“Scripting Worker and Environmental Health:

Spotlighting What You Need to Know”

The 2012 American Occupational Health Conference (AOHC®)

welcomed more than 1,000 occupational and environmental

medicine (OEM) professionals April 29 to May 2 in Los Angeles,

Calif. A truly global meeting – attendees converged from around

the world hailing from Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Canada,

China, Colombia, Cyprus, Dubai, Finland, Germany, Guam, Israel,

Italy, Japan, Lagos, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand,

Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Philippines, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singa-

pore, Trinidad, United Kingdom, and Venezuela to join their U.S.

colleagues for ACOEM’s 97th annual meeting.

The best conference of any specialty that I have attended!

Conference activities took place Sunday to Wednesday at the Hyatt

Regency Century Plaza, located on LA’s fashionable West Side near

Beverly Hills. In this cinematic city, attendees enjoyed a “reel” good time

at AOHC, and when spare moments allowed, they were able to take in

the sights and enjoy the numerous restaurants and shops just outside

the hotel door! And…the mayor of LA, on behalf of the city and its

residents, bestowed upon ACOEM wishes for a memorable event and

successful future!

So much to do, so little time!

AOHC consisted of diverse, well-attended ACOEM courses April 27-28 and May 3 that surrounded the

conference days – April 29 to May 2 – where the agenda included the Opening

Session/Sappington Lecture, Annual Membership Meeting, meetings of the House

of Delegates and Board of Directors, along with “tracked” OEM sessions. Sunday,

April 29, offered a smattering of sessions along with the Exhibit Hall “Red Carpet”

Reception and poster presentations, while the Opening General Session – the

official kick-off event – was held Monday morning, April 30. Early-bird sessions,

worksite visits, exhibits, and social events were interspersed throughout the

week!

This year, twittering has been on the rise! AOHC participants used Twitter to keep

up with the latest happenings before and during AOHC. Sign up next year for

AOHC 2013 “tweets” – you’ll know what we know when we know it! We also

carried on our tradition of providing a comment tree. As a follow-up to last year’s

cherry tree in Washington D.C., LA brought out the “star” quality in participants. Thanks to all

attendees who added a “star” via a sticky note attached to our Hollywood Walk of Fame “tree” to

provide comments and feedback – many of which are shared here in the conference recap.

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AOHC RECAP: Highlights from the 2012 American

Occupational Health Conference (AOHC)

The 2012 AOHC giveaway was a complimentary registration to next year’s conference when we’ll be

revisiting Orlando! The winner, randomly selected from attendees who completed ACOEM’s on-line

conference evaluation by the appointed deadline, is from ACOEM’s Rocky Mountain AOEM compo-

nent. This lucky winner could be calling Rosen Shingle Creek home from April 28 to May 1 in 2013, or

use the equivalent value on other ACOEM offerings over the coming year.

Well organized – the efforts of the planning committee to create

positive energy and a welcoming environment really showed!

And…conference host, Hyatt Regency Century Plaza, generously provided 4 prizes – two iPad2s and

2 four-night stays at any Hyatt hotel or resort. Two winners were

chosen from the Exhibit Hall Encounter, where participants were

required to visit at least 10 booths then complete the proper form

to enter. Two other opportunities were afforded to attendees who

stayed at the Hyatt and were automatically entered into a drawing.

Winners were announced at the Membership Meeting – one was

from Central States, another from the Georgia component, and two

were from the very lucky Rocky Mountain AOEM!

IT ALL COMES DOWN TO THE PLANNING!The 2012 Planning Committee did an outstanding job preparing for and executing this year’s AOHC!

Our “thanks” go out to Chair Paul Papanek, MD, and committee members Drs. Madelynn Azar-

Cavanagh, Dean Baker, Bryce Breitenstein, Monica Brown, Constantine Gean, John Harbaugh, Phil

Harber, Pam Hymel, Leslie Israel, Allison Jones, Alejandro Katz, Elliott Kornhauser, Robert Pandya,

Bernyce Peplowski, Kaochoy Saechao, Steven Serra, and Alesia Wagner. Providing support in an

advisory capacity were Drs. Karl Auerbach, Phyllis Gerber, Michael Holland, T. Warner Hudson,

Patrick Laraby, and James Seward, along with Cass Ben-Levi, Sandra Bross, and Elizabeth Thomas.

