Profiles in OEM

Ross A. Mullinax, MD, MPH

Title: Head, Occupational and Environmental Medicine

Director, Public Health Services

Naval Medical Center Portsmouth

Employer: U.S. Navy

Location: Portsmouth, Virginia

What do you do day-to-day in your OEM role?

As an OEM physician I oversee delivery of OEM services across 6 clinics in the largest Military Treatment Facility in the U.S. Navy, with a good mix of clinical and administrative duties. As Director for Public Health, I am also responsible for the departments of Preventive Medicine/Environmental Health, Industrial Hygiene, Occupational Audiology, Immunizations, Health Promotions and Wellness, and Command Fitness.

What is one of your favorite OEM career experiences?

During the COVID-19 pandemic, I served as the Public Health Emergency Officer for Navy Region Japan. Leading the team that ran the Navy’s COVID response, we had an enormous impact by protecting the health of U.S. personnel in Japan, keeping the Fleet ready to deploy on schedule, working with installations to create effective policy, and collaborating with our Japanese counterparts to maintain good relations between our countries during a challenging time. It was often exhausting work, but very satisfying and fulfilling.

Why do you like the specialty of OEM so much?

I love the diversity of opportunities in OEM. There are so many ways that I can impact the health of the workforce or community. You never get bored because you are constantly doing different things – all of which have value to your organization.

OccPod: COVID Conversations – Episode 27, Rapid vs. PCR Testing (Part 2) by OccPod: the official ACOEM podcast (spotify.com)

Michael K. Sracic, MD, MS

Title: Senior Medical Officer, Naval Special Warfare Group TWO

Employer: U.S. Navy

Location: Virginia Beach, Virginia

What do you do day-to-day in your OEM role?

I provide medical leadership at the command headquarters for all East Coast-based Naval Special Warfare Operators (SEALs) to produce, support, and deploy the finest maritime commandos on the planet. I am privileged to lead numerous Navy medical providers, Hospital Corpsmen, and Special Operations Medics as well as multiple civilian support personnel in execution of our mission at home and abroad.

What is one of your favorite OEM career experiences?

My favorite experiences have been, and continue to be, the honor of providing care to our nation’s most elite warfighters and the privilege of supporting them in execution of their mission.

Why do you like the specialty of OEM so much?

OEM has given me a broad spectrum of experience that has allowed me to operate at the tactical, operational, and strategic levels within the Joint Defense Force. From the responsibility of tactical medical training to future planning in support of broader strategic objectives, my background in clinical medicine and public health have proven invaluable in supporting the readiness and lethality that our nation, allies, and partners require.

Raúl Alexander Mirza, DO, MPH, MS, CPS/A

Title: Chief, Occupational and Environmental Medicine

Employer: Defense Centers for Public Health – Aberdeen

Location: Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland

What do you do day-to-day in your OEM role?

I lead an occupational and environmental medicine consultancy group that provides services to and implements programs that support the Department of Defense and its Components’ clinical occupational health program (OHP) activities, including managing more than 1,000 requests from OHP professionals seeking information, guidance, and onsite assistance annually. I supervise a multidisciplinary group of clinical professionals, and together we engage directly with global medicine activities and operate with a multimillion-dollar budget annually. We contribute to two occupational medicine residency programs and other educational institutions. I oversee DoD environmental medicine medical registries of Veterans and Servicemembers, have provided written and in-person testimony to the U.S. Senate and House Committees on the Armed Services, and contribute to responses from Congressional inquiries and other DoD leaders, typically concerning the impact of occupational and environmental hazards on Servicemembers.

What is one of your favorite OEM career experiences?

I served as an active-duty Occupational Medicine and Preventive Medicine Officer in the Army. The military offers boundless potential for leadership opportunities and professional variety in industrial and operational environments, culminating in a challenging and gratifying career. My favorite experience was serving in Afghanistan in 2014. In this role, my knowledge and experience as a public health clinician and advisor were tested; this was exhilarating. I have not experienced anything more professionally gratifying than protecting the personal and population health of Servicemembers in harm’s way and influencing operational decisions based on medical and hazard threat assessments and intelligence.

Why do you like the specialty of OEM so much?

I love OEM because of the variety of career possibilities available to OEM specialists, which can be outside the paradigm expected of physicians and other healthcare providers. I think this is the hallmark of what makes OEM exciting. Given any medical, occupational, or environmental challenge, OEM specialists can impact individuals, communities, and general environmental health and wellness. The magnitude of the effect of OEM specialists transcends personal health, global and environmental health, public and health policy, and socioeconomic factors at a macro and micro level.

Hannah Thompson, MD, MPH

Title: Assistant Professor, Department of Environmental Medicine and Climate Science

Employer: Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Location: New York City, New York

What do you do day-to-day in your OEM role?

I do a mixture of environmental and occupational work. My research interest is the connection between environmental factors and cancer. I also work with the Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit at Mount Sinai on initiatives to make the environments that children live in safer. My clinical work focuses on treating patients with occupational injuries through the Workers’ Compensation system. I also will be starting as the associate residency program director soon and will be precepting the residents.

What is one of your favorite OEM career experiences?

I am early in my career. My favorite experience thus far has been connecting with other researchers and clinicians doing work in the environmental medicine space. The individuals I have met are extremely passionate about their work and have become wonderful mentors.

Why do you like the specialty of OEM so much?

I really love that OEM focuses on the occupational part of one’s environment. This is critical because occupational exposures can not only affect the workers but also the workers’ families. There are so many opportunities within this space to evaluate the associations between exposures in the work environment and specific health outcomes.

Max A. Clark II, MD, MPH, MHSA

Title: Chief Physician

Employer: Disney Cruise Line

Location: Lake Buena Vista, Florida

What do you do day-to-day in your OEM role?

Manage the shipboard medical teams of the DCL, while helping to develop & improve medical protocols and policy of the DCL.  Advise DCL leadership of medical affairs & capabilities while coordinating needs of medical department with other key stakeholders inside and out of DCL.  Assist shipboard leadership when an emergency disembarkation for medical reasons is necessary. 

What is one of your favorite OEM career experiences?

I love getting to educate patients about diseases affecting their health and how it may impact their ability to function in their job safely.  Multiple times I have had patients who did not even have the most basic understanding of their diseases (e.g. hypertension or diabetes mellitus) because no one had ever sat down with them to explain it.  Also, once at Disneyland, I helped the young woman who played Ariel inside the park get back to work.  She suffered a small setback in her recovery from a minor surgery and we found a way to help her get back into the role she loved while not delaying her recovery. 

Why do you like the specialty of OEM so much?

Every day is problem-solving and never identical to the day before.  The variety of challenges needing a response never let me sit idle or get bored.  Also, I like coordinating with other professionals across a wide variety of fields and enjoy creating/updating policies.  Oh, and OEM often requires site visits to learn more about a problem or issue; who doesn’t love a field trip?!?

Fabrice Czarnecki, MD, MA, MPH

Title: Chief Medical Officer

Employer: Transportation Security Administration, US Department of Homeland Security

Location: Fairfax County, Virginia

What do you do day-to-day in your OEM role?

I lead the Office of the Chief Medical Officer at TSA. TSA has over 60,000 employees located in the US and overseas. I run a busy fitness-for-duty program. I perform job analyses and write medical requirements for selected occupations. I provide medical and public health advice to TSA leadership. My job is mostly centered on our employees (e.g., fitness-for-duty and preventive medicine) but also covers the traveling public (e.g., infection control during the COVID-19 pandemic).

What is one of your favorite OEM career experiences?

Writing medical guidelines for public safety employees (fire, police, EMS) – with my ACOEM colleagues. I have to know both medicine and the job functions that these employees are performing.

Why do you like the specialty of OEM so much?

