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Midwest Regional Education and Research Center Symposium - March 27, 2026 (part one)

Apr 29, 2026, 03:06 PM
On March 27, 2026, the University of Michigan hosted the annual Midwest Regional Education and Research Center (ERC) Symposium in Ann Arbor.

On March 27, 2026, the University of Michigan hosted the annual Midwest Regional Education and Research Center (ERC) Symposium in Ann Arbor. The symposium included ERC students and faculty from the University of Cincinnati, University of Illinois at Chicago, University of Kentucky, University of Michigan, and University of Minnesota as well as some industry professionals and ERC advisory board members. The topic for this year’s symposium was “Past, Present, and Future of Occupational Health and Safety (OSH)” and included senior OSH professionals speaking on the history of NIOSH, OSHA, and OSH industries; an ERC alumni panel discussing their present work in OSH fields; poster sessions; and an afternoon group exercise focusing on the future of OSH.

Large group of people standing and sitting in hotel conference room

Photo caption: ERC faculty, staff, and students gathered at the Midwest Regional Symposium

History of OSH Presentations

Science, Courage, and the Next Generation

Written by: Chien-Yu Hsu
I recently attended a presentation by Nancy McClellan, an experienced industrial hygiene (IH) practitioner and CEO of Occupational Health Management, PLLC. Her talk, “Science, Courage, and the Next Generation,” highlighted both the progress and challenges shaping the future of occupational health.

One key takeaway was the importance of a strong scientific foundation. Occupational and environmental health (OEH) relies on transparent, reproducible, and peer-reviewed methods to support evidence-based decision-making. As McClellan emphasized, when science becomes strong, prevention becomes possible. This principle is reflected in the classic “Plan-Do-Check-Act” cycle and the IH framework: anticipate, recognize, evaluate, control, and prevent hazards. Historical examples, such as radium dial painters, remind us of the consequences when hazards are not properly recognized and controlled.

McClellan also discussed emerging occupational risks, including wildfire smoke exposure and heat stress, both of which are becoming more significant due to climate change. She highlighted how artificial intelligence can support the field through predictive models and sensor integration. However, she stressed that AI should enhance—not replace—professional judgment.

Another critical issue is occupational mental health. Chemical exposures may contribute to conditions like depression and anxiety, yet these connections are often overlooked in clinical practice. Most physicians do not routinely ask about occupational exposures, which creates a gap in diagnosis and prevention. New approaches, such as advanced screening methods combined with AI analysis, may help identify hidden risks that traditional methods miss.

Finally, McClellan expressed concern about the shortage of trained professionals entering the field. She encouraged students to “fight for good science” and emphasized that the next generation brings hope. Ultimately, the future of occupational health depends on our commitment to scientific integrity, innovation, and training the workforce needed to protect worker health.

Strategic Evolution of Occupational Safety and Health

Written by: Efosa Obariase

Sarah Felknor, DrPH, from the University of Texas School of Public Health in Houston, delivered an insightful talk titled “The Strategic Evolution of Occupational Safety and Health: How the Past Prepares Us to Lead the Future of Worker Health, Safety, and Wellbeing.” Her presentation traced the field’s historical foundations while outlining the opportunities and responsibilities that lie ahead for OSH professionals.

People gathered at round tables in a hotel conference room watching a virtual presenter on two monitors

Photo caption: attendees watching Dr. Sarah Felknor's presentation

Dr. Felknor began by revisiting notable laws like the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, institutions like the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), and regulatory agencies like Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) that have shaped modern occupational safety and health. These foundational elements, she noted, continue to anchor the field as it adapts to new challenges.

She then highlighted the evolving nature of OSH practice, emphasizing the growing importance of specialization, interdisciplinary training, and collaborative approaches. Training project grants and transdisciplinary partnerships, she explained, are helping prepare a workforce capable of addressing increasingly complex workplace risks. The talk also addressed current and emerging OSH challenges, from shifting workforce demographics to new hazards, technological change, and the expanding focus on worker safety and well-being.

Dr. Felknor concluded with a compelling call to action: to strengthen the integration of research and practice, deepen collaboration across sectors, and build a more unified, forward-looking OSH system. By learning from the past and embracing innovation, the field can better shape a safer, healthier future for all workers.