AOHC Planning Committee was top notch and had their act together on this one!

EDUCATIONAL OFFERINGSAOHC offered participants a wide-range of opportunities for

learning – 5 pre- and 2 post-conference courses, 60 educa-

tional sessions, and worksite visits to 3 locations. The course

lineup offered something for everyone – MRO Comprehensive;

HPM Clinic; Spirometry Testing in Occupational Health; Occu-

pational Medicine Board Review; Foundations of Occupational

Medicine, Segment 2; CAOHC Professional Supervisor; and Work

Disability Prevention: Mastering Your Role in the SAW/RTW

Process.

Sessions spanned all four days following 5 tracks – Clinical Practice; Management and Administration;

Education and Scientific Research; Environmental Health and Risk Management; Regulatory, Legal,

Military and Governmental Practice.

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AOHC 2012 Recap

The performance medicine, military response teams, and social media sessions were exceptional!

To continue our “green” habits, AOHC handouts were available to

participants prior to the conference for viewing or downloading from

the ACOEM web site. In addition, something new this year, session

handouts and various other conference materials such as the on-site

guide and exhibitor listing, were provided on a USB flash drive at the

Registration Desk – so much information on so little space – no

bigger than a credit card!

I like having the handouts before the lectures – it was very helpful!

And, the not-to-be-missed worksite visits included the very popular Hollywood & Highland Center,

formerly called the Kodak Theatre, home to the Oscars and Cirque du Soleil; the House of Moves

where motion capture technology converges with imagination; and two visits to the RSR Quemetco

Lead Plant – forget Brooks Brothers – Tyvek suits were in vogue those days!

Keep those on-site workplace visits coming!

2012 – A YEAR OF “FIRSTS” AT AOHC!First on the schedule was the Occ Doc Interface: Where Primary Care Meets

the Workplace, which provided an opportunity for clinicians and health pro-

fessionals not formally trained in OEM, to learn practical skills related to this

field – nearly 60 interested individuals participated! And, offered as a series,

were the Multidisciplinary Issues Sessions, co-sponsored by the Southern

California NIOSH Education and Research Center at UCLA and Irvine. This

series provided an opportunity for occupational medicine physicians, occupa-

tional and environmental health nurses, industrial hygienists, safety engineers,

registered environmental health specialists, and other professionals to share

knowledge and skills in biosafety, chemical safety, and ergonomics.

For the first time, the AOHC schedule allowed 1-hour early bird sessions that provided free CME!

A big hit this year, attendees signed up on-site for AOHC’s first Social Media Hands-on Sessions on

topics such as Twitter, LinkedIn, Yahoo Groups, Blogging, and Facebook for Business provided gratis by

ACOEM colleagues who had already mastered these media tools – the Registration Desk was flooded

with requests to participate! And, before the start of many of the concurrent sessions, a “touch of

Hollywood” was presented where segments from famous films were shown and attendees had a

chance to guess the titles! Another first was the debut of e-posters during the Exhibit opening – the

wave of the future – a format that accommodates a larger number of “posters” at AOHC.

Appreciated the free 1-hour sessions and social media offerings.

The Practice Guidelines iPhone/iPad app, a postcard-sized introduction to ACOEM’s Healthy Work-

force Agenda for Change, and our new Idea MarketplaceTM

, all debuted at the Membership Booth. In

addition, if you stayed at the Hyatt, your room key card was customized with the Idea MarketplaceTM

logo and 2013 AOHC information on the opposite side – a handy keepsake! And, the Hyatt also gifted

ACOEM guests with reusable travel coffee mugs and provided wireless internet access throughout

the hotel along with numerous internet kiosks for checking e-mails for all AOHC participants!