There is never a boring day in my job. My “patient” is an entire organization: 60,000 employees – and the public we serve. This is true population health.

Farah Haq, MD, MPH

Title: Division Head, Occupational, Environmental and Clinical Preventive Medicine

Clinical Assistant Professor

Medical Director – Employee Health & Wellness

Employer: Stony Brook Medicine

Location: Stony Brook, New York

What do you do day-to-day in your OEM role?

I see occupational medicine patients and travel medicine patients at a clinic associated with an academic medical center 3 days a week. I develop occupational medicine surveillance programs for new clients at our occupational medicine clinic.

I provide occupational health consultation for our hospital, oversight of medical providers in our employee health clinic, and review of occupational health policies for our hospital.

I precept preventive medicine residents and medical students in Occupational and Environmental Medicine rotations/electives and teach a course on OEM for our preventive medicine residents. I am the specialty advisor for OEM at our academic medical center.

What is one of your favorite OEM career experiences?

Taking residents on site visits to explore OEM hazards in a workplace setting.

Why do you like the specialty of OEM so much?

The variety of career opportunities in OEM is a huge draw. In my job, I have a variety of clinical, administrative and teaching activities that makes each day different and unique. It is also rewarding to be a resource to other health care professionals on regulatory health issues and prevention

Romero Santiago, MD, MPH

Title: Attending Physician & Clinical Assistant Professor – Occupational & Environmental Medicine | Employee Health

Employer: Carle Health & University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (Carle Illinois College of Medicine)

Location: Champaign-Urbana, Illinois

What do you do day-to-day in your OEM role?

My OEM clinical practice is well-balanced, with about 50% of my office visits consisting of end-to-end care of injured workers (workers compensation), with the other 50% being various types of physical exams, including new hire, fitness-for-duty, return-to-work, and surveillance exams. I am also participating in matters as related to Employee Health, such as managing the process of reviewing requests for medical exemption of vaccines, including that of the flu and COVID vaccines, and working closely with various departments including Human Resources, Infection Prevention, and Risk Management. In this role, I am fortunate to be serving the needs of Carle Health system employees as well as employees of various employers comprising the full spectrum of industries in the Champaign-Urbana area and surrounding areas in Central Illinois. I also precept medical students and residents on a regular basis, having the opportunity to show the next generation the true breadth and depth of OEM.

What is one of your favorite OEM career experiences?

As an early career OEM physician, having done my initial residency training in Family and Community Medicine prior to OEM fellowship training, to be honest, every single day of working in the OEM arena has been a highlight and privilege. Having the opportunity to interact with individual workers of all walks of life and all types of industries, including when participating in site visits of our clients’ workplaces, is such an honor. The care we provide is not like that provided by any other specialty. Our medical care as well as our medical decisions have direct economic implications for an individual worker and his/her family and future, which is something I have consistently shared with my health system’s leadership and other colleagues. I get to think about the microscopic and macroscopic aspects with the care of each worker, constantly implementing NIOSH’s Hierarchy of Controls and Total Worker Health concepts. Furthermore, given my Family Medicine background, I am constantly interfacing with workers who do not have a primary care physician and therefore I am able to empower them with the tools to optimize their personal health and well-being as well. 

Why do you like the specialty of OEM so much?

OEM is truly the best medical specialty there is, not only in the rich breadth and depth one can engage with on a professional level, but also OEM provides the best work-life well-being one could ask for in medicine where one can optimize sustainability in a career in medicine. In seeing how many of my colleagues are grappling with burnout and disillusionment, I was truly determined to find an avenue where I can create a sustainable career in medicine and have the best chance of actualizing the recognition that my medical school colleagues gave me of being the “Most Likely Never to Retire.” Everyone I have met in OEM, regardless of years of practice in the specialty, continues to maintain vibrancy and optimism. OEM is the most interdisciplinary specialty there is in medicine, where I can interface with numerous stakeholders of various backgrounds, not only in the care of an individual worker but also during system-level discussions. In addition, outside of my daytime role, OEM has enabled me to immerse myself meaningfully in organized medicine activities at the local, state, and national level, with potential for international outreach, to provide the OEM lens and perspective to discussions and increase the visibility of OEM. One specific example of this is in my service currently on the ACOEM Delegation to the American Medical Association House of Delegates, where I have the chance to share what makes OEM unique to numerous colleagues from across the country.

Ana E. Nobis, MD, MPH

Title: Medical Director, Occupational Health 

Employer: Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Location: Nashville, Tennessee

What do you do day-to-day in your OEM role?

I love the variety my job provides as well as the leadership opportunities.  My time is spent seeing medical center and university employees for work injuries, acute care, or surveillance exams.  I also spend time gathering, interpreting, and presenting data (eg, what is our medical center’s immunization compliance rates?) to our collaborating partners in infection prevention, risk management, and other safety-related committees.  As the leader of our team, I spend time with each of my team members to make sure they have what they need to take care of our employee-patients.  Great patient care starts with great employee care. 

What is one of your favorite OEM career experiences?

I have really loved creating cohesion in our clinic.  The people around me are my work family, and a lot of the same rules that help a family live and work together in harmony apply in the workplace:  respectful, open, and honest communication…and spending time together just having fun!  We make time to celebrate our staff through events such as our annual staff picnic and annual pancake breakfast for our administrative assistants. 

In terms of patient care, one of my greatest honors was being on the team that rolled out the COVID vaccine when it became available to healthcare workers.  There were tears of happiness and gratitude in our eyes, and in the employees’ eyes. 

Why do you like the specialty of OEM so much?

OEM can take so many forms, but in all its iterations OEM is rooted in social justice.  It is about ensuring the safety, health, and well-being of workers so they can do their jobs, make the world a better place, and go home to their families to enjoy the fruits of their labor. 

“Improving influenza immunization rates: Hosting a successful mass vaccination event” – Vanderbilt University Medical Center on Vimeo

Michael Berneking, MD

Title: Medical Director

Flight Surgeon

Employer: Bronson ProHealth

Michigan Army National Guard

Location: Kalamazoo, Michigan

Grand Ledge, Michigan

What do you do day-to-day in your OEM role?

I am privileged to lead a talented team of occupational medicine professionals providing care to clients throughout Southwest Michigan.  As part of my practice, I have a significant aviation medicine element performing medical exams for pilots and air traffic controllers.   I also care for Bronson employees, performing the full range of occupational medicine:  occupational injury/illness care, medical surveillance, pre-placement evaluations, drug and alcohol testing, etc.  Lastly, I have administrative duties such as hospital committees and clinician oversight.  I am also fortunate to be able to do some resident teaching.

For my “second job,” I am a flight surgeon for the Army National Guard.  As such, we are responsible for medical oversight and fitness of all personnel in an aviation position – pilots, aircrew, controllers, UAS operators.  This includes all elements of traditional occupational medicine – injury/illness evaluations, medical surveillance, and fitness for duty. 

What is one of your favorite OEM career experiences?

Probably my all-time favorite is I had a very large truck driver that left my office extremely angry and abusive when I asked that he have a sleep apnea evaluation.  The encounter ended poorly and because of his actions, we asked him not to return to our office.  About three years later he came in and profusely thanked me and apologized for his behavior.  He ended up getting that evaluation, was diagnosed with severe sleep apnea, and treated.  He told me he did not know how bad he felt and once he was treated, he had more energy, felt more rested and an was able to take better care of himself.  He lost nearly 100 pounds of weight and never felt better.  He told me I saved his life.  Encounters like that make the bad days worth it.

Why do you like the specialty of OEM so much?

