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MOEMA From the President . . .
Has it been almost 12 months since I became President of the Michigan
Occupational and Environmental Medicine Association (MOEMA)?
Time goes by quickly when there is a lot going on.
During my 2008-09 term as MOEMA President, there has been a lot
going on. The United States became mired in a significant recession
(which is still ongoing) – with the state of Michigan taking the lion’s
share of this economic downturn. Two of the “Big Three” automobile
manufacturers in Michigan declared bankruptcy. Many employers in
Michigan (including the Big Three) have downsized (both in number of
locations and in number of employees). MOEMA’s national
organization, the American College of Occupational and Environmental
Medicine (ACOEM), was placed on probation regarding the granting
continuing medical education credits.
This may seem like a short list – but these things have significantly
affected MOEMA and these things have significantly affected my term
as the 2008-09 MOEMA President.
Occupational medicine an American Board of Medical Specialties
(www.ABMS.org) recognized medical specialty, is also the medical
specialty that is most affected by the current economic crisis in this
country. Consider the first name of our specialty – “occupational” – and
then consider the rising unemployment rate in the United States – which
means the loss of work – and then consider the downsizing of
companies – which means the loss of business. Then consider the
definition of occupation (a) “an activity or work in which one engages”
and (b) “the principal business of one's life”.
Now, to be more specific as to how MOEMA has been adversely
affected . . . Dues paying membership to ACOEM/MOEMA, which had
decreased in the last several years, even without a recession, has
decreased even more . . . and that has included the loss from the
ACOEM/MOEMA membership rolls of long-term ACOEM/MOEMA
members. Several employers, which have previously paid annual
ACOEM/MOEMA dues as a benefit for their employee physicians, have
discontinued this benefit. With the downsizing of companies in
Michigan, some of our occupational medicine physician colleagues,
have either decided to retire (sooner than they would have wanted to
retire), have been relocated outside of Michigan or are no longer
employed by those downsized companies. Recruitment of vendors to
sponsor the 2009 MOEMA Annual Scientific Meeting has been a
difficult task. Instead of applying for CME through an organization that
understands occupational medicine, MOEMA needed to look outside of
ACOEM to obtain CME credit for the 2009 MOEMA Annual Scientific
Meeting.
Does this sound bleak? Yes, it does! However, the best thing about
reaching the depths is that there is usually an upswing to follow. In this
case, occupational medicine physicians and MOEMA and Michigan
have good reason to be optimistic. Though bankruptcy was filed by two
of the Michigan Big Three automobile manufacturers, each of those two
companies has emerged from bankruptcy, and each has since formed
new companies, and each have what many forecast to be bright futures.
Michigan has or will receive a large share of the Federal government’s
stimulus package – with the goal of creating new industries and new
jobs in our state. The current economic crisis had brought in to focus the
importance of keeping the Michigan workforce safe and healthy and
productive – which in turn, emphasizes the importance to these
companies of having well trained and knowledgeable occupational
medicine physicians. To this end, the 2009 MOEMA Annual Scientific
Meeting has recruited a top-notch line-up of speakers for the
conference and has been approved for 15.25 CME credits. In addition,
in keeping with the new and optimistic re-birth for many Michigan
businesses, the 2009 MOEMA Annual Scientific Meeting will be in
Battle Creek for the very first time.
The MOEMA Annual Scientific Meeting has always been a meeting
where occupational medicine physicians were able to obtain cutting
edge knowledge from nationally known speakers from our state and
beyond. The 2009 MOEMA conference is no exception. However, at the
2009 conference, more than in any other previous year, there is
something more that we as occupational medicine physicians need and
want . . . the camaraderie and the networking of our fellow occupational
medicine physicians.
“Tony the Tiger” and I are looking forward to seeing many of you in
Battle Creek, the Cereal Capital, where we expect the 2009 MOEMA
Annual Scientific Meeting to be (in Tony the Tiger’s words)
“GREEAAAT!!!”
Occupational and Environmental Medicine Association (MOEMA)?