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AOHC 2012 Recap

NETWORKING AND SOCIAL OPPORTUNITIESAOHC shined the spotlight on Hollywood legends at this year’s Exhibit

“Red Carpet” Opening Reception on Sunday. Lucille Ball and Marilyn

Monroe assisted ACOEM President T. Warner Hudson in cutting the

ribbon to open the reception. Attendees were greeted to a sold out

exhibit hall amidst a flood of flashbulbs and a flurry of paparazzi, all

while enjoying appetizers and good

company!

As noted, this year’s Exhibit Hall was

sold out – nearly 60 exhibitors were in attendance. In addition,

the acclaimed abstract poster presentations were also featured!

The Exhibit Hall was open all day on Monday and Tuesday with

morning and afternoon refreshments provided. Monday offered

lunch as well for attendees who had planned ahead and secured

a ticket during the conference registration process.

The best networking opportunity within OEM!

AOHC provides many opportunities to interact with colleagues and the New Member Orientation is a

popular place to start! On Monday morning, in an informal setting that provided a chance to network,

learn more about the College, and enjoy a continental breakfast, more than 60 individuals were

welcomed by Dr. Scott Levy, Chair of ACOEM’s Membership Committee. Attendees also had the

opportunity to met with ACOEM leaders, including then In-coming President, Dr. Karl Auerbach,

Incoming Vice President Dr. Kathryn Mueller, HOD Speaker Dr. Melissa Bean, and former chair of the

Membership Committee Dr. Stephen Frangos.

Great experience! Joined ACOEM for the first time. I know it will be worthwhile!

The New Fellows Luncheon held on Monday was well

attended by many of the ACOEM members who were later

elevated to Fellowship during the Annual Membership

Meeting breakfast held on Wednesday. Incoming Fellows

were greeted by Dr. Natalie Hartenbaum, Chair of the

Committee of Fellowship Examiners, who presented each

with their Fellowship pin. Drs. T. Warner Hudson and Karl

Auerbach, ACOEM’s outgoing and incoming presidents,

respectively, and other members of the Executive Committee

and the Fellowship Committee provided a warm welcome to

these special physicians who recently acquired Fellow status –

the highest level of membership in ACOEM. This year’s Class boasts 47 new Fellows!

Monday evening’s off-site optional social event was held at The Pink Taco, a Mexican cantina,

where guests enjoyed the famous guacamole, endless chips ‘n salsa and sumptuous food, paired

with their featured margaritas. Salsa lessons were thrown in for good measure and a great time

was had by all!

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AOHC 2012 Recap

Tuesday evening was host to the Past

Presidents’ Dinner attended by 15 past

presidents and their honored guests.

Dr. Richard F. Corlin, Past President of

the American Medical Association, was

the guest speaker. And, a unique oppor-

tunity was scheduled on Tuesday for

Affiliate members, where a 1-hour

gathering afforded these members a

chance to meet each other! A Section

Leadership Breakfast with 35 attendees, and numerous committee, council, and section meetings, all

allowed time to gather with colleagues at this well-rounded annual event.

It was fun in general, especially meeting colleagues and mentors!

The ACOEM Member Services Booth and Registration Desk surpassed expectations with numbers of

visitors to each and items sold at the booth! The booth was

well-stocked with various ACOEM logo items – polo shirts, journal

entry books, canteens, key chains, flashlights, and such giveaways

as our Idea MarketplaceTM

mouse pads, and numerous medical

books, including ACOEM’s new Practice Guidelines, 3rd Edition

(congratulations to a Northwest component member who won a

hard copy of the 3rd edition in the AOHC/ACOEM iTunes App

Promotion!).

The Booth also featured live demonstrations of the Guidelines app

and the new Idea MarketplaceTM

– an innovative area on ACOEM’s

web site where members can exchange ideas and materials on

OEM-related topics – and last but not least, viewing of the Guidance for the Medical Evaluation of

Law Enforcement Officers (LEOs), an on-line subscription-based resource now celebrating its 2nd

anniversary! If you missed the Booth’s activities this year – and each year tends to surpass the

previous – be sure to stop by next year in Orlando at AOHC 2013!

