2005 NECOEM/MaAOHN Annual Conference:
Expanding Horizons - Local and Global
December 1, 2005 - December 2, 2005 (Thursday - Friday)
Location: Renaissance Hotel, Bedford, MA
 

Thursday, December 1, 2005

7:30

-Registration, Exhibits, Continental Breakfast

8:00

-Presidents’ Welcome: John Burress, President, NECOEM; Sheila Litchfield, President, MaAOHN

Clinical Practice Skills - Work Related Illness Cases
Moderator: Sheila Litchfield RN COHN-S. Clinical skills sessions will challenge your knowledge in four key areas of occupational medicine practice: workplace dermatitis including development of treatment and prevention strategies; soft tissue injuries with determination of office treatment or surgical referral/rehabilitation and return to work criteria; airborne respiratory infections presented in clinical OEM; and infectious disease for health care workers.
 

8:15

Dermatitis in the Workplace - Kathryn Zug MD, President of the American Society of Contact Dermatitis, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center.
Penetrating Occupational Soft Tissue Injuries to the Skin and Hand - Nicholas Horangic MD, plastic surgeon, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center.
Airborne Respiratory Infection in the Workplace - Don Milton MD DrPH, Program Chair, Professor, School of Health and Environment, University of Lowell and faculty Harvard School of Public Health.
Health Care Workers Unmasked: Current and Emerging Infectious Disease Risks - Elisha Skip Atkins MD MS and Susan Loomis RN CS MSN both of Massachusetts General Hospital.

12:00

Membership Luncheons / NECOEM and MaAOHN Annual Meetings.  Members are encouraged to attend.  Brief reports from officers will be followed by discussion of current issues important to NECOEM/ACOEM and MaAOHN.

Importance of Government Agencies and Labor Organizations in Clinical OEM Practice
Moderator: Tom Gassert MD MSc. Beginning with the interdependent relationship of environmental health and occupational medicine, learn about the abuse of science in federal research and policy making and implications for occupational and environmental health science and practice. Relevant case examples will underscore the speakers presentations. Critical understanding of the role of occupational health professionals and their relationship in working with unions will complete the afternoon program.
 

1:30

Work Hazards: Just the Tip of the Iceburg - Stephanie Chalupka EdD APRN BC CNS, Univ of MA at Lowell.
Protect the Patient: The Role of OSHA and the State - Carol Bates OSHA and US Dept. of Labor, and Elise Pector MPH CIH, MA Dept. of Medical Surveillance.
Scientific Integrity at Risk: Implications for Occupational and Environmental Medicine.- Kathleen Rest PhD, Executive Director, Union of Concerned Scientists, former Deputy Director of NIOSH.
Trade Union Contributions to Injury and Illness Prevention. - James Cone MD MPH, NY Dept. of Public Health, George Nee, Director AFL/CIO Rhode Island.

Presidents’ Reception

5:15

Presidents’ Reception. All conference participants are invited to join colleagues for light refreshments, networking and conversation.

6:00

NECOEM Feature - Occupational Medicine, Forensics and the FBI.- will include crime scene and workplace safety issues for FBI forensic investigators. Bob Gaetjens MD MPH, Medical Director Pratt and Whitney Aircraft, Consultant to FBI Academy, Quantico, VA

Friday, December 2, 2005

7:30

-Registration, Exhibits, Continental Breakfast

National and Global Trends in Industrial and Environmental Health
Moderator: John Burress MD MPH.  Central to the 2005 conference, this session combines vital information for the modern OEM professional. While promoting a new role for OEM clinicians, the OHDEN will be demonstrated-its mission “to protect the health of the nation’s workforce as the critical infrastructure necessary to assure survival and continuity of all economic sectors”. The rapidly changing electronics industry is the basis for understanding global shifts in future health and safety. Specific chemical and physical hazards, including nanotechnology will be identified, prevention and treatment will be discussed. Global health and safety will highlight Dr. LaDou’s comprehensive analysis of understanding industrial impacts of disease and injury. Dr. LaDou writes that “never in history has there been as much occupational injury and disease as exists in the world today.”
 

