It has been a while since I blogged on Switchboard, but it's good to be back. This summer, after 12 years as a Senior Scientist at NRDC, I took a four month sabbatical. It wasn't exactly relaxing, since I used the time for Spanish immersion in Guatemala and Mexico, and also for starting a new job at the medical school.

You see, in addition to my work at NRDC, I am also on the faculty at the U.C. San Francisco (UCSF) School of Medicine. This summer I became Director of the residency program in occupational and environmental medicine. It's exciting that one of the nation's top medical schools has decided to increase their emphasis on environmental health, and I'm happy to be a part of the effort.

After all, there's way too much work for me and my NRDC colleague Sarah Janssen (check out her great blog!), so I'm determined to crank out more bright, committed, physician-scientists who can help move us forward toward a healthier environment. So if you know any smart medical students, interns, residents...heck, even mid-career physicians looking for a change, send them my way, will you? Or have them check out the UCSF program (I can't resist a plug, since I know you Switchboard readers are well-connected!).

So I'll be an intermittent presence here on Switchboard, blogging when I want folks to know about especially exciting or egregious developments related to health and the environment. Maybe it's just that I'm rejuvinated by the sabbatical, but despite the economy and all the grim news, I'm thinking there will also be sparkles of good news to share.