OPENING SESSION – AWARDS CEREMONY AND SAPPINGTON LECTUREOn Monday morning, ACOEM President Dr. T. Warner Hudson,

welcomed participants to the Opening Session. As his first order of

business, Dr. Hudson introduced Dr. Paul Papanek,

Chair of the AOHC 2012 Planning Committee and

Past President of the Western OEMA component.

Dr. Papanek provided a personal welcome to

Southern California and his hometown of Los

Angeles.

The morning’s highlights included the presentation of ACOEM’s Annual

Awards and the keynote C.O. Sappington Memorial Lecture which

serves as a forum from which to address major issues in the field of

OEM.

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AOHC 2012 Recap

Award Presentations

William S. Knudsen Award – Stuart M. Brooks, MD. The highest honor in OEM, this award recognizes

an individual who has made outstanding contributions to the field. Dr.

Brooks was bestowed the Knudsen Award for his exemplary efforts in

starting the first occupational medicine residency in Florida in 1992. Since

that time he has tirelessly trained future occupational medicine

physicians in the residency by providing them with a 3-dimensional

perspective of the field, with a hands-on clinical component, academic

course work, and a heavy emphasis on research. In addition, he has

conducted his own research, focusing on occupational and environmental

respiratory disorders – especially occupational asthma, irritant induced

asthma, and reactive airways dysfunction syndrome. His work has truly advanced the field of

occupational medicine. Dr. Brooks is Adjunct Professor at the University of South Florida College of

Public Health in Tampa.

Meritorious Service Award – Dean A. Grove, MD, MPH, FACOEM. This

award recognizes an ACOEM member who has provided laudable service to

the College. It was presented to Dr. Grove for his leadership in the field of

occupational and environmental medicine, particularly for providing long-

term laudatory service to the College. During his term as president from

2001-2002 and his decade-long service as a member of the Board of

Directors, he worked tirelessly to expand the visibility of ACOEM and OEM.

Dr. Grove is a Corporate Medical Consultant in Bellevue, Wash.

Health Achievement in Occupational Medicine Award – Harold E. Hoffman, MD, FACOEM. This

award is presented to an ACOEM member for a specific or unique achieve-

ment in OEM. This year, Dr. Hoffman was recognized for his many contri-

butions to OEM, in particular his service as director of the Basic Curriculum

in Occupational Medicine and as a major contributor to ACOEM’s Occupa-

tional Medicine Practice Guidelines. Dr. Hoffman is an occupational and

environmental medicine specialist in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, and

Adjunct Associate Clinical Professor, Department of Public Health Sciences,

School of Public Health, and Adjunct Assistant Professor, Department of

Medicine, at the University of Alberta in Edmonton.

Robert A. Kehoe Award of Merit – William N. Rom, MD, MPH, MACOEM. This award is presented to

an individual who has shown distinction in and made significant contri-

butions to OEM. Dr. Rom was recognized for his academic achieve-

ments and leadership in promoting environmental and health policy

for five decades. His accomplishments include leading one of NIH’s

largest clinical studies of 500 asbestos workers, silica-exposed workers,

and coal miners from the mid-Atlantic states. His work later took him

to the University of South Africa, where he started a research unit that

performed a successful TB-related clinical trial using aerosol interferon.

In addition, he is a founder of the NYU Lung Cancer Biomarker Center.

Dr. Rom is Professor of Medicine and Director of the Division of Pul-

monary and Critical Care Medicine at the New York University School of Medicine in New York.

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AOHC 2012 Recap

Adolph G. Kammer Merit in Authorship Award – This award recognizes an outstanding article pub-

lished in JOEM. This year’s recipients were lead author C. Stuart Baxter, PhD,

Clara Sue Ross, MD, and James E. Lockey, MD, from the University of Cin-

cinnati Academic Medical Center; Thomas Fabian, PhD, Jacob L. Borgerson,

PhD, Jamila Shawon, MS, and Pravinray D. Gandhi, PhD, from Underwriters

Laboratories; and James M. Dalton, MArch, Chicago Fire Department, for

their outstanding contributions to the medical literature as exemplified by

their paper, Ultrafine Particle Exposure During Fire Suppression: Is It an

Important Contributory Factor for Coronary Heart Disease in Firefighters?,

published in the August 2010 issue of JOEM. This paper was the first comprehensive controlled study

of ultrafine particle exposure during fire fighting, and its findings demonstrate that ultrafine particles

are predominant during the overhaul phase of fire fighting when firefighters frequently remove their

respiratory protection. Dr. Baxter was present to accept the award on behalf of his colleagues.