The Past – How we got to the OSH Situation we are in Today, From the Perspective of a Regulator

Written by: Hannah Frame

The symposium focused on the past, the present, and the future of occupational health and safety. Plenary speaker Adam Finkel, who has experience as a regulator and in academia, spoke about the past. His presentation was titled, “The past – how we got to the OSH situation we are in today, from the perspective of a regulator.” He emphasized that worker health and safety is critical, and that regulatory bodies such as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have unfinished business. Dr. Finkel discussed the failures of our past, continually emphasizing that work takes up half of our waking hours. He stressed that when someone becomes sick or injured, their physician should consider what they do for work, probing any possible connection there. In addition to raising awareness among physicians and healthcare professionals, Dr. Finkel stressed that OSHA must increase sampling and efforts to regulate more substances, as few agents are currently regulated. While OSHA, NIOSH, and the EPA can’t set joint priorities despite having similar missions and overlaps, he stressed that there must be a structural realignment and mission update if we wish to continue protecting workers and the environment. There must be the ability to efficiently the other agencies, following the “see something, say something” principle. Dr. Finkel concluded his talk by emphasizing that our current regulatory landscape doesn’t serve workers, the community, or business. He emphasized that we must learn from the failures of our past to inform our future actions, to avoid making similar mistakes.

Shared Vision and Leadership Essentials in Today’s Workplace 

Written by: Angie Theil

At the 2026 ERC Regional Symposium, Dyan Jenkins-Ali shared with us a powerful reminder as occupational health and safety trainees and professionals: what we do matters. After sharing a photo of her husband, who retired after many years as a steelworker, she thanked the safety and health professionals who kept him in good health and ultimately prevented her from becoming a widow. As occupational health and safety professionals, we not only impact workers - we also impact families. 

As the Chief of Staff for the Chief Health Officer at the University of Michigan, Mrs. Jenkins-Ali imparted valuable wisdom on leadership and shared vision. First, leaders need to know their audience. Generational differences are real, and understanding what motivates and retains each generation is key to building richer, more resilient teams. Second, design thinking is a key tool for putting this into practice. Rather than handing down solutions from the top, leaders should use divergent thinking and help people find their own spark. She offered the example of a University of Michigan residence hall that intentionally houses different disciplines together to capitalize on diverse ways of thinking for creative problem solving. Lastly, she noted that high-performing teams score higher in human capabilities such as curiosity, emotional and social intelligence, resilience and divergent thinking. 

Mrs. Jenkins-Ali closed with core principles of leadership. To effectively lead through change, we need to engage and collaborate with the people around us. Even from an entry level position, we can lead from where we are. Every voice matters, and a good leader will carry those voices forward. Finding common ground with the people we work with and the people we lead is essential - closing this gap is what enables a shared vision to become a reality.

The Present: Alumni Panel Session

Written by: Kymiah Blair & Onyinye Ezeifeka

One of the most impactful sessions at the symposium was the alumni panel, which brought together five professionals from diverse areas within occupational health and safety. All panelists were graduates of ERC programs, now working across industry, healthcare, and public safety:
  • Vivek Patel (Chevron Corporation) – Industrial Hygiene
  • Dr. Courtland Keteyian (Henry Ford Health System) – Occupational Medicine
  • Tammy Lockhart (Johnson & Johnson) – Occupational Health Nursing
  • Haleigh Reindl (JE Dunn Construction) – Safety
  • Dr. Jennifer Tinsley Kubala (Lexington Fire Department) – Occupational Athletic Training (Interdisciplinary) 
The panel provided a clear picture of how the field extends beyond traditional boundaries and into multiple sectors, reinforcing the flexibility of training in occupational health.

People at round tables in a conference room watching five panel presenters at the front of the room

Photo caption: attendees listen to the five ERC alumni discuss current issues in OSH fields

A key takeaway was the importance of competence in building professional trust. As Dr. Jennifer Tinsley Kubala emphasized, being consistently good at what you do is what establishes credibility in practice. This point stood out because it shifts focus from titles to performance. She also underlined the role of working across disciplines and backed up the fact that excellent cooperation among different areas leads to real development.

Tammy Lockhart also highlighted another critical gap between training and practice: business acumen. When reflecting on what she wished she had learned during her training, she pointed to understanding organizational priorities, decision-making, and how to communicate value within a business context. This is a reminder that technical expertise alone is not enough in applied occupational health roles.

Another powerful element was the talk about how to resolve conflicts. Haleigh Reindl stressed the need to properly handle disagreements with the help of clear communication, true connection, and simple, easy-to-understand language that anyone can use. 

