The Midwest Center for Occupational Health and Safety (MCOHS) Education and Research Center hosted “Emerging Issues and Controversies in Occupational Health and Safety” on March 4, 2010, in St. Paul, MN. The symposium featured a full day of sessions which explored the science surrounding current OHS issues such as foodborne illness, obesity in the workplace, and toxic environments in healthcare.

Presentations and Sessions:

Protecting the Nation’s Food Chain
Craig Hedberg, PhD, Professor, School of Public Health, Division of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Minnesota

Dealing with Pandemic Influenza at the Global Scale
Michael T. Osterholm, PhD, MPH, Director, Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP), Director, Minnesota Center of Excellence for Influenza Research and Surveillance (MCEIRS), Professor, Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota

Workers at Risk: Toxic Environments in Healthcare
William Buchta, M.D., Preventive, Occupational, and Aerospace Medicine,
Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, Todd Wilkening, Director of Facility Services, Ridgeview Medical Center,
St. Paul, MN, Catherine Zimmer, MPH, RN, Minnesota Technical Assistance Program,
Minneapolis, MN

Obesity in the Workplace: What Works?
Nancy Sherwood, PhD, Health Partners Research Foundation, Minneapolis, MN
Cara McNulty, Minnesota Department of Health, St. Paul, MN

Perfluorochemicals, Projects, & Privacy: Markers of Exposure
Tannie Eshenaur, MPH, Minnesota Department of Health, St. Paul, MN
Jean Johnson, PhD, Minnesota Department of Health, St. Paul, MN
Geary Olsen, DVM, PhD, 3M Corporate Occupational Medicine, St. Paul, MN

Soldier to Civilian: Understanding Challenges of Transition
Christopher Erbes, PhD, Veterans Administration Medical Center, St. Paul, MN
Kate Harri, MA, LP, Behavioral Medical Interventions, Minneapolis, MN
Cathy Cato, RN, MPH, COHN-S, Behavioral Medical Interventions, Minneapolis, MN