Welcome to the WOEMA WINDOW. This e-newsletter is sent to members by email on a monthly basis. The e-newsletter provides links to this page. Below are the items that appeared in the September 2021 issue.

President’s Corner

By Scott A. Krasner, MD, MPH, FACOEM

I went to medical school at the time the TV show M*A*S*H was at its peak. Funny how a show about a medical unit during the Korean War lasted three times longer than the war itself. I often say that much of my knowledge and philosophy in life is attributed to those TV shows.

Alan Alda, who starred as the lead character Hawkeye Pierce on M*A*S*H, once gave the commencement speech at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, spoke on the “prescription for doctors.” During his talk, he reminded us that as physicians, we should possess our skills, and not be possessed by them. He further explained that we should give some thought to what our values are and then figure out how to live by them. He concluded by saying, “But there is one more thing you can learn about the body… The head bone is connected to the heart bone – and don’t let them come apart.”

As practicing physicians in the field of occupational and environmental medicine, we understand how easy it is to become complacent, go through each day as if, “it’s just a job.” Perhaps it’s the effects of the pandemic, perhaps it’s the accumulation of the day-to-day stresses we each encounter. However, I would encourage everyone to learn from Hawkeye Pierce (or Alan Alda as the case may be) and not be possessed by your skills, but take some time to get re-acquainted with your values, and how to re-incorporate those values back into your practice.

This is what my mission for WOEMA this year has been all about: a rededication, a rededication to your values and to ours. And this is why WOHC 2021 chose the theme: A time for Renewal, Rejuvenation, and Rising Above. It is my hope that we will all renew ourselves and refocus on those things that have value in our lives and bring us the most satisfaction.

And so I end this by repeating that whatever your endeavors are, follow them with the joy and enthusiasm that is in your hearts, and never forget that, “the head bone is connected to the heart bone.”

See you at WOHC 2021!

WOHC 2021

Book your hotel room now before the discounted rate expires September 7!

Please book your room at the Hyatt Regency Phoenix via this link to ensure that you get a room at the discounted rate of $225 plus applicable taxes. For more information about the Hyatt, click here.

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Be a Scholarship Supporter and Help a Resident Participate in WOHC

Each year, WOEMA invites resident physicians to present posters on occupational and environmental medicine research or projects that have been conducted. Additionally, informal networking increases the understanding of the career opportunities available to the OEM profession and networking opportunities will be made available at the conference for residents, young physicians, and recent graduates to meet ACOEM and WOEMA leadership.

Click here to become a Resident Scholarship Supporter — $500

Your support will be recognized on the conference website, in the mobile app, on all notices sent to residents, and on the Resident Poster Presentation page after the event.

THANK YOU TO DR. JONATHAN RUTCHIK AND DR. JAMES LESSENGER FOR SUPPORTING RESIDENTS!

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Click here for details on the mobile app

Occupational Health for Higher Education and Research Institutions: A Guide for Employee Health and Student Health Programs

Coming Soon from OEM Press

Editors

Philip Harber, MD, MPH
Beth A. Baker, MD, MPH
Mark Russi, MD, MPH

Occupational Health for Higher Education and Research Institutions: A Guide for Employee Health and Student Health Programs provides a comprehensive overview of unique occupational health challenges encountered in these institutions and how to manage them. While the organizations are extremely diverse, ranging from small colleges to large research universities, they also include technical schools, research institutes, and government agencies with extensive research activities. As such, the variety of hazards and the available preventive resources can vary widely and require understanding and collaboration among occupational medicine specialists, student health providers, and institutional health and safety officers, review committees, and administrators.

The book fills an important gap, emphasizing occupational health concerns such as evaluation and protection of research workers; recognizing and responding to biologic, chemical, and physical hazards; laboratory and large animal contact; fieldwork; legal and regulatory requirements; and other issues specific to the higher education and research industry. The book features:

  • Informative Organizational Context subchapters to guide program directors and nonspecialist administrators in essential considerations for an occupational health and safety program
  • Case studies demonstrating how technical knowledge may be applied to individual patients or specific types of programs, while pointing out pitfalls to be avoided
  • Extensive, easy-to-use lists and tables of biologic agents, clinical manifestations, surveillance testing, vaccinations, and more
  • Links to online resources to governmental and other sites—for up-to-date information about hazards and their control
  • An appendix of sample forms for use in occupational health programs
  • Contributors include six WOEMA chapter authors, three WOEMA presidents, and four ACOEM presidents, from four WOEMA states

Clinicians, occupational health and safety personnel, and responsible administrators who need an understanding of the wide range of hazards, programmatic approaches, and organizational structures present in the higher education and research industry will benefit from the authors’ considerable experience in both clinical practice and the management of programs. Use Occupational Health for Higher Education and Research Institutions to keep both employees and students healthy and safe.

Publication due December 2021. Price not yet set. ISBN: 978-1-883595-96-8

OEM Press
8 West Street
Beverly Farms, MA 01915
978-921-7300
www.oempress.com

 

6 WOEMA authors:
Roger M. Belcourt, MD, MPH
Jeremy Biggs, MD MSPH
Tee Lamont Guidotti, MD MPH DABT
Philip Harber, MD, MPH
T Warner Hudson III, MD
Marcia T. Isakari, MD, MPH

4 WOEMA States: AZ, CA, NV, UT

3 WOEMA presidents:
Roger M. Belcourt, MD, MPH
Philip Harber, MD, MPH
T Warner Hudson III, MD

4 ACOEM presidents:
Beth Baker, MD, MPH
Tee Lamont Guidotti, MD MPH DABT
T Warner Hudson III, MD
Charles Yarborough III, MD, MPH

JEDI Report

Did you check out our latest WOEMA podcast? In this podcast, we talked to Dr. Chyke Doubeni to explore health care disparities and discuss his recently published editorial, titled “Breaking Down the Web of Structural Racism in Medicine: Will JEDI Reign or Is It Mission Impossible?" You can read his recent editorial by clicking here.

Come check out the "Disparities and Diversity in OEM" session at the Western Occupational Health Conference (WOHC) in Phoenix, Arizona on Friday, October 1, 2021. In this session, we will hear from Dr. Alyx Porter about the current state of diversity in medicine and Dr. Chyke Doubeni about health care disparities and the components of a health equity framework that can help eliminate health inequities. Dr. Lynn Gerald will join them in a panel discussion and will also be speaking in another session on her experience on Native American health especially as it relates to asthma and COVID-19.

You can read more about Drs. Doubeni, Gerald, and Porter by clicking their names in the paragraphs above, and learn more about other speakers at the WOHC 2021 Conference Speakers website.

Resident's Corner

Anthony Pacini, MD, MPH received a Bachelor of Science in International Rescue and Relief from Union College, NE and holds an MD from Loma Linda University (LLU) School of Medicine. After a transitional year at Naval Medical Center San Diego, Dr. Pacini had been serving as a Navy medical officer in Hawaii prior to coming to UCSF and has recently returned to Navy active duty upon completion of the residency program fulfilling an occupational medicine position at Naval Hospital Okinawa.