Dr. Robert Phalen, professor of medicine and environmental health at the University of California, Irvine, has received the 2021 Thomas T. Mercer Joint Prize from the American Association for Aerosol Research (AAAR) and the International Society for Aerosols in Medicine (ISAM) for his significant contribution in the field of aerosols and health effects with respect to air quality standards.
The award, which includes a monetary prize, recognizes excellence and achievement in the areas of medicinal aerosols and other inhaled materials, including air pollutants, occupational air contaminants, and radioactive aerosols. Phalen has directed the financial prize to go towards his research at the Air Pollution Health Effects Laboratory (APHEL) – a formal research center under the UCI Program in Public Health – where he serves as Director and has dedicated the last 50 years to studying the health effects of current and projected air pollutants inhaled by California populations.
Phalen has a joint appointment with the UCI School of Medicine and the UCI Program in Public Health’s Department of Environmental and Occupational Health.
The Mercer Award honors the legacy of Thomas T. Mercer and recognizes an individual with an exemplary career in inhalable materials and medicinal aerosols. It is awarded every year by AAAR and ISAM.
