June T. Spector

June T. Spector

Associate Professor and Assistant Chair

Email: spectj@uw.edu

Phone: 206 897-1979

MD, MPH

[Tabs]

About

Dr. Spector is a physician-scientist with a focus on the prevention and management of adverse health outcomes related to heat exposure and other climate-related hazards in working populations. She is actively engaged in interdisciplinary research to evaluate health benefits of conservation interventions to inform progress toward sustainable development and climate goals. She has been a faculty member at the University of Washington since 2012 and holds appointments in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences and Medicine (General Internal Medicine). She is the Director of Occupational & Environmental Medicine at the University of Washington.

Affiliations

Associate Professor, Medicine - General Internal Medicine

Education

MD, Yale University
MPH, Johns Hopkins University
BA, Harvard University

MD, MPH

Associate Professor and Assistant Chair

Dr. Spector received her MD from Yale University School of Medicine in 2005 and completed her Internal Medicine residency training at Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in 2008. Following an MPH in biostatistics and epidemiology at Johns Hopkins and occupational & environmental medicine fellowship training and postdoctoral research training at the University of Washington, Dr. Spector joined the faculty in the Departments of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences and Medicine in 2012. She is the current Director of Occupational & Environmental Medicine at the University of Washington.

Research Interests

Health effects of exposure to hot conditions in working populations. Preventing adverse heat health effects and improving biological adaptation to heat.

Mentorship

Available to mentor new PhD and Master's students in autumn 2021. Contact an adviser for more information

DEOHS Students Mentored

The Relationship Between Work-life Balance, Stress, and Injury in Construction Trade Workers

Leanna Gordon | MPH, Occupational and Environmental Medicine (OEM) | 2019 | View

A randomized study of the effect of a job video on occupational health providers’ understanding of injured workers’ job tasks and return to work practices

Jessica Chuang | MPH, Occupational and Environmental Medicine (OEM) | 2019 | View

Occupational heat exposure and injury risk in Washington State construction workers

Miriam Calkins | PhD, Environmental and Occupational Hygiene (EOHY) | 2018 | View

Heat stress, heat strain, and productivity in Washington State tree fruit harvesters

Grant Quiller | MS, Occupational & Environmental Exposure Sciences (OEES) - no longer offered | 2016 | View

Relationship between Payment Schemes and Heat-Related Illness in Washington Agricultural Workers

Kristina Blank | MPH, Environmental and Occupational Health (EOH) | 2014 | View

Occupation and Hypertension Awareness, Washington State Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System 2003, 2005, 2007, and 2009

Wendy Miklos | MPH, Occupational and Environmental Medicine (OEM) | 2013 | View

Research

Interests

Develop practical methods to effectively characterize heat exposure and heat-related outcomes, and apply these methods to the development and evaluation of approaches to reduce heat-related health risks in vulnerable populations;
Evaluate and compare health benefits of different conservation interventions to inform decision-making and progress toward global sustainable development and climate goals;
Partner with communities and other stakeholders to document, enhance awareness of, and address heat health-related disparities

Publications

Recent publications

See publications list

Projects

Heat exposure, injury risk, and productivity in agricultural workers (CDC/NIOSH K01)

This project examines the association between heat exposure and traumatic injury risk in agricultural workers, assesses a potential mechanism for increased injury risk in crop workers exposed to heat stress and its relation to productivity, and examines the feasibility of using a biomarker of heat acclimation to detect workers at risk for heat-related illness (HRI) and injury. The project will: 1) estimate the association between heat exposure and injury risk in agricultural workers using established climate models and WA workers` compensation data; 2) estimate associations between heat stress, psychomotor performance, and productivity in adult outdoor crop workers in field harvest conditions; 3) assess the feasibility of using urinary 8-hydroxy-2`-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) as a biomarker of heat acclimation in field conditions; and 4) disseminate findings to the agricultural community and industry.

Projects

Characterization of potential heat-related illness risk factors and heat-associated injury risk in construction workers (DEOHS MA/AF Initiative)

This work aims to identify potential heat-related illness (HRI) risk factors in construction workers, using an existing HRI risk factors survey adapted to the construction industry, and to assess the relationship between heat stress and injury risk through measurement of heat stress and psychomotor performance in a sample of construction workers in the greater Seattle area. The results of this project are anticipated to provide valuable information about potential modifiable risk factors for HRI and its consequences that can ultimately be used to target prevention efforts.

In the news

The sun never sets on U.S. agricultural workers: UW study reveals thirst for reform

May 7, 2020 | The UW Daily | Featured: June T. Spector | View

Study: Rising temperatures will double the risk to farmworkers in the coming decades

May 1, 2020 | Grist | Featured: June T. Spector | View

It will feel much hotter in WA over the next century. We aren't prepared.

July 22, 2019 | Crosscut | Featured: June T. Spector, Kristie L. Ebi | View

Outdoor workers, athletes at greater risk for heat stroke

July 15, 2015 | UW Health Sciences NewsBeat | Featured: June T. Spector | View

Construction workers still at high risk for strains and sprains

January 19, 2017 | Reuters | Featured: June T. Spector | View

Nothing about us without us

September 20, 2018 | DEOHS HSM Blog | Featured: June T. Spector | View

Hot weather can increase risk of agricultural worker injuries

October 7, 2016 | DEOHS newsletter | Featured: June T. Spector | View

Workers can become dangerously overheated at temperatures below official limits.

July 13, 2018 | Reuters.com | Featured: June T. Spector | View

A voice for farmworkers

October 8, 2019 | DEOHS HSM Blog | Featured: June T. Spector | View

Latino Center honors DEOHS scholars

May 19, 2020 | DEOHS HSM Blog | Featured: June T. Spector, Lianne Sheppard | View

See publications on Pubmed

Education

MD (Yale University), MPH (Johns Hopkins University)

More Information

http://faculty.washington.edu/spectj/

Teaching Interests

ENV_H550 (Occupational & Environmental Disease), ENV_H 597 (Case Studies in Environmental and Occupational Health), ENV_H 596 (Current Issues in Occupational and Environmental Medicine)

Contact information

spectj@uw.edu

Tel

206-897-1979

Institution

University of Washington

Office

F-225

PO Box

357234

1959 NE Pacific Street

Seattle

98195

More Information

Faculty website

Occupational & Environmental Medicine