The 2022 National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA) Online Symposium was held via online webinar on May 5, 2022. The theme was “The Changing Nature of Work: The Impact of COVID-19 on our Health Care Workforce.” The keynote for this year’s symposium was Dr. Lotte Dyrbye, Senior Associate Dean of Faculty and Chief Well-being Officer and Professor of Medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. As in previous years, the symposium was co-sponsored by the Midwest Center for Occupational Health and Safety (MCOHS) Education and Research Center and the Upper Midwest Agricultural Safety and Health Center (UMASH).
The online format allowed for greater participation as 119 attendees joined the symposium from throughout the United States and even internationally. Live-tweeting of highlights and key points during the event reached an even larger audience, as MCOHS and UMASH posted the live social media updates.
WHAT ATTENDEES HAD TO SAY:
VIRTUAL POSTER PRESENTATIONS
The symposium began with a virtual poster session. Students and partners from MCOHS and UMASH provided short video presentations on a variety of occupational health and safety research projects and topics. Following the videos, the presenters engaged with attendees in a live Q&A session, facilitated by Dr. Susan Arnold, MCOHS Deputy Director. This interactive exchange led to further discussion on the individual projects, as well as ideas for ongoing and future research.
PRESENTERS:
(click the titles to watch the video presentations)
- Responding to Emerging Health and Safety Risks in Agriculture: A Strategic Approach to Assessing and Leveraging Resources
Cassie Edlund, CHES
Student Research Assistant
Upper Midwest Agricultural Safety and Health Center (UMASH) - Assessment of Chemotherapy Drugs in Occupational Settings
Andrew Floeder – PhD Candidate
Advisors: Silvia Balbo, PhD; Susan Arnold, PhD, CIH; Antonella Borgatti, DVM, MS, DACVIM, DECVIM-CA
Division of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota
MCOHS Pilot Project - Contextual Factors in Agricultural Health and Safety
Suness Hall
Evaluation Research Assistant
Upper Midwest Agricultural Safety and Health Center (UMASH) - Effectiveness of a Smoke Extraction System at Reducing Veterinarian Exposures to Surgical Smoke
Shiori Arai, DVM, PhD, DACVS-SA
Veterinary Clinical Sciences Department, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota
MCOHS Pilot Project - Carriage of Antimicrobial Resistant Flora and Enteric Pathogens among Veterinary Professionals
Kelli Maddock, MS, MLS(ASCP)
North Dakota State University (NDSU)
Upper Midwest Agricultural Safety and Health Center (UMASH) - The Effects of COVID-19 on Law Enforcement
Teddy Nam, PhD, MPH
Advisor:Marizen Ramirez, PhD
Division of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota
MCOHS Pilot Project
KEYNOTE PRESENTATION
Following the virtual poster session, Dr. Bruce Alexander, Head of the Division of Environmental Health Sciences, introduced the keynote speaker, Dr. Lotte Dyrbye, Senior Associate Dean of Faculty and Chief Well-being Officer at the University of Colorado School of Medicine.
Dr. Dyrbye’s presentation, “Strategies to Address Burnout Among Clinicians” included up-to-date information on the prevalence of burnout and potential contributors, the consequences of burnout, and individual as well as organizational strategies to enhance clinician well-being.
Following Dr. Dyrbye’s presentation, Dr. Marizen Ramirez, MCOHS Director, moderated a live interactive Q&A session, during which participants were able to submit questions.
PANEL PRESENTATION
The symposium was capped off with a panel presentation by experts representing healthcare, agriculture, retail, and community engagement organizations.
PANELISTS:
- Casey Clements, MD, PhD
Consultant Physician and Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine – Mayo Clinic - Josh Gramling, PhD
Director of Occupational Health, Wellness and Jail Health Services – Hennepin Healthcare - Myra DW West, PsyD
Clinical Psychologist and Director of Organizational Trauma and Resilience – Marshfield Clinic Health System
The panelists gave short presentations on the impacts of COVID-19 in their workplace, the various ways they have responded to the pandemic, as well as current efforts and challenges in addressing worker fatigue, violence, and workplace safety. Following the presentations, Dr. Jeff Bender, UMASH Director, moderated a live Q&A discussion with the panelists, taking questions from the attendees.
WATCH THE RECORDED 2022 NORA SYMPOSIUM
The entire symposium was recorded and posted in a playlist on the MCOHS YouTube channel.
MCOHS and UMASH were proud to once again co-sponsor this annual event.
We wish to thank the presenters, as well as the faculty and staff who work together each year to make it happen, even in challenging times! We look forward to future symposia as we continue the engaging and vital discussions on occupational health and safety.
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