8:00

Building an Occupational Health Disaster Expert Network (OHDEN). - Robert McLellan MD MPH, Assistant Professor of Occupational Medicine, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, Board of Directors, ACOEM.
The Global Electronics Industry: Trends, Health Hazards, Nanotechnology - Tom Gassert MD MSc, Medical Director Regional Partners in Occupational Health / Elliot Hospital, Manchester, NH, Instructor of Occupational Medicine, Harvard School of Public Health.
Global Trends and Standards in Occupational and Environmental Medicine - Joe LaDou MD, Director, International Center for Occupational Medicine, University of California School of Medicine, San Francisco, Editor-in-Chief, International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health.

Joint Awards Luncheon

12:00

Harriet Hardy Award and Nursing Excellence Awards. The Board of Directors of the New England College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine has selected Dr. Joseph LaDou as recipient of the 2005 Harriet Hardy Award. This prestigious award in occupational medicine is given to a clinician who embodies the dedication and service of Dr. Hardy (for a short biography please click here). The President of NECOEM will present the award to Dr. LaDou during the joint awards luncheon on Friday, December 2nd. During this awards luncheon, the Board of Directors of the Massachusetts Association of Occupational Health Nurses will present the prestigious Nursing Excellence awards for 2005.The purpose of these awards is to provide recognition of the outstanding services of occupational health nurses at the local and state level, to encourage men and women to begin careers in occupational health nursing and to make the public aware of the high caliber of occupational health nurses and the role they play in maintaining our nation’s health.

Harvard OEM and IH Research Update (Track 1)
Moderator: Howard Hu MD MPH ScD

1:30

-30 minute presentations on current research with practical implications:

Phthalates and Male Reproductive Health: Recent Studies Raise Concerns - Russ Hauser MD ScD MPH, Assoc. Professor Occupational Health, Harvard School of Public Health.
Lead Poisoning and Ayurvedic Medicines (Traditional Indian) - Stefanos Kales MD MPH, Director of Employee Health and Industrial Medicine, Cambridge Hospital.
Mental Stress and Occupational Health - Ashok Nimgade MD, Harvard School of Public Health.
The Impact of Physical Therapy Interventions on Disability Duration in Subjects Following Occupational Knee Injury and Meniscal Surgery -  Karen Hopcia MS APRN-BC COHN-S, Doctoral student in Occupational Health Policy.
 

Case Management Skills (Track 2)

1:30

-Three 40 minute presentations:
Attention Case Managers: New programs are directed to case manager continuing education. Workforce challenges such as absentee rates, low back pain and high risk cases require up to date management techniques to facilitate optimal case management. Experts in the field discuss comprehensive techniques for today’s case managers. CCMC credit is available.

Absence Management: 2005 Spotlight on Employee Health, Productivity and Beyond - Marie Potty BSM RN COHN-S CCM
Early Identification of High Risk Cases in Worker’s Compensation - Sheila Bennion RN CCM, Manager Medical and Disability Services, Liberty Mutual Insurance.
Recognizing Failed Low Back Treatment - Marlene Vergillo RN CCM, Manager Medical and Disability Services. Liberty Mutual Insurance.
 

Continuing Education: This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the Essential Areas and Policies of the Accredita­tion Council for Continuing Medical Education through the Joint Sponsorship of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM) and the New England College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (NECOEM).  ACOEM is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians. ACOEM designates this educational activity for a maximum of 13.50 category 1 credits toward the AMA Physician’s Recognition Award. Each physician should claim only those credits that he/she actually spent in the education activity. Maintenance of Certification: Physicians whose board certification began in 1998 are eligible for re-certification by completing examination questions available at the conference.

Nursing Credit:  Contact hours will be awarded to nurses through the American Association of Occupational Health Nurses (AAOHN).  The program qualifies for 15.9 contact hours (8.1 for Thursday, .6 for Thursday evening and 7.2 for Friday).

CaseManager and American Board of Industrial Hygiene: Up to 13 CCM credits from the Commission for Case Management Certification will be granted and 0.5 points per 0 .5 days for a total of 2.0 ABIH CM points will be awarded.

Conference Brochure
Click here for printable brochure and snail mail registration (pdf)