History

Over the past 5 decades, Thailand's economy has undergone a dramatic change with a rapid growth and diversification of industrial activities in the kingdom. However, such industrial growth has also presented Thailand with new challenges concerning occupational health and safety (OH&S). Emerging risks of physical, chemical, biological, ergonomic and safety hazards to the workers have been recognized. Protection against those hazardous conditions and environment in the workplaces requires the active involvement of all relevant parties including academic institutions those play important role in the development of human resources with sufficient knowledge and skill in the field of OH&S.

The Faculty of Public Health, Mahidol University (formerly University of Medical Sciences) was the first in the nation to offer the bachelor degree program in occupational health. Dated back to 1969, Prof.Dr. Malinee Wongpanich was among the pioneers in establishing the Department of Occupational Health, and served as the first Chair of Department. At present, the Department offers several OH&S programs at bachelor, master and doctoral levels. Over 2,500 students have completed the degrees and practicing as OH&S professionals in both public and private sectors. Network of graduates has been formally established as the "Association of Occupational Health and Safety Alumni of Mahidol University (OHSAM)".

All faculty members in the Department hold PhD degrees in occupational health and safety or in related fields, and are widely recognized for diverse specialization. They have long-standing experience in the fields and are competent with research in this field. Research works are continuously published internationally with highly regarded. Academic services in OH&S including industrial hygiene measurements & laboratory analyses, as well as training programs and consultation are also provided to the public.

Since its establishment, the Department has delivered remarkable strength in the development of OH&S knowledge and building OH&S capacity of human resources that contribute to the significant development of OH&S of the nation as a whole.