Two EHS staff recently completed the training process and will be joining the safety advisor team. As such, lab assignments will be adjusted to accommodate a full team of seven safety advisors. Several departments were already assigned to a single advisor and this practice was carried through the new lab assignments, as appropriate. Some departments, due to their size, had to be distributed among more than one advisor. Technical expertise was the main factor in assigning advisors to laboratories. A listing below highlights the main EHS contact for several departments and will be the EHS staff member performing scheduled safety reviews:

  • Evgenia Borisenko: Biology, Ophthalmology, Radiation Oncology, State Hygienic Lab, Surgery
  • Gretchen Cleve: Anatomy & Cell Biology, Biochemistry, Pathology, Pediatrics, Pharmacology, Molecular Physiology & Biophysics
  • Julie Jacobs: Labs with lasers (except those in Chemistry), State Hygienic Lab
  • Tom James: Microbiology, Pathology
  • Rachelle Justice: Cardiology, Chemistry, Chemical/Civil Engineering, Occupational Health
  • Elliot Kelley: Geosciences, Dentistry, Engineering, Health & Human Physiology, Psychology, Psychiatry
  • John Silka: Internal Medicine, College of Pharmacy

If you would like to confirm who your advisor will be, please contact EHS.

The safety advisor performing the laboratory safety round (LSR, unannounced walk-through) will be different than the assigned safety advisor and will work in partnership with the lab’s main EHS contact. The LSR will occur approximately six months out from the scheduled annual lab review.

These assignments, along with changes to the 2026 annual review checklist, will be discussed at the final audit changes meeting on January 20, 2026. This meeting is also an opportunity for lab staff to bring general safety questions for EHS staff. Discussion topics will be open to participants following the short checklist presentation.

Suggestions as you prepare to return to in-person audits for 2026:

  • Review the lab checklist prior to the scheduled meeting and prepare any questions/concerns for your safety advisor.
  • Practice and/or ramp up good housekeeping in the lab. Lab safety rounds in 2025 noted a drop in general cleanliness and organization as the year progressed.
  • Make sure you are keeping your eyewashes flushed and documented every month.
  • Make sure you are testing your peroxide-formers every six months and documenting it on each bottle. (Ex. diethyl ether, tetrahydrofuran, 1,4-dioxane.)