I love the variety and scope of OEM.  I started as a family physician and while rewarding, I found certain aspects of it frustrating.  With OEM I fell I am able to make a real impact on patients’ wellbeing and health.  In any one day, I evaluate and treat with the goal of returning a patient to full function to the benefit of them and their employer.  I am a counselor discussing ways to improve a patient’s health and wellness, and not even just with respect to work but to their health in general.  I contribute to public safety by ensuring operators in safety sensitive work meet standards.  I teach and mentor, whether it be patients or fellow medical professionals.  I am still a student – constantly learning.  In my second job, I get to fly and perform as an aircraft crew member.  My practice covers the spectrum of medicine – orthopedics, infectious disease, neurology, toxicology, family medicine, psychology, minor surgery, and the business of medicine.  For the most part, I find that the patients are also engaged and motivated to improve or maintain their health.  With that depth of practice, I am rewarded, never bored or unchallenged. 

Melanie Swift, MD, MPH

Title: Interim Chair, Division of Public Health, Infectious Diseases and Occupational Medicine

Medical Director, Physician Health Center

Associate Medical Director, Occupational Health Services

Employer: Mayo Clinic

Location: Rochester, Minnesota

What do you do day-to-day in your OEM role?

In clinic, I evaluate and manage injured or exposed workers, perform fitness for duty assessments, certify commercial drivers, and review abnormal drug screens. I provide consultation for other physicians when their patients’ health condition impacts their job. I oversee large prevention, surveillance, and exposure management programs for healthcare workers and biomedical researchers. I conduct quality improvement and research projects, and publish our findings in the medical literature. In my administrative and leadership roles, I work to advance our practice and the careers of other physicians, and to ensure we deliver high quality care to our patients. I teach medical students, residents, fellows, and advanced practice providers. Mostly, I learn something new. Every day.

What is one of your favorite OEM career experiences?

Only one?!? Leading a multidisciplinary emergency preparedness exercise that garnered a Guinness World Record for most vaccinations in a day (12,850 since you ask, but we later did over 14,000…just sayin’…) Consulting with researchers and experts from the FDA and CDC to design a new surveillance and exposure management program to protect laboratory staff handling diphtheria toxin so highly concentrated that 0.1 ml could kill 214 adults. Helping a doctor with a disabling condition find a way to return to practice. Helping design and implement a massive contact tracing and healthcare worker COVID management system. I could go on!

Why do you like the specialty of OEM so much?

I didn’t start out in OEM. I was an internist, and took a position as medical director of an occupational health program. I predicted it would be a brief interlude and I would return to primary care. Almost immediately I was captivated. I treated a researcher who had been bitten by a macaque (a monkey that carries a zoonotic virus that is highly lethal to humans), a surgeon exposed to HIV, a laser eye injury. This was in week one! What I love about OEM is that every week there’s a new challenge to tackle. An emerging pathogen, a new regulation, a new technology or hazard that impacts worker health, a new problem to solve. OEM is complex work, requiring knowledge of clinical medicine, employment law, labor regulations, systems and processes, and interdisciplinary teamwork. OEM challenges every part of my brain, while satisfying my need to help others. When I can work with a team, solving tough challenges and employing creative solutions, and at the end of the day make a real difference in the safety and health of hundreds or thousands of workers – or sometimes just ONE worker – it’s a good day.

Manijeh Berenji, MD, MPH

Title: Chief of Occupational Health

Associate Clinical Professor

Employer: VA Long Beach Healthcare System

UC Irvine School of Medicine/Wen School of Public Health

Location: Long Beach, California

Irvine, California

What do you do day-to-day in your OEM role?

My main job: I run the medical center occupational health program at VA Long Beach, where we take care of approximately 4,500 VA employees. The work includes injury and illness care, immunizations and vaccination programming, medical surveillance examinations, and policy and procedure development for occupational health and safety at the facility level.

I am also the Site Director for our Occupational and Environmental Medicine residency program at UC Irvine, where I precept the residents rotating through VA Long Beach and help facilitate VA-based rotations in specialties including PM&R, dermatology, pulmonology, ophthalmology, and psychiatry.

Lastly, I conduct medico-legal consultations as a qualified medical examiner for the Department of Workers Compensation in the State of California as well as serve as an internationally qualified independent medical examiner in occupational and environmental toxicology.

What is one of your favorite OEM career experiences?

Taking care of Boston City police officers, EMS, and firefighters at Boston Medical Center where I ran the work injury clinic in the Department of Orthopedics from 2017-2021. I assessed these workers for their injuries and helped optimize return-to-work outcomes to ensure that these workers were being treated fairly and accordingly.

Why do you like the specialty of OEM so much?

The breadth of expertise – we have expertise in so many areas (orthopedics, pain management, infectious disease, toxicology, and disaster preparedness, to name a few), we can disseminate knowledge and expertise to various stakeholders efficiently and expeditiously.

Manijeh Berenji, MD, MPH, and Her Work with Veterans, Environmental Medicine, and the Importance of Medical Informatics

David S. Cockrum, MD, MPH

Title: Medical Director, Occupational & Environmental Medicine

Employer: Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center

Location: Lebanon, New Hampshire

What do you do day-to-day in your OEM role?

I am primarily an administrator. I oversee the employee health functions for Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, an academic medical center with over 10,000 employees. I also support employee health functions at 6 other hospital facilities that are part of the larger Dartmouth Health network. I see patients ½ day per week and supervise one OEM physician and two OEM APPs who provide the clinical care to our employees.

What is one of your favorite OEM career experiences?

While serving in the Air Force, I had the privilege of serving as a flight surgeon. While Aerospace Medicine is a specialty alongside Occupational and Environmental Medicine, it is in many ways a very focused form of occupational medicine. Flying with my aircrew taught me to understand the work environment and how the non-work environment can impact work.

Why do you like the specialty of OEM so much?

I love the breadth of challenges in this specialty. OEM has a significant “administrative” component to its practice, but the administrative activities can directly impact the health of workers as well as the workplace in general. It is truly gratifying to see how my expertise can lead to changes in workplace management or policy that positively impacts the workers and their lives.

Ian M. Porter, MD, MPH

Title: Staff Physician, Occupational & Environmental Medicine

Employer: Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center

Location: Lebanon, New Hampshire

What do you do day-to-day in your OEM role?

I am the staff physician for employee health at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC).   DHMC is an academic medical center with over 10,000 employees. I see patients 5 days a week from both the medical center and the community.  My patient visits can encompass employee express care, worker’s compensation, telehealth, MRO, and FAA medical examinations.   I also function to increase access to care in the rural setting as I travel once weekly to see patients in 3 other satellite clinics.

What is one of your favorite OEM career experiences?

I am a Navy retired veteran.  I had the privilege of serving our great country as a flight surgeon.  Flight surgery has tremendous overlap with occupational medicine.  During COVID-19, this was a very challenging role working within the operational community.  While it was tough, I also made the best memories and friends during that time.   I am forever grateful for that experience. 

Why do you like the specialty of OEM so much?

I like the specialty of OEM because we have a chance to positively impact the lives of the workers from our community on a daily basis.  When I leave work, I may interact with some of our workers in the community… that is a really fulfilling reminder of why I chose this specialty.  

Jesse H. Monestersky, DO, MPH, MS, DTM&H

Title: OEM Staff Physician

Employer: Defense Centers for Public Health – Aberdeen

Location: Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland

What do you do day-to-day in your OEM role?

I provide all aspects of OEM consultation at the enterprise level of the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD).  The DoD has over 200 occupational health (OH) clinics that support 750,000 employees worldwide.  Over two million service members are subject to a wide variety of occupational exposures, some of which are military-unique and some which arise in combat situations.  Such a vast OH program requires policymaking, oversight, clinical consultation, and clinical response for difficult and unusual occupational cases and environmental exposures.  Each day is unique, ranging from primary prevention efforts (such as ensuring health risks associated with procured weapons systems are minimized before being fielded) to secondary prevention (such as ensuring that OSHA-required and DoD-required medical surveillance is provided) to tertiary prevention (such as responding to unanticipated environmental exposures from combat and training).  Every aspect of my OEM training is challenged and applied on a regular basis to address unusual exposures in novel situations. 

