Sarah Kwan Receives EHS Award of Excellence

When Sarah Kwan began research work in the lab of Menachem Elimelech in 2012, she immediately started improving the lab’s safety culture - efforts that she has continued ever since. 

Now a Ph.D. candidate in the lab of Prof. Jordan Peccia, Kwan (left, in photo, with Pete Reinhardt, director of the Office of Environmental Health & Safety) was awarded for her tireless efforts the Yale Environmental Health & Safety Dariusz Czarnota Award of Excellence. The certificate she received states:

She volunteered to serve as the lab safety co‐manager. Sarah created simplified biomedical waste posters that were unique to her lab. To improve their effectiveness, these posters relied heavily on images over words. She developed a lab safety checklist to onboard new researchers, so that before starting work, they would complete all their relevant EHS training, including a review of their lab‐specific biomedical waste protocols. Sarah initiated a five-minute safety briefing at every lab meeting, at which time she reviewed basic safety information pertinent to their laboratory. Sarah invited EHS specialists to join them in these briefings. She even created a lab Wiki page to host the safety information, specific to their laboratory. She has since moved to Dr. Peccia’s research group, and is implementing the same great improvements there.

Sarah’s efforts have grown Yale’s safety culture. She has helped all of her colleagues gain a solid foundation in laboratory safety, and created a strong partnership with Yale EHS. Yale EHS is proud to award Sarah Kwan the Dariusz Czarnota Award of Excellence. Sarah is a true lab safety champion.