Global Leadership in Corporate Health Award – Pamela Hymel, MD. This award, co-sponsored by

ACOEM and the National Business Group on Health, honors an individual who

demonstrates excellence in leadership in implementing programs that im-

prove workforce health and productivity. Dr. Hymel, Chief Medical Officer of

Disney Parks & Resorts, was recognized for her long career as a proponent of

workplace health and wellness and a leader in the field of health and produc-

tivity management, where she is regarded as one of the nation’s experts.

Corporate Health Achievement Award (CHAA) – The CHAA, sponsored by ACOEM, annually

recognizes organizations with outstanding employee health and occupational and environmental

medicine practices. This year, there were two recipients – the Smithsonian and Johnson & Johnson.

The Smithsonian Institution, the world’s largest museum and research

complex, received the 2012 CHAA for its exemplary work in integrating its

health and safety programs to create a true culture of health. Accepting

the award for the Smithsonian were Dr. Jules Duval and Marty Arthur,

COHN-S.

Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), the world’s most comprehensive and broadly based manufacturer of health

care products, as well as a provider of related services for the

consumer and pharmaceutical and medical devices and diag-

nostics markets, received the 2012 CHAA for its long history of

commitment to the safety and health of its workers. Accepting

the award for JNJ were Drs. Fikry Isaac, Joseph van Houten,

Sandra Lee, and Mark Cunningham-Hill, and Clinic Services

Operations Director Adam Glauberg.

Resident Research Presentation Awards – These awards are presented annually by ACOEM’s Resi-

dent and Recent Graduates Section and the Academic Section to encourage residents and recent

program graduates to share their research, clinical techniques, or theory development in OEM.

Winners of the 2012 Resident Research Awards were Drs. Aiysha Ansari, Virginia A. Evans, Michele

Fletcher, George Grimes, Thanjira Jiranantakan, Nimisha Kalia, Sajidkhan Pathan, Pamela Summers,

Vasileia Varvarigou, and Xing Yang.

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AOHC 2012 Recap

C. O. Sappington Memorial Lecture

The Sappington Lecture was delivered by Dr. Arthur L. Kellermann, vice president at RAND Corpor-

ation and a director of RAND Health, who presented a topic of great importance

to OEM physicians, Personal and Population Health in the 21st Century: From

Volume to Value. This 39-minute lecture can be viewed at ACOEM’s YouTube

channel (ACOEM1916). Dr. Kellermann is a distinguished clinician, health policy

analyst and leader who has shared his expertise in many sectors ranging from

academia to government. Before joining RAND, he was a professor of emergency

medicine and public health and served as associate dean for health policy at the

Emory School of Medicine in Atlanta. As a Robert Wood Johnson Health Policy

Fellow in 2006 and 2007, he provided policy advice for the U.S. House of

Representatives Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

Great talk on physician leadership. Excellent speakers.

HIGHLIGHTS FROM ACOEM’S ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP MEETINGColleagues gathered Wednesday, May 2, for the Annual Membership Meeting, this year a breakfast

meeting held the last day of AOHC. The morning included an address by outgoing ACOEM President

T. Warner Hudson, MD, the Fellowship Ceremony, presentation of Outstanding Achievement

Awards, an address by Dr. Henry N. Goodall, Society of Occupational Medicine (SOM) President,

presentation of the Patterson Memorial Lecture by Dr. Charles Rosen, and introduction of ACOEM’s

new Board of Directors, including an inaugural address from incoming ACOEM President, Dr. Karl

Auerbach, along with recognition of the new House of Delegates officers.

