Fundamentals of Risk Analysis and Risk Management

Dr. Vlasta Molak is the International Coordinator and former Secretary of the Society for Risk Analysis (SRA). In 1989 she convened an international communication network to promote uses of risk analysis in solving some of the environmental problems resulting from misuse of technology. On her several trips to Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, Dr. Molak initiated activities to start chapters of the SRA in Prague (Republic of Czech), Zagreb (Croatia), Osijek (Croatia), Warsaw (Poland), Budapest (Hungary), Moscow (Russia), and Kharkov (Ukraine) with interested scientists, engineers, and policy makers in those countries. Dr. Molak represented the U.S. at a four-day workshop on "How to improve environmental awareness of local decision makers in Eastern Europe," sponsored by the European Commission. Dr. Molak taught in a training program in Brazil, which was organized by Taft's University Environmental Management Program, at the University of Cuiaba and the University of Sao Paulo. The subject was "Environmental Risk Assessment and Risk Management" for professionals involved in Brazilian environmental management. She also taught a course at the United Nations headquarters (New York) on "The Use of Risk Analysis in Sustainable Development."

Dr. Molak is the founder and president of the Biotechnology Forum, Inc. in Cincinnati and chairs the Subcommittee for Technical Interpretation of the Local Emergency Planning Committee for Hamilton County, Ohio. Under her leadership, the Biotechnology Forum has organized series of lectures and workshops. One of the workshops, "The Alaska Story: In the Context of Oil Spill Problems in the Marine Environments," with special emphasis on the biological cleanup efforts, resulted in the proceedings edited by Dr. Molak. As a chair of the Subcommittee for Technical Interpretation, Dr. Molak initiated the efforts for hazard analysis in Hamilton County, Ohio and formulated the strategy for hazard analysis. She was a member of the Planning Committee for Comparative Risk Analysis for Hamilton County (Cincinnati, Ohio) and a member of the Quality of Life Committee of the Ohio Comparative Risk Analysis Project. She presently is coordinating the efforts to deal with more complex aspects of chemical safety: process safety in manufacturing, transportation of hazardous materials, and adverse effects of routine chronic releases of toxic chemicals.

Dr. Molak has worked at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) on developing methodologies for risk analysis of toxic chemicals. These methodologies are used to derive various environmental and occupational criteria. Dr. Molak also worked for a private environmental consulting company and now is the founder and president of GAIA UNLIMITED, Inc., her own consulting company dealing with environmental and occupational risk assessment, risk management, and general environmental problems including strategies for pollution prevention. She is teaching various courses for risk analysis (including courses for local and state governments). She is also developing the AGENDA 21 PROGRAM as a dean at the Athena University, based entirely on the Internet. It is intended to be a fully accredited program promoting ideas and operational skills necessary for sustainable development. Her training is interdisciplinary: she has a B.S. in physical engineering, an M.S. in chemistry, a Ph.D. in biochemistry, and postdoctoral training in molecular genetics. Dr. Molak is a Diplomat of the American Board of Toxicology (DABT).