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WREN (Western
Regional Epidemiology Network) started in
1983 as a one-day addition to the West Coast Epidemiology
conference. As the focus of West Coast Epi
was on communicable diseases, an alternative organization was needed to
address other public health issues.
Today, WREN is an
annual informal gathering of state and local health department staff on
the front lines of environmental and occupational health, toxicology,
injury and chronic disease prevention. From a one-day conference of
about 20 people, we have grown to two and a half days and 60 attendees.
We meet each May in
Ashland, OR to share our work, current projects, and to discuss mutual
problems and emerging issues. The duty of hosting rotates between the
state health departments of California, Oregon, and Washington.
Participants
include state and local epidemiologists, research scientists,
industrial hygienists, health educators, managers, and others. We have
also had participants from local and state environmental departments,
state OSHA programs, ATSDR and representatives from Nevada, Utah,
Alaska, and western Canada.
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