Occupational Medicine Training Opportunities: Enhancing the Pipeline

TRACK: OEM Education and Scientific Research

Michael Fischman, MD, MPH, FACOEM, University of California, Walnut Creek, CA
William W. Greaves, MD, MSPH, FACOEM, American Board of Preventive Medicine, Chicago, IL
Robert Harrison, MD, MPH, University of California, San Francisco, CA
Michael J. Hodgson, MD, MPH, OSHA, Washington, DC
Amir Mohammad, MD, MPH, Veterans Health Administration/Yale University OEM Program, New Haven, CT
John D. Piacentino, MD, MPH, FACOEM, NIOSH, Washington, DC

The number of trained occupational and environmental medicine (OEM) physicians entering our field every year is less than the number of retirees, yet the need for OEM physicians is not declining. While limitations to and uncertainty regarding funding for training programs is often cited as the main problem contributing to the shortfall, there appear to be other factors involved, including difficulty in attracting qualified candidates, which, in turn, may reflect our inability to convey the breadth of practice and research opportunities ultimately available to graduates. In this session, physicians representing training programs, NIOSH and other funding organizations, and government agencies will attempt to define the current situation and problems and share potential approaches to enhancing the training pipeline through brief individual presentations followed by a panel discussion and an opportunity for audience input.