Fellowship Ceremony

2012 Class of Fellows – This year’s class was comprised of 47 inductees elevated to the status of

Fellow. Many of the new Fellows were able to attend AOHC in person to be recognized for their

achievement. Dr. Natalie Hartenbaum, Chair of the Committee of Fellowship Examiners, and

President Dr. T. Warner Hudson, assisted by Dr. James Tacci, Incoming Secretary-Treasurer,

bestowed individual medallions to those present as a memento of this honor. Congratulations to

the Class of 2012!

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AOHC 2012 Recap

2012 CLASS OF FELLOWS

Ayodele L. Adebayo, MD, MPH, FACOEM

Muktar H. Aliyu, MD, MPH, DrPH, FACOEM

Imad A. Al-Jahdali, MB, FACOEM

John R. Anderson, DO, FACOEM

Stella N. Anozie, MD, MPH, FACOEM

Dan R. Azar, MD, MPH, FACOEM

Peter Badroos, MD, MPH, FACOEM

Evelyn K. Balogun, MD, MPH, MBA, FACOEM

Bruce K. Bohnker, MD, MPH, FACOEM

Daniel S. Brown, MD, MPH, FACOEM

Jay A. Clemens, DO, MPH, FACOEM

Michael E. Creel, MD, MPH, FACOEM

Mark Cunningham-Hill, MD, FACOEM

V. Ramana Dhara, MD, FACOEM

David V. Diamond, MD, FACOEM

Andrew C. Frean, MBBS, DPH, FACOEM

Lawrence Fuortes, MD, FACOEM

Julie B. George, MD, MPH, FACOEM

How-Ran Guo, MD, ScD, FACOEM

Blythe A. Hardy, MD, MPH, FACOEM

Claudia G. Hix, DO, MPH, FACOEM

Matthew A. Hughes, MD, MPH, FACOEM

Marcos A. Iglesias, MD, FACOEM

Mark Leffer, MD, MPH, FACOEM

Thomas D. Luna, MD, MPH, FACOEM

Peter G. Matos, DO, MS, MPH, FACOEM

Matthew P. Mauer, DO, MPH, FACOEM

David L. McMillan, MD, MPH, FACOEM

Sri Mummaneni, MD, MPH, FACOEM

Oyekunle A. Oyekanmi, MD, MPH, FACOEM

Neal L. Presant, MD, MPH, FACOEM

Alfred K. Quansah, MD, MPH, FACOEM

Susan C. Rideout-Vivian, MD, FACOEM

Jonathan S. Rutchik, MD, MPH, FACOEM

Sajjad A. Savul, MD, MS, FACOEM

Steven J. Serra, MD, MPH, FACOEM

Louise J. Short, MD, MSc, FACOEM

Christopher D. Smelser, DO, MPH, FACOEM

Kevin M. Smith, MD, MPH, FACOEM

Michelle Smith-Jefferies, MD, MPH, FACOEM

Chris Stewart-Patterson, MD, FACOEM

Jaishree Subramani, MD, MPH, FACOEM

Tanisha Taylor, MD, MPH, FACOEM

Kevin A. Vrablik, MD, FACOEM

Victoria M. Weldon, MD, MPH, FACOEM

Erik J. Won, DO, MPH, MBA, FACOEM

Theodore Yee, MD, MPH, FACOEM

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AOHC 2012 Recap

Outstanding Achievement Award Recipients – This award recognizes the

work of committees, councils, sections, or other volunteer groups within

ACOEM for an outstanding group achievement the past year. This year’s

award was bestowed upon two recipients. The Presidential Task Force

on Fatigue Risk Management, whose members include Drs. Steven

Lerman, Chair, Evamaria Eskin, David Flower, Eugenia George, Benjamin

Gerson, Natalie Hartenbaum, Steven Hursh, and Martin Moore-Ede,

undertook a comprehensive review of current policies and approaches to

fatigue management that resulted in the creation of a guidance statement

on managing fatigue that was published in the July JOEM. Fatigue Risk

Management in the Workplace showed that implementing a comprehensive fatigue risk-management

system can demonstrably improve safety and efficiency in the workplace. The OEM Essentials Task

Force realigned, refined, and rebranded what is now the OEM Essentials Curriculum, a program that

provides practicing physicians with a foundation in occupational medicine that will prepare them to

serve as knowledgeable representatives of the specialty. This task force included Drs. Constantine

Gean, Chair, and Mark Roberts, Kaochoy Saechao, and Jim Seward.

