Paul Blanc

Paul Blanc is a Professor at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) School of Medicine, Department of Medicine. His research focuses on pulmonary epidemiology and toxicology, occupational/environmental health impacts on respiratory diseases, and the history of occupational medicine. A principal investigator on multiple NIH, CDC/NIOSH, and HRSA grants, his work examines interactions between workplace exposures and lung disease severity, with particular emphasis on COPD, asthma, interstitial diseases, and autoimmune conditions like rheumatoid arthritis in occupational cohorts.

• Education:
  • BA in Liberal Arts (Goddard College, 1974)
  • MSPH in Industrial Hygiene (Harvard School of Public Health, 1977)
  • MD in Medicine (Albert Einstein School of Medicine, 1982)

Blanc's research spans occupational toxicology and controlled human exposure studies, including military deployment-related respiratory illnesses, coal mining health risks, and environmental burden in rare lung diseases. His funded projects (2020-2025) address topics like occupational safety training programs, rheumatoid arthritis among miners, and veterans' pulmonary outcomes.

Recent publications analyze deployment-related smoking behaviors, COPD exacerbation reporting accuracy, and autoimmune disease outbreaks linked to occupational exposures. His work integrates clinical research with historical perspectives on industrial illnesses.

• Scientific awards include:
  • Elected Fellow, Collegium Ramazzini (2011)
  • Jarsolav Teisinger Medal (2013-2014)
  • Honorary Doctorate from Sahlgrenska Medical Academy (2017)
  • Viseltear Prize for public health history book (2019)
  • Multiple teaching and research excellence awards (2021-2022)

Blanc has served as Principal Investigator on over 15 grants since 1992, including NIH-funded studies on adult asthma disability, COPD outcomes, and deployment-related respiratory diseases. His interprofessional teaching work at UCSF earned recognition in 2022.