Thank you for joining us for another episode of OccPod. In this episode, Erin and Dr. Nabeel are joined by Mr. Steve Jones and Dr. Eric Shuping to discuss toxic exposures resulting from burn pits in military personnel.

Mr. Steve Jones is the Director of Force Readiness and Health Assurance Policy for the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Readiness Policy & Oversight of the U.S. Department of Defense. Mr. Jones is responsible for developing policy for force health protection, deployment health, occupational and environmental health, burn pits, individual medical readiness, comprehensive health surveillance, and biosurveillance. He is also responsible for advising on health issues related to garrison and deployment occupational and environmental exposures. Mr. Jones is a retired Army Environmental Science and Engineering Officer and senior consultant with over 41 years of medical, public health, and environmental health experience at all levels of the Department of Defense.

Dr. Eric Shuping is the Director of Operations for Health Outcomes of Military Exposures (HOME) within the Office of Patient Care Services/Public Health of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. HOME administers various programs related to environmental and occupational exposures of U.S. Veterans during military service. Dr. Shuping came to the Veterans Health Administration after retiring from 27 years of service in the Army, and is board certified in family practice, preventive medicine, and occupational medicine. He has significant experience in environmental health issues within the Army and Department of Defense in deployed and garrison settings, including a 2006-2007 deployment to Iraq as a Theater Preventive Medicine Consultant.