Project Partners of the SHP
Institute for the Development of Production and the Work Environment (IFA)
The Institute for the Development of Production and Work Environment (IFA - Corporación para el Desarrollo de la Producción y el Medio Ambiente Laboral) is a non-government organization based in Quito, Ecuador. The IFA’s mission is to promote occupational and environmental health policies, research, and advocacy in Latin America. The IFA collaborates both nationally and internationally with government agencies, workers’ organizations, universities and non-government organization. The IFA’s international collaborations include government agencies and universities of Italy, Denmark, Sweden, and the United States.
The IFA is one of the key facilitators of the entire Latin American occupational and environmental health network. Currently, the IFA holds the Vice-Presidency of the International Society of Doctors for Environment (ISDE). It is also the National Secretariat of the International Commission of Occupational Health (lCOH). The IFA has organized two recent international conferences on occupational and environmental health: (i) Collegium Ramazzini Conference in Quito, 2006, and, (ii) International Society of Doctors for Environment (ISDE) in Quito, 2008. In these both conferences, the participants included delegates of Latin American countries that have strengthened the regional collaborative occupational and environmental health network.
Department of Chemical and Biological Sciences of the University of Sonora
The mission of the Department of Chemical and Biological Sciences (DCBS) is to educate quality professionals in several chemical-biological disciplines to ethically serve our economic sectors - both the manufacturing and service industries - through generation, application, development, and transmission of knowledge to benefit our society. The DCBS is one of oldest academic programs of the University of Sonora - established in 1950s. Ever since, it has been educating many generations of specialists in chemistry, biology, clinical analysis, and food technology.
Currently, 881 students have been enrolled in the DCBS. The department consists of 42 full-time professors, 12 technicians and 27 professors of academic subjects. Professors are specialized in five major academic disciplines: organic chemistry, biology, biochemistry, physical chemistry, analytical chemistry, clinical analysis, and food technology. The DCBS has 15 classrooms, 16 laboratories specialized in different disciplines, 2 research laboratories, 1 community service laboratory, library, auditorium, and computer center. As of September 2009, the faculty members coordinate 12 different research projects.
The DCBS carries out various outreach and networking activities, including the Annual Department's Student Exhibition, the radio program entitled A Time to Science, and The Institutional Environmental Health and Safety Program of the University of Sonora (PISSA-UNISON). The DCBS also serves the community through the Laboratory of Clinical Analysis and Research of the University of Sonora (LACIUS). Since 1996, the PISSA-UNISON program has contributed to training and capacity building in the management of chemicals and hazardous wastes in different institutions of the Northwestern Region of Mexico. In addition, the DCBS has institutional cooperation agreements with the State Health Laboratory, the General State Hospital, and Research Center for Food and Development, and other.
