Meet Our Alumni: Judith Anderson, industrial hygienist

“I couldn’t do my job now without it.”

Industrial hygienist Judith Anderson works for the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, the union that represents airline cabin crew for 18 airlines across the United States. It’s a job that she loves and has been in for more than 15 years, and the Master of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene degree was a huge advantage when it came to her career, she says.

In her role with the union, 1995 graduate Judith is able to work on policy and standards setting, but also identifying exposures for crew at work, researching hazards and advocating for members in claims. It’s a diverse and interesting career, and one she wasn’t aware of when taking the degree, so she advises graduates and prospective students to be aware of the different job options available.

The degree at UBC prepares graduates well with critical thinking skills, and provides exposure to different aspects of the field, she says, which put her in good stead to find a job that she loves with a solid background in various aspects of occupational hygiene, a hands-on field that requires problem solving and real world solutions.

“It’s practical and it’s useful and it’s interesting, and I ended up with a very rewarding job.”

While the program is a heavy workload, it’s worth it, Judith says. And as for her time at UBC, she always enjoyed the lectures of Chris van Netten, which were called ‘Storytime with Chris’, because he “always had the best stories”.

Read more about the School of Population and Public Health’s MSc OEH program.