Aug. 1 through Nov. 1, George Washington School of Medicine & Health Sciences will offer Understanding Mold Illness: The Basics. The course is designed to teach the medical basics of mold-related illness to ancillary providers and industry professionals.

While mold exposure is well known to cause allergic responses and pulmonary disease, less well recognized is the inflammatory response it generates in vulnerable individuals. During the past decade, research studies have uncovered the systemic reactions to mold and mycotoxins, and the resultant multi-symptom, multi-system illness that arises.

The medical school’s course is designed to cover the fundamental mechanisms by which this illness arises and to offer a framework for ancillary providers and industry professionals to communicate effectively with this clinical population.

While the course is targeted to the healthcare industry, all participants will learn how to:

• Review the epidemiology of mold-related illness.
• Identify common complaints and symptoms. 
• Understand the basic pathophysiology of how mycotoxin exposure initiates an inflammatory response. 
• Synthesize common assessments and treatments. 
• Build a framework to communicate effectively with individuals affected by water-damaged buildings and mold exposure.

The course falls under the umbrella of the National Organization of Remediators and Microbial Inspectors (NORMI™) Medical Advisory Board and the Level Four Protocol and the NORMI Certified Remediation for Sensitized Individuals (NCRSI) credential. It will be taught by leading environmental health expert Dr. Andrew Heyman, MD, who also chairs the NORMI Medical Advisory Board. This initiative represents a major milestone in aligning remediation practices with medical science giving indoor air quality (IAQ) professionals, mold remediators, and water damage restoration specialists the tools to deliver safer, more effective outcomes for clients affected by mold-related illness.

Overall, 43% of U.S. adults strongly or somewhat disapprove of how U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is handling his job, while 36% strongly or somewhat approve, according to a recent survey from Pew Research.

Strong disapproval of Kennedy’s job performance also exceeds strong approval, Pew reported. Three-in-ten Americans strongly disapprove of how Kennedy is handling his job, while 16% strongly approve.

The Pew survey was conducted from April 28 to May 4, after Kennedy cut 10,000 jobs at U.S. health agencies, encouraged states to ban fluoride in drinking water, and sought to address a measles outbreak in Texas, among other actions.

But there are large differences by political party: 72% of Democrats disapprove of Kennedy’s job performance, while 66% of Republicans approve. Only 14% of Republicans disapprove of the job he is doing compared with 9% of Democrats who approve.

In both parties, Pew found people with more moderate ideological views are more likely to say they’re not sure how they feel about Kennedy’s performance.