What is one of your favorite OEM career experiences?

I did an active duty Navy tour at United Stated Pacific Command, Hawaii. The best part of that job was extensive international travel in which I set up multilateral engagements with foreign medical departments. The purpose was to organize medical education seminars and symposia. The larger purpose was military diplomacy.

Why do you like the specialty of OEM so much?

It is a niche specialty that is under-recognized and often under-appreciated, in which we can all make a huge difference in bettering the lives of our working population. It has a preventive medicine focus, with the goal of prevention of disease. It is public health medicine at its best. No one else in any medical specialty does what we do. In fact, most medical and surgical specialties have little if any idea of what we do, yet we make a huge difference in the population we serve. I completed formal training in family medicine, occupational and environmental medicine, aerospace medicine, general preventive medicine, hyperbaric medicine, and tropical medicine. Within OEM, I can apply all that I learned in all these residencies and fellowships.

Andy Chern, MD, MPH

Title: Deputy Chief, Occupational Safety & Health Branch / Health Services Division

Employer: Federal Bureau of Prisons

Location: Washington, DC

What do you do day-to-day in your OEM role?

My day-to-day role spans working with various correctional institution HR offices, Bureau employment law attorneys, and sections within our own Branch to assist in resolving employee-related medical cases. These cases may involve specific medical restrictions/limitations, reasonable accommodation requests, fitness for duty issues, workers’ compensation injuries/illnesses, and more.

What is one of your favorite OEM career experiences?

The COVID-19 pandemic was an unprecedented event in my lifetime. While tremendous stress, anxiety, morbidity, and, unfortunately, mortality rose out of the pandemic, as a public health, preventive medicine, and occupational medicine physician, my role and involvement during the pandemic was extremely formative, especially considering all aspects to include the professional and personal components.

Why do you like the specialty of OEM so much?

OEM is such a diverse and nuanced specialty. When done well, there is a lot of value that an OEM physician can bring to their organization. This is especially true given the current climate of medicine in the US, which is very reactive in nature.

Marygrace Hajec, MD, MPH

Title: Occupational Medicine Director

Employer: Virginia State Police

Location: North Chesterfield, Virginia

What do you do day-to-day in your OEM role?

Review current State Police medical policy and procedure, establish new protocols, and standard operating procedures. Implement new programs focused on promoting health and wellness, from healthy eating and meal prepping and quick HIIT workouts to mental wellness for first responders. Promote preventive medicine, immunizations, and lifestyle medicine approaches for all sworn and civilian employees. Follow OSHA regulations and make sure SOPs respect these criteria. Visit with different branches to assess any needs for changes to SOPs (dispatchers, first responders, tactical team, search, and rescue), implement modernization and innovation to a department. Provide surveillance medical visits and laboratory review. Assess workman’s compensation (WC) injuries and illness as well as data for the state WC claims and statistics. Sit on Safety Committee meetings for the agency and state. Assess the need for independent medical evaluations and fitness-for-duty examinations as well as pre-employment candidates for post-offer physicals, be available for Trooper candidates during physical fitness training and “Drop Day.” Have an open dooor for sworn and civilian for medical questions and concerns. Oversee potential bloodborne pathogen exposures and infectious disease exposures. Collaborate with the safety department and conduct investigations and industrial hygiene surveillance monitoring. Provide gas mask fittings and evaluations. Build an improved internal medical department. Provide vaccines. Collaborate with community Occupational Physicians regarding candidacy and fitness for duty, and IMEs.  Review physical standards including vitals, anthropomorphic measures, audiograms, and vision tests. Review Physical fitness standards and performance-based assessments. Attend conferences related to law enforcement organizations and first responder health and fitness. Learn the culture of first responders and law enforcement. Support the medical and cognitive health and serve the fine women and men that protect and serve the Commonwealth of Virginia. Promote and encourage health, safety and wellness for all employees, civilians and sworn.

What is one of your favorite OEM career experiences?

Had a workman’s compensation patient that had a sprained ankle & hip, and she presented with signs of preeclampsia. I encouraged her to quickly get to the emergency department and she had a healthy baby delivered soon after. Other patients I sent for emergent spinal and testicular surgery, had urgent surgery for cauda equina and testicular torsion that was mobility and organ sparing, respectively. Performing lower leg and ankle anesthesia block for a complex open wound with multiple lacerations for a patient that didn’t want to go to the emergency room and completing complex laceration repair. Repairing facial lacerations with cosmetic suture closures using my prior surgical training and preventing disfigurement. Being able to provide injections for pain management for appropriate conditions as part of a treatment regimen. Enabling workers to return to their job and livelihood and provide for themselves and families. Helping employees change their mindset and foster resiliency and not victimhood. Assisting employers and agencies to get injured or ill workers back to work with temporary restrictions and maintaining open communication to facilitate recovery and full duty. Keeping employees safe and educating workforces so they can carry out their mission while protecting themselves.

Why do you like the specialty of OEM so much?

There is so much variety – the ability to use different skill sets, research opportunities, room for career growth, collegial support and mentorship, and a lifestyle that allows you to prioritize family, children, and personal avocations. The specialty is wholistic in its treatment of patients and workers and allows a physician to have a full life that allows us to practice what we preach. I’m very excited to see the transformation of Occupational Medicine in promoting lifestyle medicine and preventive medicine approaches to address chronic disease and lifestyle modifications as well as peripheral pain management tools and the incorporation of AI and deployment of telemedicine.

Laura Girandola Gillis, MD, MPH

Title: Chief Medical Officer and General Director

Employer: Union Pacific Railroad

Location: Omaha, Nebraska

What do you do day-to-day in your OEM role?

Every day is different but can be filled with a variety of core OEM tasks for our employees.  These include things like reviewing regulatory compliance exams for hearing conservation, lead, silica, etc. or certification exams for the Federal Railroad Administration or for commercial truck drivers.  I speak with employees almost daily regarding fitness for duty and return to work issues, and these conversations often involve union leaders as well.  I participate in working groups to implement new regulations and help make new company policies.  I consult on drug testing issues and any other issues that involve medical questions and employee health. I also oversee a team of occupational health nurses imbedded in the field and assist with the Industrial Hygiene team.  I oversee wellness programs and participate in litigation when needed.  I also manage the occupational injuries and all of the company medical accommodation requests. 

What is one of your favorite OEM career experiences?

This is a hard question because there are so many!  One of the more memorable experiences was when I was the US Federal Maritime Surgeon and was touring the port of Houston, Texas.  I had the opportunity to be with some of the Houston Harbor Pilots, who navigate large vessels into the port.  As part of that event, I rode the pilot boat out to a huge cargo ship with the harbor pilot.  I then had to jump from the small pilot boat onto a Jacob’s ladder (a rope ladder) and climb several hundred feet up the side of the cargo ship to get onboard.  It was dangerous and breathtaking…and to me, exemplifies why occupational medicine is the best specialty.  No other specialty gives you opportunities to truly understand what workers experience and that experience affords us unique perspectives that can often save lives.

Why do you like the specialty of OEM so much?

I love the problem-solving challenges and the dynamic variability of my days.  No two days are the same and the problems I encounter challenge my knowledge of medicine, business, and process improvement.  Oftentimes, the medical issue is the easiest part of the task in front of me.  Occupational medicine means you are never bored!

OccPod – Episode 58, ACOEM’s Presidential Line by OccPod: the official ACOEM podcast (spotify.com)

Stephanie Barnhart, MD, MPH

Title: Assistant Global Medical Director

Employer: Citigroup

Location: New York City, New York

What do you do day-to-day in your OEM role?

