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Jim Arbogast, Ph.D.
Hygiene Sciences and Public Health Advancements Vice President, GOJO Industries
James W. Arbogast, Ph.D., joined GOJO in 2002 and currently serves as Vice President of Hygiene Sciences and Public Health Advancements. Prior to his appointment to his current role in 2014, Dr. Arbogast held a variety of technical leadership roles in Skin Care Science, Product Development and New Technology with the company. Before joining GOJO, he gained experience in the consumer products industry with Clorox and Dial.
Dr. Arbogast has been directly involved in the formulation and national launch of hundreds of products in the laundry, air freshening, hair care, skin care, and hand hygiene markets. Under his leadership, the Skin Care Science team has conducted numerous field outcome studies with hand hygiene products to determine their real-world effect on skin condition and infection related rates. Additionally, there have been many contributions to advancing the science of hand hygiene around microbiology, clinical studies, analytical chemistry, drug stability and new product development.
Dr. Arbogast has made presentations at major scientific conferences and has authored multiple articles and patents. Dr. Arbogast, who earned a Ph.D. in organic chemistry from the University of California at Los Angeles, has more than 25 years of experience in consumer product development with more than the last 20 years focused on skin care. He resides in Bath, Ohio, with his wife and three children. For information on his research, visit his ORCiD.
Proven Risks of Refillable Soap Dispensers
5/24/2023
By Jim Arbogast, Ph.D.
Hygiene Sciences and Public Health Advancements Vice President, GOJO Industries
When you wash your hands, you expect them to be clean afterwards. Unfortunately, there is a common style of hand soap dispenser that has a high potential to leave your hands germier than before you started. At GOJO, we refer to this style of dispenser as a “refillable bulk” soap dispenser. Instead of having a sealed refill inside the dispenser that gets swapped out when it’s empty, this style of dispenser has an easy opening that someone pours soap into (for example, a hinged lid with a large bottle of soap to top it off). You’ve probably seen them in your daily outings – in public restrooms at rest stops, restaurants, and even schools. There are many different designs, but all have the same inherent risks.
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Hand Hygiene Now and Forever
11/30/2021
By Jim Arbogast, Ph.D.
Hygiene Sciences and Public Health Advancements Vice President, GOJO Industries
Handwashing Awareness Week is a good time to reflect on how our hand hygiene habits have changed since the pandemic began. You may have been negligent about keeping your hands clean pre-pandemic, but one of many things the pandemic has taught us is the importance of hand hygiene and infection prevention best practices. Experts globally, from the World Health Organization (WHO) to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), strongly agree that promoting – and practicing – good hand hygiene is an incredibly effective way to wash away or kill germs that may cause illness. Even after this pandemic passes, we should all continue practicing proper hand hygiene.
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Let’s Celebrate World Hand Hygiene Day
4/30/2021
By Jim Arbogast, Ph.D.
Hygiene Sciences and Public Health Advancements Vice President, GOJO Industries
Every year on May 5th, hospitals around the globe join the World Health Organization (WHO) to celebrate World Hand Hygiene Day and raise awareness for the importance of hand hygiene. Public health organizations around the globe join this celebration, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Health Canada.
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When to Use Soap vs. Hand Sanitizer
8/11/2020
By Jim Arbogast, Ph.D.
Hygiene Sciences and Public Health Advancements Vice President, GOJO Industries
Hand hygiene has been a primary tool in keeping the public healthy during this pandemic. Americans are washing their hands more frequently and for longer. Keeping your hands clean is one of the best ways to remove germs from your hands, but the overuse of some soaps and water can lead to dry and damaged skin. It’s important to not only keep your skin clean, but also healthy. So, when should you wash your hands and when should you sanitize them?
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Healthy Hand Habits for Everyday Life at Home
4/14/2020
By Jim Arbogast, Ph.D.
Hygiene Sciences and Public Health Advancements Vice President, GOJO Industries
While we continue to spend more time at home during this unprecedented pandemic, it’s now more important than ever to pay attention to the key moments throughout your day that you and your loved ones should be washing or sanitizing your hands. Keeping your hands clean is one of the best ways to kill germs that may cause illness.
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Let’s Celebrate with Clean Hands!
10/15/2019
By Jim Arbogast, Ph.D.
Hygiene Sciences and Public Health Advancements Vice President, GOJO Industries
Global Handwashing Day is celebrated on October 15, an annual reminder of the importance of handwashing and hand sanitizing. At GOJO, we know one of the most important measures to prevent illness and infection is through effective hand hygiene. In honor of Global Handwashing Day, we’ve partnered with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Foundation and Staples to collaboratively improve the health of our communities, through improved hand hygiene education.
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Alcohol-Based Hand Sanitizers Do Not Create Superbugs
8/3/2018
By Jim Arbogast, Ph.D.
Hygiene Sciences and Public Health Advancements Vice President, GOJO Industries
A recent study in Science Translational Medicine is causing concern amongst public health thought leaders because it is misleading, applying results inappropriately to (ethyl) alcohol-based hand sanitizers. The study tested efficacy of isopropanol (isopropyl) alcohol in a 23% concentration, whereby hand sanitizers typically use ethyl alcohol in a 70% concentration.
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