Daniel B. Oerther, PhD, PE, DLAAS, FAAN, FNAP is a Professor of Environmental Health Engineering+Nursing. Learn more here: https://www.oerther.org/DanielOerther
Author, The Vanishing Point | Advancing V-shaped Professionals for Public and Planetary Health | Environmental Biotechnology | Humanitarian Technology | Science Diplomacy | Nurse+Engineer
Dr. Oerther is a scholar of convergence, dedicated to solving the Vanishing Point - the critical gap where technical knowledge fails because it lacks a system of care.
As a Professor of both Engineering and Nursing, Dr. Oerther leads the transition towards V-shaped professionalism where two or more disciplines pursue a deep scientific question or solve a pressing societal need. The framework leverages Benner’s I-shaped theory of novice to expert, transcends the T-shaped approach of InterProfessional Education (IPE), and introduces a Boyer pivot to advance pioneers, translators, and guides.
Dr. Oerther's own career provides cases of serial V-shaped professionalism, including: environmental biotechnology to optimize bioreactor performance; humanitarian technology to provide access to clean water and safe food through GRoWES (Global Research on Water Sanitation and Hygiene to Eliminate Stunting); science diplomacy to support livelihoods and food security in the face of a changing climate through COAST parametric insurance; the nurse+engineer prototype of STEMpathy; as well as transparency, accountability, and verifiability supporting ethical practice in an AI-first world.
As part of updating the definition of environmental engineering maintained by the U.S. Department of Labor and rewriting the field’s Body of Knowledge, Dr. Oerther's work – known as Environmental Engineering 3.0 – reframes the discipline to overcome the “care penalty” and prioritize a fiduciary responsibility to human flourishing. EE3.0 is anchored in a career of rigorous scholarship that has improved the lives of more than 500,000 people across four continents – including initiatives in Guatemala, Brazil, Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa, India, Grenada, and St. Lucia as well as in communities in urban and rural America.
In an AI-mediated world, Dr. Oerther postulates that the professional’s highest value is the accompaniment of humanity through integrated systems of care, or a convergence I call, “Ethical Stewardship“.
Dr. Oerther is an academic member of the Society of Environmental Journalists. He is a proponent of science communication, which includes authoring newspaper op-eds primarily targeting the public (outreach), journal editorials primarily targeting experts (in-reach), and online blogs and vlogs primarily bridging the gap among public and professional as well as among diverse professionals (trans-reach). Examples of his work may be found online: https://theconversation.com/profiles/daniel-b-oerther-2383204
