Jama D. VanHorne-Sealy: Council of Outstanding Early Career Engineers - 2014

Director, Radiation Safety Division Assistant Professor, Preventive Medicine and Biometrics Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences Radiation Health Advisor, Office of Health Affairs Department of Homeland Security Bethesda, Md.

When Major Jama Van-Horne-Sealy was tasked with setting up a radiation detection laboratory for the armed forces in Japan after the Fukushima disaster, she called upon her education at Oregon State. “Had I not had great training in instrumentation and analytical skills, I  wouldn’t have been able to do that. And there was no one nearby to call to help me.

I had to tap into my educational experience,” she said.Besides her work in Japan, Van-Horne-Sealy is the primary adviser on nuclear and radiation health issues for the Office of Health Affairs and the chief medical officer with the Department of Homeland Security. Concurrently, she directs radiation safety and serves as assistant professor of preventive medicine and biometrics for the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. She developed and implemented the first Radiation Safety Program for U.S. forces in Afghanistan and is a decorated member of the armed forces. 

With all her obligations, it’s amazing that she still has time for family life, but Oregon State helped cultivate her work-life balance skills. Kathryn Higley, the department head of Nuclear Engineering and Radiation Health Physics, was also an important mentor and taught VanHorne-Sealy that she could enjoy family time and still be a good scientist.“I don’t think I could have chosen a better program. Oregon State allowed me to have a wonderful balance between spending time with my family and getting a great education,” she said.