My role as corporate medical director for a global financial institution involves oversight and management of the clinical care delivered to Citi employees at the on-site medical clinics and the execution of well-being strategy for the enterprise.  Citi operates on-site medical clinics or rooms in over 20 countries across the globe.  Many countries have more than one clinic location – there are 8 locations in the United States and 11 in India, for example.  At the clinics we provide acute illness and injury care, conduct annual health screenings, and manage chronic conditions such as hypertension and diabetes. 

We deliver the well-being strategy through vaccination programs, screening activities, and education campaigns intended to help employees thrive at work and at home.  The emphasis is prevention and takes a holistic approach to supporting the physical, mental, social, and financial well-being of employees and their families.

A large part of my role day-to-day involves consultation with Human Resources, Labor Relations, and Legal counsel to ensure policy and procedure protect employee safety at work.  We assist with return-to-work planning, leave management, accommodations requests, as well as participation in task forces involving health risks.

What is one of your favorite OEM career experiences?

One of my favorite career experiences is working with the on-site medical clinic in Heredia, Costa Rica.  When the clinic came under my responsibility it was facing several administrative challenges – paper medical records, an obsolete scheduling system, and space constraints (due to storage of boxes and boxes of paper charts).  The employees valued the clinical expertise of the staff but were frustrated by the inability to access the resource reliably.  After hiring local support, we were able to launch an electronic medical record which resolved the documentation and scheduling issues (at no additional cost!) and digitalize the paper charts.  We implemented a patient satisfaction survey so we could collect data regarding the employee experience at the clinic. 

A highlight for me was visiting the clinic over the summer and meeting the team in person.  They’re truly passionate about worker health and safety and committed to total worker health.  Removing the administrative burdens has permitted them to serve patients better.  Pura Vida!.

Why do you like the specialty of OEM so much?

OEM is a fantastic specialty with wide range of practice settings.  I truly enjoyed managing the fitness for-work and drug and alcohol testing programs in my former role at a utility company.  It allowed me to consider individual circumstances in the context of public safety.  I also very much enjoy corporate health and wellness.  It’s exciting to be part of strategy and benefit design for employees working in many different countries with different cultures and languages. Understanding the nuances of what is valuable and how to facilitate access to care makes it interesting.

Scott Levy, MD, MPH

Title: Regional Medical Manager, The Americas

Employer: Chevron Corporation

Location: Houston, Texas

What do you do day-to-day in your OEM role?

I keep our workforce and communities safe, productive and healthy by leading teams of health experts to serve our locations around the world.  I design and manage fit for purpose health solutions based on the complexity of the work environment and availability of local medical resources. I support our health-related social investments, advise leadership on upcoming trends and threats to our ability to support our populations and ensure our teams have the tools to deliver what’s needed to be successful.

What is one of your favorite OEM career experiences?

I was living in Singapore and there was a serious issue with air quality across Southeast Asia as a result of slash and burn land clearing in Indonesia. We had a large oil camp in Sumatra and the air quality was very poor. The low visibility shut down air traffic and what would normally be a short 45 minute flight from Singapore to Rumbai, took me 16 hours by boat and car to get me into the camp.   The opportunity to work with our local teams to develop solutions to protect our workers and their families, maintain safe operations, and support the local school while maintaining our ability to medically evacuate our people to safety required a massive endeavor amongst a really amazing team.

Why do you like the specialty of OEM so much?

The diversity of the specialty is amazing and the ability to make a difference to large populations is inspiring. I love the practice of medicine and feel that focusing on the impact and dynamics of one’s work and/or environment to their health is deeply rewarding.  

woema-newsletter-june-2019.pdf

Richard A. Vinroot Jr., MD, MPH

Title: Vice President-Global Medical Director

Employer: Freeport-McMoRan

Location: Phoenix, Arizona and Global Operations

What do you do day-to-day in your OEM role?

Advising leadership and operations of one of the largest global mining companies, regarding medical and public health issues which affect the company daily and could affect the company going forward. Managing and monitoring occupational and community medical providers embedded at all our global operations. Providing the company with medical protocols which ensure a healthy and fit workforce. Working with benefits and human resources to create medical benefits and wellness programs which are best in class for all employees, contractors, and their dependents.

What is one of your favorite OEM career experiences?

Being tasked by my company to lead our medical and public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which we maneuvered through successfully. We had minimal mortality and morbidity and had very limited disruption to our operations. We exited the other side of pandemic a stronger and more resilient company and it is my hope that I had a positive involvement in this outcome.

Why do you like the specialty of OEM so much?

As a physician it requires you to not only use your medical and public health knowledge, but also develop business and strategic skills which allow you to not only take care of the employees and their dependents, but also the business and the company itself. It allows you to have a huge impact on communities, employees, families, and industry.

Brian J. Shiozawa, MD, MPH, MHA

Title: Chief, Occupational Health Clinic

Alexander T. Augusta Military Medical Center

Employer: U.S. Army

Location: Fort Belvoir, Virginia

What do you do day-to-day in your OEM role?

I oversee the staff and operations of the Occupational Health Clinic at AT Augusta Military Medical Center. We provide Medical Center Occupational Health to the medical staff as well as support agencies and other entities on the installation. We perform occupational health examinations, including pre-hire, initial, periodic, fit-for-duty, and termination. I am also the Public Health Emergency Officer (PHEO) for Fort Belvoir and provide public health guidance for both the hospital commander and garrison commander with regard to new and emerging public health threats.

What is one of your favorite OEM career experiences?

As the Command Surgeon for Joint Munitions Command at Rock Island Arsenal (RIA), Illinois, I supported the Commander, a Brigadier General (one-star) with public health and occupational health guidance with regard to the operations at each of more than 12 munitions installations across the continental United States. During the pandemic, this role expanded to include COVID-19 public health guidance and vaccination information and administration. I also provided executive medicine and readiness examinations to the JMC Commander, installation commanders, and JMC headquarters uniformed staff. There is a small primary care and occupational health clinic at RIA that provides an opportunity to practice medicine locally on the Arsenal.

Why do you like the specialty of OEM so much?

OEM is an awesome and underrated specialty! I enjoy being able to make complex medical and administrative decisions for the employers, employees, and other clients that we have. I can apply my clinical medicine skills to have practical and meaningful impacts across a variety of venues. I also can balance my family and personal life extremely well in this specialty. The community of OEM has been extremely friendly and welcoming to me. I have found through OEM a place where I can make a rewarding positive contribution to my peers and my profession.

Jill Rosenthal, MD, MPH, MA, MSQM

Title: Chief Medical Officer

Employer: Zenith Insurance Company, a Fairfax Financial Company

Location: remote from Boca Raton, Florida

What do you do day-to-day in your OEM role?

Each day brings variety. Some days I am focused on policy creation. Other days are centered around chart reviews. I am engaged in collaborative care management daily. I identify safety and health risks and solutions. I create strategies to increase the efficiency of how we work as a department and as a company and of how care is delivered. I address fiduciary concerns that do not add to the value of the care delivered. I evaluate how physicians and advanced practice providers help our injured workers achieve a sustainable recovery as efficiently as possible. I consult for our wellness program and group health insurance benefit and advise our sister companies and P&C business partners.  I look at individual claims as well as the data that represents our population of injured workers, always trying to identify opportunities to get people back to their normal state of health while preventing others from experiencing a similar injury or illness. I manage a team of approximately 60 clinicians, and people management ends up being a significant part of my job. I aim to ensure my team is engaged in satisfying work in a thriving, safe, and responsive environment.  I am honored to lead our national medical team of physicians, surgeons, nurses, medical assistants, and a pharmacist. I collaborate with my partners in claims, legal, underwriting, marketing, safety and health, regional and executive leadership, HR, and even our special investigations unit. I love what I do.