President’s Awards – President T. Warner Hudson acknowledged Drs. Robert McLellan, Robert

Bourgeois, Pam Hymel, and Rick Emmanuel each with the President’s Award, which recognizes

individuals who have made significant contributions to the career of ACOEM’s president, helping to

achieve his/her objectives and thereby contributing to the leadership success at ACOEM.

I’m glad I attended. My time and effort were rewarded in a good way!

Society of Occupational Medicine (SOM) Presidential Address – Following a tradition of international

collaboration that started a few years ago, officers of ACOEM and SOM, our

counterpart society in the United Kingdom, have attended each other’s annual

meeting. In keeping with that tradition, Dr. Henry N. Goodall, SOM President,

addressed the ACOEM membership, and to perpetuate this exchange, Dr. Karl

Auerbach, ACOEM President, attended the SOM meeting in Gateshead, U.K., in

mid-June. Dr. Goodall discussed the status of occupational medicine in the U.K.,

noting that a further Independent Review of Sickness Absence, has been pub-

lished for the British Government, the recommendations which, if fully enacted, will

radically change the practice of occupational medicine in the U.K., and bring the speciality center stage.

The medical information and lectures were on the cutting edge and excellent.

Patterson Memorial Lecture – This lecture honors the memory of the late William Patterson, MD,

FACOEM, an ACOEM Board member who also served as chair of the Committee

on Ethical Practice in OEM. This year’s lecture – Transparency and Disclosure in

Medicine – was presented by Dr. Charles D. Rosen, Clinical Professor of Ortho-

paedic Surgery at the University of California Irvine School of Medicine and

President of the Association for Medical Ethics. Dr. Rosen co-founded the Associ-

ation which was instrumental in lobbying for passage of the Physician Payment

Sunshine Act in 2010. This Act, scheduled for implementation in 2013, will require

public disclosure of money transferred between medical manufacturers and

physicians.

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AOHC 2012 Recap

Passing the Gavel – New Officers and Directors Installed/House Officers RecognizedOutgoing President T. Warner Hudson passed the symbolic gavel of office

to ACOEM’s new President, Dr. Karl Auerbach, who was among 7 phy-

sicians to take office during AOHC. Dr. Auerbach is Medical Director of

Occupational Medicine at Pulse Occupational Medicine in Rochester, N.Y.,

and Associate Clinical Professor of Emergency Medicine at the University

of Rochester. He also serves as Medical Director of MetraComp, Inc.,

a division of Coventry Health Care, and as a consulting scientist for

Exponent, Inc. In turn, Dr. Auerbach presented Dr. Hudson with a special

plaque commemorating his service to ACOEM and its Board of Directors, particularly his dedicated

leadership during his term as President from 2011-2012.

Introducing President Karl Auerbach!

In his acceptance remarks, President Auerbach discussed his plans for the future

of ACOEM, specifically by continuing our efforts to assure funding for occupational

medicine residency training; moving our educational programs into a model of on-

line, on-demand, and automated learning systems that includes implementing the

essential curriculum; projecting a strong voice in the national implementation of

health care reform and improving ACOEM’s ability to anticipate and respond to

state level issues; and continuing to evolve our environmental activities and be

seen as an authoritative voice on environmental matters.

Other officers installed for 1-year terms were President-Elect, Dr. Ronald Loeppke; Vice President,

Dr. Kathryn Mueller; and Secretary-Treasurer, Dr. James Tacci. Members installed as Directors for

3-year terms (2012-2015) were Drs. Marianne Cloeren, Michael Fischman, and Michael Holland. Also,

retiring Board members Drs. Natalie Hartenbaum, Beth Baker, and Daniel Janiga were acknowl-

edged and thanked for their many years of service. In addition, new officers of the ACOEM House of

Delegates for 2012-2013, Speaker Dr. Melissa Bean, Speaker-elect, Dr. James Butler, and Recorder

Dr. Paul Papanek, were recognized – their official installation had already taken place.

