About Us
The Monash Centre for Occupational and Environmental Health (MonCOEH) was established in 2008 to promote research and teaching in the broad areas of occupational and environmental health. MonCOEH is committed to further enhancing Monash's standing as a national and international leader in OEH research, education and advisory activities.
The Centre aims to foster strategic partnerships with relevant research and funding organisations and individuals, within Monash, nationally and internationally. MonCOEH has been funded by the NHMRC to build capacity in workplace public health research and link research, policy and practice in occupational health and safety in Australia.
MonCOEH's main strengths are its expertise and experience across a diverse scope of research areas using a range of research methods.
Occupational Health Research
Researchers at MonCOEH cover a wide spectrum of work-related conditions from acute injury to occupational diseases with long latencies, as well as understanding the relationship between working conditions and the onset of chronic disease such as cancer, respiratory disease and muscloskeletal disorders. The Centre is currently examining various disease-related outcomes among high risk occupational cohorts including petroleum workers, aluminium industry workers, firefighters, nurses and military veterans.
Research studies on the incidence and consequence of work injury in relation to the ageing Australian labour market as well as the increasing burden of noise induced hearing loss, mental health conditions, and gender and age differences in injury risk are being undertaken. Qualitative research studies have examined disease screening at workplaces, structures of work that lead to increased risk of injury and occupational health and safety concerns among the increasing migrant workforce.
Environmental Health Research
Research programs underway at MonCOEH investigate the role of environmental exposures such as radiofrequency from mobile phones and air pollutants in the development of chronic diseases.
Recently, researchers were successful in gaining a $2.5m Centre for Research Excellence project that will examine population health research on electromagnetic energy. The international research collaboration will include studies of brain tumors in young people, cancer and neurological outcomes in older adults, neurocognitive function in children and adolescents, personal exposure from radiofrequency sources in the community, monitoring personal exposure of radiofrequency and MRI workers and risk perception and communcation.
MonCOEH has a strong interest in the health effects of emerging technologies.
Education
MonCOEH has an extensive education and training program, delivering occupational medicine training to Monash medical students and a Masters, Graduate Diploma and Graduate Certificate in Occupational and Environmental Health. The Graduate Diploma and Masters in Occupational and Environmental Health are accredited with the Australian OHS Education Board.
The Centre runs the Monash Certificate in Clinical Occupational Medicine short course.