Dr Kerry Gardiner was the Acting Director of the Institute of Occupational Health, University of Birmingham, from mid-2000 to early 2003. He joined the Institute in 1987, having gained approximately a year's field experience as a consultant in London directly after graduating with a degree in Occupational Hygiene. His career at the IOH started as a Research Associate with specific responsibility for a large trans-European respiratory morbidity study; from which he gained his PhD. Despite a multitude of interests his particular area of research revolves around the use of exposure data in exposure-response analyses. Over time, he was appointed to a Lectureship, followed in 1997 by a Senior Lectureship. From March 2000 until April 2001, he was the President of the British Occupational Hygiene Society; during this term he spent his time ensuring that the Society contributed actively to Securing Health Together and trying to persuade other Learned/Professional Bodies to work actively together to address the essential tenet of disease/illness prevention. He is currently visiting Professor at the University of Witwatersrand, South Africa. Malcolm Harrington CBE, BSc, MSc, MD, FRCP, FFOM, is Emeritus Professor of Occupational Health at the University of Birmingham.