Alan Joe Becker

Fredrick Humphreys Science Research Building Room 209C

Tuesdays and Thursdays 11am -12pm or by appointment

Spring 2024
PHC 6251 Public Health Preparedness for Disasters and Emergency Events
PHC 6251 Public Health Preparedness for Disasters and Emergency Events
PHC 7910 Public Health Practice for Professional students II

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I am a Professor at FAMU, Institute of Public Health and have been here for over 15 years from 2008-2023. I also taught at Missouri State University in their public health program 2007-2008. I served as an environmental health consultant providing toxicology consultation for chemical, pesticide and preparedness issues related to chemical exposures for the Florida Department of Health for 5 years from 2002 to 2007. I worked with other agencies such as Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and Department of Environmental Protection. I have 15 years of experience in all areas of the clinical lab. I was also a commander at the rank of Captain of a blood collection detachment in the army reserves at Fort Harrison in Indianapolis. I have advised more than 100 MPH students in environmental health, occupational health, and environmental epidemiology for their master’s degree Research Projects. I have served on the dissertation committee for two epidemiology doctoral students with an emphasis in environmental epidemiology related to malaria and diabetes genomics. My research interests are related to the development of a toxicology curriculum to train community leaders and trainers for a grant from the Agency for Toxic Substances Disease Registry, Racial and Ethnic Environmental Approaches to Health (REEACH) related to a Superfund Ash Site. I have served on several toxicology committees including Florida, Pesticide Review Evaluation Committee (PREC) (2003-2006), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Acute Exposure Guideline Levels (AEGL) (2006-2012) and Federal State Risk Assessment Committee (FSTRAC) (2006-2017 I have over 30 peer-reviewed publications, published abstracts, and three book chapters related to mercury, pesticide exposure and public health in the areas of metal toxicity, pesticide toxicity and chemical exposure, community training and developing a toxicology curriculum and a COVID-19 curriculum.

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• Playing guitar
• Listening to music
• Book repair
• Working and developing presentations of complex issues related to hazardous waste sites and other emerging public health issues, such as COVID-19 training and developing community education for educators and residents.
  

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• Professor, August 7th, 2019 - Present.
  Florida A&M University, Tallahassee, FL
• Associate Professor August 2013 - August 2019
  Florida A&M University, Tallahassee, FL
• Assistant Professor June 2008 - August 2013
  Florida A&M University, Tallahassee, FL
• Assistant Professor 2007-2008
  Missouri State University
• Chemical Surveillance Toxicologist October 2004 - March 2007
  Tallahassee Community College. Florida Department of Health Division of Environmental Health, Tallahassee, FL
• Pesticide Surveillance Toxicologist 2001 - 2004
  Florida Department of Health Division of Environmental Health, Tallahassee, FL

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SELECTED RECENT PUBLICATIONS:

• Becker, A., Tawk, R., Kiros, G., Suther, S., Hilliard, A., Gragg, R., Close, F., Harris, C. (2021). Physician Training Related to Hazards near Ash Superfund Sites. European Journal of Environment and Public Health.5(2), 1-8.: em0086. doi: 10.21601/ejeph/11096. Epub 2021 Jul 18. PMCID: PMC8568049.
•  Luque, J.S., Becker, A., Bossak, B.H., Tovar-Aguilar, J.A. (2019). Knowledge and practices to avoid heat-related Illness among Hispanic Farmworkers in Georgia. Journal of Agromedicine, DOI: 10.1080/1059924X.2019.1670312. PMID 31544652
  
• Mathis, A., Dutton, M., Lopez, L., Becker, A., Brown, P. (2019). After the implementation of the ACA coverage gaps among rural Latinos remain. Florida Public Health Review, 16, 64-70.
  
