Dr. Paul Becker, program leader of West Virginia University’s Safety and Health Extension (S&HE) and Extension professor, will become associate director for Extension and Public Service Sept. 1.
The appointment was announced today (July 26) by Dr. Larry Cote, associate provost for Extension and Public Service and Extension director. The current associate director, B. Sue Black, is retiring Sept. 30.
“Paul’s commitment to providing needed programs for West Virginians has led to his seeking and obtaining more than $8.2 million in external grants to support University educational programs and applied research,”Dr. Cote said.”Over his 23-year WVU career, Paul has had an excellent record of developing programs addressing community needs and I am pleased that Paul has accepted this important leadership position.”
Cote said Beckers strong outreach and Extension experience includes working closely with county Extension faculty, agricultural producers, industry and labor leaders, business owners and agency representatives to implement many safety and health programs and research projects.
Becker joined the WVU Institute for Labor Studies in 1979. He was a labor studies instructor, Extension assistant professor and associate professor until 1993, when he became S&HE program leader. He also holds a joint appointment as a professor in the WVU School of Medicine’s Department of Community Medicine.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Haverford College, a master’s degree in social work with a major in community organization from Bryn Mawr College, a master’s degree in occupational and environmental health from Wayne State University, and a doctoral degree in work environment and industrial hygiene from the University of Massachusetts, Lowell. His doctoral research centered on predicting and controlling construction workers’exposure to lead.
As S&HE program leader, Becker was instrumental in obtaining a four-year $134,845 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for the West Virginia AgrAbility project. Part of a national information network, AgrAbility helps farmers and farm family members with disabilities resulting from injury, illness, aging or other causes. The goal is to help such individuals find ways to accommodate their disabilities in order to remain active in agriculture.
In addition to Extension, the project partners are the Northern West Virginia Center for Independent Living and the West Virginia Assistive Technology System of the WVU Affiliated Center for Excellence in Disabilities.
Another agriculture-related project Becker is responsible for is the Urban/Rural Pesticide Consumer Education Program, funded by the Environmental Protection Agency and the West Virginia Department of Agriculture (WVDA). In partnership with the West Virginia Nurserymen’s Association, a video on pesticide hazards is being produced for greenhouse workers.
S&HE, under Becker’s leadership, has provided leadership for the statewide Agromedicine Program that addresses health problems specific to agriculture. Other collaborators are the WVDA , the West Virginia Department of Health and Marshall University.
He is internationally known for developing and directing the Fall-Safe Partnership, a University-based program aimed at decreasing the number of falls by construction workers. It is funded by a $2.41 million grant from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.
S&HE’s Small Business Safety Outreach Program is funded by the West Virginia Division of Workers’Compensation. With direction from S&HE faculty, WVU graduate students provide occupational safety and health consultations to small businesses in all 55 West Virginia counties. Since 1997, the program has reached 959 businesses; 70 percent of the recommendations are implemented within six months.
S&HE’s West Virginia Agricultural and Rural Safety Program provides safety consultations to Extension agents and farmers, support for ATV safety, and assistance to farm safety day camps and the Farmedic program.
During the first 30 days in his new position, Becker will consult with Extension agents and constituency groups throughout the state about program priorities. He will assume full operational duties of the associate director position on Oct. 1, following Black’s retirement.
Associate Provost Cote noted that later this summer he expects to make further announcements related to strengthening overall statewide operations of Extension and its program areas.