What is one of your favorite OEM career experiences?

One of my favorite OEM jobs was as a medical director for the GM automotive plant in Doraville, Georgia. I worked side by side with union representatives, corporate management, plant management, an ergonomist, and nurses to keep the plant workers safe and healthy. I was able to make an impact on and be present for all 3 shifts while also balancing my role as mom to 4 young children. I worked with incredibly talented nurses to take care of the workers in house for any care needs they had that fell within my scope of practice. I helped create the panels of specialists to care for our employees with work-related injuries. We would do weekly rounds around the plant to address known concerns and to identify any new issues. Being able to interact with the employees, union, and management was valuable and rewarding.

Why do you like the specialty of OEM so much?

I love being an Occupational and Environmental Medicine physician. The biopsychosocial approach to health and wellness aligns with my education and core values and beliefs. I appreciate being able to impact how care is delivered, by whom, and where. Being able to impact global public health and economics while never compromising the quality of care is fulfilling. I believe in making the world a better place in whatever small or big way I can, and OEM affords me the opportunity to make a difference. I enjoy strategizing, reimagining, and solutioning around the efficiencies of work, healthcare, wellness, and care delivery and have great job satisfaction.

Ngozi Obi, MD, MPH

Title: OEM Physician

Employer: Froedtert & Medical College of Wisconsin

Location: Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin

What do you do day-to-day in your OEM role?

Manage work injuries, assessment/management of exposures, conduct medical surveillance, pre-employment/preplacement physicals, Certification of commercial motor vehicle drivers, clinical process and program improvement. I also precept medical students on clinical rotation in my clinic, as well provide supervision of clinical staff and services.

What is one of your favorite OEM career experiences?

I have had so many amazing career experiences in OEM, but I would say that an exceptional one was conducting post-cadmium exposure medical surveillance on a radiology maintenance employee in my hospital. I also helped to coordinate the reduction of employee hazards and improve our monitoring and surveillance systems.

Why do you like the specialty of OEM so much?

OEM supports the training of leaders in organizations and the health care system. I am able to practice medicine that is predominantly devoted to reducing risk of diseases and injuries in order to attain and support a higher quality of life for patients and populations in my care.  This is achieved through the application of my OEM clinical skills, epidemiology, and the implementation of Total Worker Health (TWH)® initiatives.

Camilla Frederick MD, MPH

Title: Medical Director, Genesis Occupational Health

Employer: Mercy One-Genesis

Location: Davenport, Iowa

What do you do day-to-day in your OEM role?

I have fun. I see such a variety – it is never boring. I might suture a large wound, then go to a chemical exposure injury and on to a musculoskeletal injury. I speak to employers, insurance carriers, case managers, and lawyers on a daily basis. I get to tour all sorts of interesting employers and see what they do. I help set up employee wellness programs for one employer, and onsite clinics for another. I am passionate at uncovering and understanding the personal medical and work risk factors that can be linked causally to an occupational injury or disease. I believe we should use our gifts to serve others. My philosophy of care is complete, compassionate care. People with work-related injuries are underserved, in need of quality medical care and an advocate to aid them in negotiating the worker’s compensation system.

What is one of your favorite OEM career experiences?

Watching a burn from HF disappear with application of Ca Gluconate gel. Amazing.

Why do you like the specialty of OEM so much?

There is never a dull moment. If I don’t like what I do, there are so many other pathways within OEM like working in a hospital-based clinic, a private clinic, onsite with an employer, federal sites, railroads, aerospace, etc. Anywhere someone works, they need OEM. 

Robert N. Uniszkiewicz, MD, MPH

Title: Public Health Threats

Force Health Protection Division

Office of the Command Surgeon, NORAD & USNORTHCOM

Navy Occupational & Environmental Medicine Specialty Leader

Employer: U.S. Navy

Location: Colorado Springs, Colorado

What do you do day-to-day in your OEM role?

NORAD & USNORTHCOM – Public Health Threats (05/2022-Present)

Providing continuous Health Service Support to Commander, NORAD and USNORTHCOM for Homeland Defense and Civil Support missions.  Primary consultant on emerging health threats and current force health protection measures.  Active medical license privileged through 21^st Medical Group to continue clinical practice in occupational medicine.

NAVY OEM Specialty Leader (07/2023-Present)

Subject matter expert advisor to Chief, BUMED and respective Corps Chief or Director and staff.  Makes recommendations to the Office of the Corps Chief in coordination with the Assistant Deputy Chief, Manpower & Personnel (BUMED-M1) for specialty-specific accession and performance standards for the appropriate Corps Chief and professional review boards, as needed.  Advises and makes recommendations to Navy Medicine leadership for specialty-specific programs, billets, and personnel.  Makes recommendations for the revision of existing NAVMED policies and procedures related to Occupational and Environmental Medicine to meet specialty specific mission requirements. Disseminates Navy and NAVMED policy and guidance to community members and encourages community members to actively participate in future planning efforts. Advocates for education and training for OEM to include acting as point of contact for Medical Department education programs and conference approval process. Provides endorsement and submits for approval all community specific conference requests as required.  Assists community members in identifying and applying for a variety of continuing education opportunities. Makes recommendations on specialty-specific training opportunities and assists program directors in resolving problems within individual programs. Maintains expert knowledge of operational requirements and platform readiness standards for the specialty to make recommendations on deployments, TAD coverage requests, and assignments of personnel, as needed.  

What is one of your favorite OEM career experiences?

Officer-In-Charge of the Puget Sound Navy Shipyard (PSNS) Clinic in Bremerton, Washington. Clinical occupational medicine practice as well as supervisory oversight of all branch health clinic operations to include hiring actions, performance appraisals, supply and project acquisitions, and day to day clinical/administrative operations.  Leading staff members through multiple annul and semi-annual enterprise level healthcare audits.  Oversight of a clinic responsible for 39,000 encounters and qualified 16,000 shipyard workers.  Supervisor to 60 staff members to include 4 physicians, 4 nurses, and over 13 technicians along with other administrative personnel across 10 departments in addition to the PSNS Dental and Physical Therapy Clinics. 

Why do you like the specialty of OEM so much?

Occupational and Environmental Medicine offers diversity to the clinically focused physician with a narrow scope on worker safety, health, and wellbeing while offering a role in environmental hazard response, risk communication, policy development, and expert counsel to leaders in a wide array of industrial environments.

Shoshana Zheng, DO, MPH

Title: Medical Director

Dear Occupational Health Clinic

Anniston Army Depot

Employer: U.S. Army

Location: Anniston, Alabama

What do you do day-to-day in your OEM role?

Serving one of the largest Army heavy industrial workforces, my average day consists of a mixture of clinical, management, and consulting tasks. As a medical director, I am responsible for the management of occupational health, industrial hygiene, audiology, public health, and travel medicine services. As a clinician, I offer bread-and-butter Occupational Health exams such as new hire, qualification, surveillance, workplace injury, return-to-work, work accommodation, and fitness-for-duty exams. In addition, I serve as advisor to the installation commander and provide services under the role of Public Health Emergency Officer (PHEO), Medical Review Officer (MRO), and Commercial Driver Medical Examiner (CDME). Those duties enable me to influence health, safety, and wellness at both individual and population level. I also serve as a rotation preceptor for two OEM residency programs, which give me pleasure in teaching the next generation of OEM physicians.

What is one of your favorite OEM career experiences?