Great experience. Really enjoyed the entire conference including post-conference session.

2013 AOHC Chairs Introduced

Before adjourning the meeting, Dr. Auerbach introduced the co-chairs

for AOHC 2013 – Drs. Michael Holland, of the Department of Occupa-

tional Medicine at Glens Falls Hospital Center for Occupational Health in

Glens Falls, N.Y., and currently a Director on the ACOEM Board, and

Phyllis Gerber, a consultant from Osprey, Fla., and member of ACOEM’s

Council on Education and Academic Affairs – and asked them to report

on next year’s activities.

Drs. Gerber and Holland reported that the 2013 Planning Committee is already working on confer-

ence details and that educational planning has begun in earnest. In fact, proposals for AOHC 2013

concurrent sessions, worksite visits, and scientific abstracts are currently being accepted on line at

www.acoem.org/aohc2013_abstracts.aspx. Session proposals are due August 5; proposals for

scientific abstracts are due in November.

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AOHC 2012 Recap

AN ARRAY OF ANCILLARY ACTIVITIESThe 92nd Session of the ACOEM House of Delegates was held April 28. Presentations by Drs. Daniel

Janiga, Melissa Bean, and James Butler were followed by an address given by ACOEM officers – then

President T. Warner Hudson, who reviewed the past year’s accomplishments, and Secretary-

Treasurer Dr. Beth Baker, who provided a financial report. Barry Eisenberg, ACOEM Executive

Director, presented an ACOEM update. Membership Committee Chair, Dr. Scott Levy, provided his

report and the House Internal Affairs Work Group presented its slate of candidates to run for the

Board in the upcoming fall election. During this Session, Dr. Melissa Bean formally took office as

Speaker of the House, and Drs. James Butler and Paul Papanek were installed as HOD Speaker-elect

and Recorder respectively. The day ended with HOD’s annual “Rag Tag” Dinner, always a highly

anticipated event. It was held off-site in Los Angeles at Toscanova Restaurant – a stone’s throw from

the hotel but a world away with its notable fine Italian dining experience that was enjoyed by all!

ACOEM’s Board of Directors met twice as is customary during AOHC – an all day meeting on Saturday,

April 28, and again after the induction of its new leaders on Wednesday afternoon, May 2. Calls to

order, discussions, votes, a little give ‘n take, more votes, and a lot of ideas on the table until they

meet again in July.

The medical information and lectures were on the cutting edge and excellent.

TAKE ADVANTAGE OF AOHC 2012 CME OPPORTUNITIES NOWIf you were at AOHC, you know it is impossible to attend every session you have an interest in. So…

take part now in the sessions you missed and earn additional AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ and MOC

Credits with the AOHC 2012 Distance Learning Activity. If you did not attend AOHC, there’s still a

number of ways to participate and earn up to 89 CME/MOC credits from this year’s conference.

Either way, learn more by downloading the AOHC Distance Learning Activity Packet. In partnership

with our recording company, Mobiltape, ACOEM is providing an on-line library of AOHC 2012 session

recordings available in multiple viewing and audio formats that include CD-Rom or MP3 versions

(purchase of sessions is required for earning CME credits). Purchase the recordings on line through

Mobiltape or use their downloadable order form. Get started now and complete the activities over an

extended period of time — the CME submission deadline is June 30, 2013.

2013 AOHC – BACKTRACK TO ORLANDO AND ROSEN SHINGLE CREEK!

SEE YOU NEXT YEAR!

Mark your calendar for AOHC 2013

when we will return to Rosen Shingle

Creek in Orlando, from Sunday, April 28

to Wednesday, May 1. The hotel block

will be open for registration later this

summer and AOHC registration will

begin in December. Watch the ACOEM

web site for more details – coming soon!

See you next year!

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AOHC 2012 Recap