About the Center

Scholarship and independence are essential elements in the search for answers to complex problems, such as understanding the health risks from environmental agents.  Housed in the UM School of Public Health, the University of Michigan Risk Science Center (UMRSC) is an interdisciplinary research center that draws upon faculty from many fields, including public health, medicine, law, business, engineering, natural resources and environment, public policy, social research, economics, and communication. The UMRSC adheres to the highest standards of academic and professional integrity and promotes academic freedom in conducting a broad range of research.

UMRSC Mission

UMRSC is a Research Center and generates primary/meta data on a variety of issues surrounding environmental and occupational health in order to:

  • Address important scientific issues that result from human exposure to health hazards,
  • Provide independent and objective information for informed decision making,
  • Foster debate on policy using evidence-based risk assessment, and
  • Communicate these results to a broad audience.

UMRSC Approach

  • Research – Faculty pursue research related to exposure assessment, biological mechanisms, environmental epidemiology, risk modeling, health policy and communication
  • Graduate Education – Master’s in Public Health for Risk Science
  • Public Sector Risk Communication – Symposia, presentations, papers relating to risk communication

Academic Integrity

In accordance with the University of Michigan Policy Statement on Integrity in Scholarship, the UMRSC adheres to the highest standards of academic and professional integrity and promotes academic freedom in conducting a broad range of research endeavors. Multiple perspectives and ideas are welcome as the Center continues to shape its research agenda, engaging diverse viewpoints to ensure the success of this academic function. Center faculty receive support from a wide range of federal agency programs, foundations, and occasionally, from private companies interested in the practical application of research performed in the Center. The academic integrity, non-bias, and independence of the Center's goals and activities are not influenced by such gifts.