Time goes by quickly when there is a lot going on.
During my 2008-09 term as MOEMA President, there has been a lot
going on. The United States became mired in a significant recession
(which is still ongoing) – with the state of Michigan taking the lion’s
share of this economic downturn. Two of the “Big Three” automobile
manufacturers in Michigan declared bankruptcy. Many employers in
Michigan (including the Big Three) have downsized (both in number of
locations and in number of employees). MOEMA’s national
organization, the American College of Occupational and Environmental
Medicine (ACOEM), was placed on probation regarding the granting
continuing medical education credits.
This may seem like a short list – but these things have significantly
affected MOEMA and these things have significantly affected my term
as the 2008-09 MOEMA President.
Occupational medicine an American Board of Medical Specialties
(www.ABMS.org) recognized medical specialty, is also the medical
specialty that is most affected by the current economic crisis in this
country. Consider the first name of our specialty – “occupational” – and
then consider the rising unemployment rate in the United States – which
means the loss of work – and then consider the downsizing of
companies – which means the loss of business. Then consider the
definition of occupation (a) “an activity or work in which one engages”
and (b) “the principal business of one's life”.
Now, to be more specific as to how MOEMA has been adversely
affected . . . Dues paying membership to ACOEM/MOEMA, which had
decreased in the last several years, even without a recession, has
decreased even more . . . and that has included the loss from the
ACOEM/MOEMA membership rolls of long-term ACOEM/MOEMA
members. Several employers, which have previously paid annual
ACOEM/MOEMA dues as a benefit for their employee physicians, have
discontinued this benefit. With the downsizing of companies in
Michigan, some of our occupational medicine physician colleagues,
have either decided to retire (sooner than they would have wanted to
retire), have been relocated outside of Michigan or are no longer
employed by those downsized companies. Recruitment of vendors to
sponsor the 2009 MOEMA Annual Scientific Meeting has been a
difficult task. Instead of applying for CME through an organization that
understands occupational medicine, MOEMA needed to look outside of
ACOEM to obtain CME credit for the 2009 MOEMA Annual Scientific
Meeting.
Does this sound bleak? Yes, it does! However, the best thing about
reaching the depths is that there is usually an upswing to follow. In this
case, occupational medicine physicians and MOEMA and Michigan
have good reason to be optimistic. Though bankruptcy was filed by two
of the Michigan Big Three automobile manufacturers, each of those two
companies has emerged from bankruptcy, and each has since formed
new companies, and each have what many forecast to be bright futures.
Michigan has or will receive a large share of the Federal government’s
stimulus package – with the goal of creating new industries and new
jobs in our state. The current economic crisis had brought in to focus the
importance of keeping the Michigan workforce safe and healthy and
productive – which in turn, emphasizes the importance to these
companies of having well trained and knowledgeable occupational
medicine physicians. To this end, the 2009 MOEMA Annual Scientific
Meeting has recruited a top-notch line-up of speakers for the
conference and has been approved for 15.25 CME credits. In addition,
in keeping with the new and optimistic re-birth for many Michigan
businesses, the 2009 MOEMA Annual Scientific Meeting will be in
Battle Creek for the very first time.
The MOEMA Annual Scientific Meeting has always been a meeting
where occupational medicine physicians were able to obtain cutting
edge knowledge from nationally known speakers from our state and
beyond. The 2009 MOEMA conference is no exception. However, at the
2009 conference, more than in any other previous year, there is
something more that we as occupational medicine physicians need and
want . . . the camaraderie and the networking of our fellow occupational
medicine physicians.
“Tony the Tiger” and I are looking forward to seeing many of you in
Battle Creek, the Cereal Capital, where we expect the 2009 MOEMA
Annual Scientific Meeting to be (in Tony the Tiger’s words)
“GREEAAAT!!!”
Summer 2009
Victor S. Roth, MD, MPH, FACOEM, FACPM
MOEMA President
Victor S. Roth, MD, MPH, FACOEM, FACPM
MOEMA President
