Nicole Cairns, M.S.

As a member of the management team of the Division of Environmental Health Sciences (DEHS), Ms. Cairns supports its mission to protect public health through environmental monitoring, emergency response and the production and validation of environmental proficiency testing (PT) samples. She oversees multiple programs within the Division and provides technical guidance and assistance to DEHS staff in maintaining accredited testing capabilities for a variety of environmental contaminants in water, soil, air, food, and cannabis products. She coordinates and manages projects within the Wadsworth Center and with the Center for Environmental Health, the Office of Cannabis Management, and other external agencies as public health needs evolve.

With over 20 years of experience working in the environmental laboratory industry, Ms. Cairns has become a valuable member of The NELAC Institute (TNI), a voluntary consensus body that authors environmental standards to support the accreditation of environmental testing laboratories and PT providers. She is an active TNI member and serves on several committees representing the Wadsworth Center as an accredited testing laboratory and PT Provider.