The History of OEM: OEM Becomes a Specialty - Part II

TRACK: Management and Administration in OEM

Richard JL Heron, MD, FRCP, FACOEM, BP International, Sudsbury on Thames, England
John D. Meyer, MD, MPH, FACOEM, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY
Mark Russi, MD, MPH, FACOEM, Yale New Haven Hospital, New Haven, CT

The ACOEM Section on History and Archives is pleased to present a series of presentations on the history of occupational and environmental medicine (OEM), from the origins of occupational medicine over 300 years ago to the formation of a national organization of occupational health physicians in the U.S. 100 years ago, to the rapid evolution of the specialty over the past thirty years as modern programs and concepts have arisen in many areas of occupational medical practice, including transportation medicine, substance abuse and screening, and health and productivity management. Speakers include ACOEM leaders with a great deal of personal knowledge and experience, including some who have themselves been instrumental in developing the specialty of OEM in their areas of expertise.
The second session will focus on the history of 3 important OEM hazards/occupations: industrial chemicals such as asbestos related diseases and bladder cancer caused by aniline dyes; medical center occupational health, from the plagues of Europe to SARS and other modern pandemics; and work-related upper extremity disorders from overuse syndromes among office and telecommunications workers in the 19th and 20th centuries to hand-arm vibration syndrome. This session was organized by the History and Archives
Special Interest Section. This session may be of particular interest to residents and recent graduates.