Most people with multiple chronic conditions are working age. Successful lifestyle interventions can effectively treat and/or prevent many chronic diseases. With my special interest in health and wellness promotion, I am better able to implement lifestyle modification for the workers, which was limited in my previous work as OBGYN due to the high-volume care model. I love to connect with the blue-collar workers and provide coaching in healthy lifestyle changes when they show interest. During follow up visits, many show improved blood pressure and diabetes control, lower weight due to better nutrition and/or increased physical activity, feel more rested, have stopped smoking, etc. They often eagerly tell me about the change they made with bright eyes and big smiles. What a rewarding experience to be part of their healing journey toward whole health, productivity, and happiness.

Why do you like the specialty of OEM so much?

Occupational Medicine is a fantastic specialty in that it offers a broad-spectrum career path and work-life balance. OEM physicians often serve multiple roles with flexible work schedules and settings. Based on the stages of career, personal, and family needs, you may modify work settings with relative ease. If you love direct patient care, there are many clinical positions. If you enjoy policymaking, positions are available in many agencies such as CDC, OSHA, Public Health, and the private sector. If you like a mixture of clinical and management, you can serve as a medical director or chief medical officer. If you enjoy teaching, an academic educator may be a great fit. You may become a Subject Matter Expert and serve in a consultant or advisor role, the list goes on. Another benefit of this field is excellent work-life balance. Transitioning from OBGYN to OEM, I noticed a significant improvement in autonomy and time available for self-care and family. Not surprisingly, Occupational Medicine has the lowest rates of physician burnout. In summary, the field of OEM offers great autonomy in pursuing your passion while preserving excellent quality of life.

Alyson Kil, MD, MPH, CPE

Title: Force Health Protection Physician

Public Health Emergency Officer (PHEO)

III Armored Corps Headquarters

Employer: U.S. Army

Location: Fort Cavazos, Texas

What do you do day-to-day in your OEM role?

I work in the Surgeon Cell at the Fort Cavazos Headquarters, directly reporting to the Commanding General, and provide medical consultation on anything related to the health and readiness of the III Armored Corps. I respond to and manage any public health concerns, emergencies, and disasters. I also see patients in the Occupational Health Clinic and perform readiness physicals on Soldiers. We are responsible for the health and readiness of over 90,000 Soldiers and civilians, and I love that I get to have a positive impact on the public health of an enormous population with a significant mission.

What is one of your favorite OEM career experiences?

I loved being the Public Health Emergency Officer (PHEO) during the COVID-19 pandemic while I was stationed at Pine Bluff Arsenal, Arkansas. I led the response and management of the outbreak and was able to mitigate the risk, support the mission and the Commander, and protect the health and safety of the workers on the Arsenal. I enjoyed developing pandemic policies, workplace guidelines, and performing risk mitigation on the Arsenal, which is what I love doing best – protecting the health and safety of the workers that I work alongside every day. 

Why do you like the specialty of OEM so much?

I love being able to have a direct impact on the worker population by writing policies, employee guidelines, and providing direct consultation to leadership when there is a public health concern that affects the workplace. OEM allows me to practice public health at the population level, and I enjoy having the responsibility of helping ensure their health while doing their jobs and contributing to a very important mission. I love the flexibility it offers on a daily basis – I get to write policy, provide guidance to senior leadership, perform site visits and see patients all in one week – there’s a great variety in what we do, and it keeps things interesting and allows me to have a great impact on the population I serve.

William “Brett” Perkison, MD, MPH

Title: Program Director,  Occupational and Environmental Medicine Residency and Assistant Medical Director, University of Texas Health Science Center

Employer: University of Texas School of Public Health

Location: Houston, Texas

What do you do day-to-day in your OEM role?

I am in clinical practice one day a week where I see both primary care and occupational medicine patients.

I am a residency program director and teach classes.

I work on research projects related to reducing cardiovascular disease in underserved populations and disaster preparedness for construction workers

What is one of your favorite OEM career experiences?

Assisting people in the community who have been affected by natural disasters. I did this after hurricanes Katrina, Ike, and Harvey.

Why do you like the specialty of OEM so much?

I love its emphasis on preventing disease from occurring in workplaces and in communities. I also enjoy how it helps to level the playing field for making things safer for low socioeconomic status neighborhoods and the people who work in manual, dangerous jobs.

OccPod: Climate Conversations – Episode 23, Hurricanes and Floods by OccPod: the official ACOEM podcast (spotify.com)

OccPod – Episode 52, Heat Stress and Worker Health by OccPod: the official ACOEM podcast (spotify.com)

Tanisha Taylor, MD, MPH, MBA

Title: Senior Medical Director

Employer: RWJ Barnabas Health

Location: Lakewood, New Jersey

What do you do day-to-day in your OEM role?

I have worked in Medical Center Occupational Health for most of my career. I take care of our hospital employees as well as external clients. In my day-to-day OEM role, I manage various work injuries and exposures, e.g., bloodborne pathogen exposures and lead exposure. Additionally, I have administrative duties ranging from managing my clinical team to supporting multiple committees at the hospital, e.g., Infection Control, Safety, Sustainability, Workplace Violence, and Safe Patient Handling. I continue to engage in academia and maintain a university faculty position requiring didactics and having residents rotate at my clinical site.

What is one of your favorite OEM career experiences?

Consulting on an employee hospitalized for organophosphate poisoning due to occupational exposure.

Why do you like the specialty of OEM so much?

OEM has everything! It’s so diverse. You will get ten different answers if you talk to ten different OEM providers regarding what they do. The specialty allows carving out creative work environments from the plant to the clinic to oil rigs. Not very many fields offer such a diversity of options. In addition to flexible work environments, the schedule is often quite flexible, permitting work-life balance. Some consultants can even make their own hours. In addition to flexible work schedules, the areas of interest are quite varied, including toxicology, exposures, injury management, prevention, and more.

OccPod – Episode 58, ACOEM’s Presidential Line by OccPod: the official ACOEM podcast (spotify.com)

Zeke J. McKinney, MD, MHI, MPH

Title: Residency Program Director, Faculty Physician

Employer: HealthPartners

Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota

What do you do day-to-day in your OEM role?

My job as an OEM physician is composed of three parts: (1) clinical environmental medicine; (2) academic OEM; (3) clinical research. Clinical environmental medicine is not generally well-defined, but as of January, 2022, I have had my own clinic in which we can evaluate and treat both occupationally-related as well as non-occupational exposures to various environmental hazards, including dusts, chemicals, molds, and infectious agents, where patients present with complex and chronic illnesses for which evaluation and/or treatment have commonly been difficult or impossible to establish; this can also be deemed environmental toxicology. Academic OEM involves the training of pre-medical or medical students, and resident physicians, usually in a clinical setting, but also in a didactic setting; additionally, I teach courses and sessions both in the University of Minnesota Medical School and the School of Public Health. Clinical research for me involves collaborative work with various individuals in pursuit of our departmental research foci: (1) occupational health disparities; (2) first responder occupational hazards (particularly firefighters); (3) Total Worker Health and the integration of workplace well-being strategies, including the integration of Lifestyle Medicine; and (4) environmental toxicology.

What is one of your favorite OEM career experiences?

One my favorite OEM experiences has been to work directly with firefighters, which has involved being able to understand the life and work of firefighters, visit many fire stations, and evaluate their various hazards. There have been many surprises in terms of how significant some of their exposures and hazards are, as well as finding out exactly what their concerns are. There have also been some exciting opportunities, such as being able to put on firefighter turnout gear and to do some of their physical performance testing, which was more eye-opening than just reading or hearing about these tasks without experiencing them myself.

Why do you like the specialty of OEM so much?

