Dr. Laura Helmrich-Rhodes is a board certified safety professional in Comprehensive Practice (CSP) and is an associate professor in the Safety Sciences Department at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Her work experience is in insurance loss control and OSHA(7)(C)(1) Consultation. She teaches OSHA Standard related courses, general introductory courses, and supervises and coordinates senior intern activities. She is the advisor of the first Safety Sciences Honor Society, Rho Sigma Kappa. Her current areas of professional interest are technology, workforce development initiatives/partnerships, workers' with disabilities, community & industry emergency preparedness and safety culture.

Dr. Rhodes private practice has been heavily involved in the shale gas industry since 2008. Much of her spare time is spent volunteering with the American Red Cross as the local chapter president and active Disaster Action Team member. Dr. Rhodes earned her doctorate from the University of Pittsburgh, where her dissertation focused on the intersection of Human Resources and Safety Professions and the need for Human Resource professionals to gain graduate safety education. She holds a bachelor’s in Safety Sciences and a master’s degree in Industrial and Labor Relations.