of Science degree in Public Health/ Epidemiology from UNC-Chapel Hill. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Biology at UNC-Asheville. 

Selected Publications

• Angelon-Gaetz K, Ikhile O, Gordon HRD, Pearson M, Rao C. (2024). Examining the Completeness of Industry and Occupation Data Among Patients Newly Diagnosed with Cancer in North Carolina. North Carolina Medical Journal. https://doi.org/10.18043/001c.121418.
• Angelon-Gaetz, K; Segule, M; Wilson, M. (2022). Comparison of Lead in Spices from Market Basket versus Home Lead Investigation Samples. Public Health Reports. https://doi.org/10.1177/00333549211066152.
• Angelon-Gaetz, K; Klaus, C; Chaudhry, E; Bean, D. (2018). Lead in Spices, Herbal Remedies, and Ceremonial Powders Sampled from Home Investigations for Children with Elevated Blood Lead Levels — North Carolina, 2011–2018. CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6746a2.
• Angelon-Gaetz, KA; DB Richardson; SW Marshall; ML Hernandez. (2016). Exploration of the effects of classroom humidity levels on teachers’ respiratory symptoms. International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00420-016-1111-0.
• Angelon-Gaetz, KA; DB Richardson; DM Lipton; SW Marshall; B Lamb; T LoFrese. (2015). The effects of building-related factors on classroom relative humidity in North Carolina schools participating in the “Free to Breathe, Free to Teach” study. Indoor Air. https://doi.org/10.1111/ina/12176.
• Angelon-Gaetz, KA; DB Richardson; S Wing. (2010). Inequalities in the nuclear age: Impact of race and gender on radiation exposure at the Savannah River Site (1951-1999). New Solutions: A Journal of Environmental and Occupational Health Policy. https://doi.org/10.2190/NS.20.2.e.