The specialty of OEM is a perfect fit for me because it involves a breadth of knowledge, much like primary care, where you need to know at least a little bit about all kinds of clinical conditions, but it also involves a depth of knowledge in specialized areas, such as workers’ compensation, workplace/environmental hazards, toxicology, industrial hygiene, and disability management. In addition, the focus on public health and prevention, which is generally very different from most other specialties in medicine, is very rewarding in terms of the goal of looking upstream to find the root causes of illnesses and injuries to mitigate similar issues from happening in the future. Because of the breadth of our specialty, there are always opportunities to pursue different areas of interest, and this is reflected in the various types of jobs available to us, such as in clinical, corporate, academic, research, and public health settings.

Dr. Zeke J. McKinney Helps Minnesotans Return to Work Safely (minnesotamonthly.com)

Judith Green-McKenzie, MD, MPH

Title: Medical Director, Occupational Medical Examination Program

Employer: Occupational Safety & Health Administration, Department of Labor

Location: Washington, DC

What do you do day-to-day in your OEM role?

I spent most of my Occupational and Environmental Medicine (OEM) career in academia, transitioning to government service after retiring from University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine as Professor Emerita, Active. Before entering OEM, I worked as an internist in full-time clinical practice with leadership and administrative responsibilities, unaware of the OEM field. I sought out formal OEM training at Johns Hopkins, after which I accepted academic positions and served as Division Chief at both Penn Medicine and Johns Hopkins, as well as Residency Program Director at Penn Medicine for over two decades. In these roles, I oversaw and provided clinical care, developed programs to protect employees from workplace and environmental hazards, conducted independent research, taught and mentored residents on scholarly work, and led our health system on worker health and wellness issues. A recent example is leading our OEM division in the creation and scaling of the Employee COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic, which became a model for community clinics. Currently, I serve at Federal OSHA, supporting enforcement and rulemaking. Our focus is on prioritizing worker health and safety by addressing and mitigating current, new, and emerging hazards. This role allows me to collaborate with colleagues at OSHA, both nationally and internationally.

What is one of your favorite OEM career experiences?

Being a residency program director has been one of the highlights of my career. It is wonderful to follow the achievements of our graduates and be part of this supportive community and network, witnessing the legacy of our OEM program directors. Having started in clinical care, it is gratifying to still be able to see patients as an Occ Doc. I recall an injured patient who needed an unrelated elective surgery that was constantly delayed due to an elevated hemoglobin A1c. I took the time to discuss her diet and gave her practical advice. She reported that, within three months, her hemoglobin A1c had decreased enough for her to undergo successful surgery. This was a poignant moment, demonstrating the impact of the breadth of our OEM training, which includes wellness and prevention. Other highlights include consulting with health systems on environmental clusters, emphasizing the “E” in OEM.

Why do you like the specialty of OEM so much?

I love OEM because it perfectly blends clinical medicine with public health, intersecting with epidemiology and biostatistics. In taking care of our patients, workplaces, communities, and environment, it is exciting to collaborate with diverse stakeholders. These include experts in safety, industrial hygiene, environmental health, radiation safety, ergonomics, physical and occupational therapy, toxicology, and human resources.

OccPod – Episode 53, Vaccinations in the Workplace by OccPod: the official ACOEM podcast (spotify.com)

Aisha Rivera Margarin, MD, MS

Title: Residency Program Director

Employer: Johns Hopkins School of Public Health

Location: Baltimore, Maryland

What do you do day-to-day in your OEM role?

My work at JHU is comprised of several roles and I am often wearing multiple “hats.” As program director, I have the unique opportunity to work with physicians who have chosen to train in OEM. I enjoy teaching, coaching, and interacting with the residents and celebrating their successes. I also lead, plan and prepare materials for committee meetings required by ACGME. Examples of materials include but are not limited to surveys, resident progress evaluations, program evaluations, etc.

Additionally, I co-direct a former worker program for the Department of Energy (DOE). Our program provides medical screening examinations to former workers of Los Alamos and Sandia National Laboratories in New Mexico. My primary responsibilities include coordinating our staff in New Mexico, handling exam results including laboratory and imaging results from a variety of sources, drafting results letters to program participants, managing relationships with local clinics and other vendors who provide direct services, and reporting on our progress to DOE.

I also serve as a medical advisor to the International Association of Fire Fighters and provide support for the creation of educational materials on scientific and medical topics, review medical cases on an as-needed basis, and coach/provide support to OEM residents from our program and others who rotate through their headquarters.

What is one of your favorite OEM career experiences?

Most recently (like today), a student in our department’s MHS program wrote to tell me he got into medical school. I could not be more excited for him!

Why do you like the specialty of OEM so much?

I love the opportunity to work on so many different things and grow in different directions. I can do a little bit of a variety of different things, and that keeps life interesting. For example, I just finished my professional supervisor of audiometry programs certification, and I am excited to deepen my expertise in the area.

OEM is uniquely positioned to advocate for and make a difference in the health of populations and individuals (e.g. workers) through patient care, program management, and policy.

OccPod – Episode 47, What Interests OEM Residents? by OccPod: the official ACOEM podcast (spotify.com)

Chang Na, MD, MPH

Title: Partner Physician

Organization: Kaiser Permanente

Location: Bakersfield, California

What do you do day-to-day in your OEM role?

I serve as the primary treating physician for injured workers in the CA workers compensation system. In my role, I manage the treatment of the workers and coordinate the care with specialists. I also do medical surveillance work for pesticide exposure, hearing conservation, etc.

What is one of your favorite OEM career experiences?

My day to day, helping injured workers get back to better function is the most fulfilling experience.

Why do you like the specialty of OEM so much?

Interesting cases. And wonderful colleagues.

Matthew Kiok, MD, MPH

Title: Chief Physician

Organization: Oasis Occupational Medicine

Location: Las Vegas, Nevada

What do you do day-to-day in your OEM role?

As the solo owner of my occupational medicine practice, I split my time between seeing patients, consulting with employers in hazardous industries, job site visits, growing my business through networking, and legal work involving complex questions of misdiagnosis or causation. I love what I do.

What is one of your favorite OEM career experiences?

One of my favorite OEM career moments was visiting a remote gold mine in rural Nevada after signing on to become their occupational medicine consultant. I landed this gig through one of my residency mentors and find great purpose in helping prevent mercury and silica toxicity in these miners.

Why do you like the specialty of OEM so much?

OEM offers an extraordinarily unique way to practice medicine, both in its intellectual content and in its day-to-day mechanics. The breadth of knowledge required to understand and prevent occupational diseases across every organ system is staggering, while the types of jobs available to its doctors is varied beyond most other specialties. From corporate medical directors to solo practice owners, government consultants and public health officers, the range of choices is second to none.

https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-perfect-specialty-occupational-medicine-ft/id386364577?i=1000652122731

Jeffrey L. Levin, MD, MSPH, DrPH

Title: Professor of Occupational and Environmental Medicine

Employer: The University of Texas at Tyler Health Science Center

Location: Tyler, Texas

What do you do day-to-day in your OEM role?

I am presently a part-time faculty member in the School of Medicine, The University of Texas at Tyler Health Science Center, Department of Preventive, Occupational, and Environmental Medicine.  When I was full-time, I participated in clinical occupational medicine practice approximately 50% of the time.  I was otherwise engaged in resident and graduate student education, research, consulting, and administration.  I still participate in medical student education.

What is one of your favorite OEM career experiences?

I was the founding residency program director for 23 years (1994-2017) and served as the Center Director of the NIOSH Southwest Center for Agricultural Health, Injury Prevention, and Education for 17 years (2002-2019).  I consider both to have been highly rewarding career experiences.  Service on the American Board of Preventive Medicine for 9 years, now as Vice Chair of OEM, has been a privilege.

Why do you like the specialty of OEM so much?

1. The professional experiences are variable and interesting with much opportunity to develop a niche.
2. As physicians, we are able to work upstream in prevention and play an important and critical role in the house of medicine.
3. It has provided an opportunity for work-life balance.