Prior to joining the faculty at USF, College of Public Health, Dr. Rentos was employed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). His tenure with the CDC was in conjunction with his Commission in the U.S. Public Health Service, Commissioned Corps, where he served as Scientist Director with the rank of Captain (06). It was a fulfilling career with many challenges focused at first on the technical aspects of occupational health and primarily in industrial hygiene. Ultimately, Dr. Rentos acquired a number of administrative responsibilities including Director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Grant Research Program and Training Grant Program Officer of the NIOSH Training Grant Program with oversight of ten NIOSH Education and Training Centers.

Dr. Rentos' doctoral research centered on the integration of carbon monoxide in human subjects. He has done fundamental work in microwave radiation as employed in industrial microwave cooking ovens, has evaluated industrial hygiene related problems within research laboratories, and has assessed levels of metallic mercury exposures during mercury refining. His current research involves assessing respirable silicon dioxide dust exposures during turf harvesting.