• Becker, A., Suther, S., Harris, C., Pawlowicz, G., Disney-Tucker, G., Dutton, M., Close, F., Hilliard, A., Gragg, R. (2019). Community-based participatory research at Jacksonville, Florida Ash Superfund site: Toxicology training to improve knowledge of the lay community. Florida Public Health Review, 15, 61-74. https://digitalcommons.unf.edu/fphr/vol15/iss1/16/ PMID: 32337512
  
• Axelrad, D.M., Saff, R.H., Salters, J.M., Becker, A.J., Jagoe, C., Owens, J.D., Ringenberg, L., Gbogbo, D., Fasakin O. (2018). Lead levels in drinking water in elementary schools in Tallahassee, Florida: Recommendations for lead exposure reduction: Pediatricians’ role. Florida Pediatric Journal, 37(1), 6-13.
  
• Seaborn, C., Suther, S., Lee, T., Kiros, G.E., Becker, A., Campbell, E., Collins-Robinson, J., (2016). Utilizing genomics through family health history with the theory of planned behavior: Prediction of type 2 diabetes risk factors and preventive behavior in an African American population in Florida. Public Health Genomics, 19(2), 69-80. PMID: 26845048
  
• Sadiq, B., Brown, P., Huffer, F., Onubogu, U., Dutton, M., Becker, A., Rahman, S., (2015). Effect of meteorological variables on malaria incidence in Ogun State, Nigeria. International Journal of Public Health and Epidemiology, 4(10), 205-215.
  
• Becker, A., Suther, S., Dutton, M., Kearney, G., Xu, X. (2015). Florida County Health Department, Environmental Health 2006 Survey: Do rural counties know “what to do” in a chemical or all hazards event? Journal of Environmental Health, 77(8), 14-19. PMID: 25619031
  
• Becker, A., Axelrad, D. (2014). Arsenic and type 2 diabetes: commentary on association of inorganic arsenic exposure with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a meta-analysis by Wang et al. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 68(5): 393-395. PMID: 24558058
  
•  Kearney, G.D., Xu, X., Balanay, J.A., Becker, A. (2014). Sun safety among farmers and farmworkers: A review of the literature. Journal of Agromedicine, 19(1), 53-65. PMID: 24417532
  
• Xu, X., Nembhard, W., Kan, H., Becker, A., Talbott, E. (2012). Residental pesticide use is associated with children’s respiratory symptoms. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 54(10): 1281-1287. PMID: 22995816
  
• Zarate, R., Becker, A. (corresponding author), Lopez, I., Schauben, J. (2012). Children vulnerability related to chlorine exposure, container confusion, and improper mixing of household chemicals. Florida Public Health Review, 9, 88-94.
•  Becker, A., Dark, T., Mason, T., Goodwin, B. (2012). 2005 hurricane surveillance: Measures to reduce carbon monoxide poisoning in all Floridians. Journal of Environmental Health. 74(9), 16-21. PMID: 22590847
  
• Goldberg, L., Heiss, C., White, L., Kaf, W., Becker, A., Schindler, J., Dion, N., Oswalt, J. (2010). Methamphetamine exposure, iron deficiency, and implications for cognitive-communicative function- A case study. Communications Disorders Quarterly. 31(3), 183-192.
  
•  Becker, A., Soliman, F.A. (2009). The role of intracellular glutathione in inorganic mercury-induced toxicity in neuroblastoma cells. Neurochemical Research. 34(9), 1677-84. PMID:

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• Delta Omega National Public Health Honorary Society
  
• Teacher of the year, 2009-2010, College of Pharmacy, Institute of Public Health
  
• Graduate Faculty Status, January 7, 2010
  
• Master’s and Doctorate Directive, October 2, 2012

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• Occupational Disease
  
• Environmental Toxicology for Public Health
  
• Public Health Perspectives of Environmental and Occupational Health
  
• Environmental Epidemiology
  
• Public Health Practice II
  
• Public Health Practice III
  
• Environmental Toxicology
  
• Public Health Preparedness for Disasters and Emergency Events
  
• Applied Community Research Methods
  
• Topics in Public Health
  
• Interprofessional Education II for Pharmacy Students
  

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