The discussion also emphasized the value of peer mentorship. Several panelists noted that learning from colleagues at similar career stages can be just as important as guidance from senior professionals and professors. This kind of support helps navigate early career challenges and builds long-term professional networks.

Overall, the session captured what the “present” looks like in occupational health: interdisciplinary, practice-driven, and shaped as much by soft skills and professional judgment as by technical knowledge.

OSH Poster Sessions

Written by: Judith Arthur and Kofi Osei-Acheampong

Students from all five ERCs presented innovative research findings through poster presentations. Overall, 19 posters were displayed.. Students stood beside their work as conference attendees interacted with them, engaging in stimulating scientific conversations and fostering a collaborative, professional environment. What stood out vividly was the variety in these posters, including the use of visuals to explain concepts, as well as the confidence, in-depth understanding, and delivery of the subject matter. Some participants went a step further by demonstrating wearable sensors used in data collection, adding a fresh perspective to student poster presentations. We had judges secretly posing as attendees, evaluating and influencing these presentations with questions, emphasizing the importance of critical thinking and genuine understanding of one's research. Three students were recognized as winners, two of them from the University of Cincinnati. The main takeaways from these students' poster presentation sessions are how informative they are and how they enable students to engage and communicate their findings to a scientific community using visuals, compared to traditional publications. Collectively, these poster presentations demonstrate how ERC students are advancing solutions to occupational safety and health challenges, reinforcing the program’s commitment to protecting and promoting worker well-being.

The Director’s Award Poster Session Winners were: 
  • Investigation and validation of using a mobile app to estimate whole-body vibration (WBV) in a cargo van in Michigan: a simulated experiment, Nathan Chen, University of Michigan
  • Size-Resolved Particle Emissions from Jet A Under Simulated Idle, Taxi, and Takeoff Conditions: Implications for Occupational Exposure, Onyinye A. Ezeifeka, University of Cincinnati
  • Assessing the Relationship Between Workplace Ergonomics and Respirable Crystalline Silica Exposure in Industrial Workers, Mercy Omoifo-Irefo, University of Cincinnati

Three people standing together in a hotel conference room

Photo caption: the three students that won the Director's Award Best Posters from left to right; Nathan Chen, Onyinye Ezeifeka, and Mercy Omoifo-Irefo

 

Afternoon Group Activity: Future of OSH

The Future of OSH

Written by: Amour Dondi

I was delighted to have a chance to attend the Regional ERC Symposium in Ann Arbor MI. As always, the conference was very enlightening, and the key speakers gave very insightful and detailed information in the field of Occupational Health and Safety. In the realm of discussing the future of OHS, the keynote speaker began by discussing the strategic evolution of Occupational Safety. The discussion in this aspect was on how the past prepares us to lead the future workers’ health, safety and wellbeing. The key question during this discussion was what has been evolving in the OHS field? ERCs and IPGS were all answers to this question including research priorities reflected in the NORA agenda of NIOSH. The key aspects that will shape the future of OSH based on what I understood from the discussion include:

Digitalization will change how risks are captured, reported, monitored, and mitigated. Evolving use of wearable sensors, and mobile apps will enable real-time exposure tracking, fatigue detection, and environmental monitoring.

Automation and the evolving nature of work will redefine risk, creating a balance between eliminating hazards and managing new ones. Collaborative use of robots (cobots), automated equipment, and remote supervision will greatly reduce physical strain and dangerous manual tasks, but introduce issues around system reliability, cybersecurity, and human-robot interaction.

Training, participation, and equity will be central to effective OSH in the coming years. Immersive technologies such as augmented and virtual reality will enhance realistic, scalable training as well as micro-credentials and modular learning will support lifelong upskilling for a diverse workforce.

Overall, the future of OSH looks very promising in the world that is evolving towards artificial intelligence and automated technology.

AI in OSH Fields Group Exercise

Written by: Benjamin Goulart

A speaker walked us through the REDECA framework for applying artificial intelligence to workplace safety in high-risk sectors like agriculture, oil & gas, mining, transportation, and construction.  He then had us do an exercise to pull out the three "biggest" themes from our table's group discussion: opportunity, challenge, and training needs. Groups came up with many ideas, but between these and my views, I will distill some takeaways.

The biggest opportunity seems to be to build predictive artificial intelligence that can forecast hazards before workers ever enter an exposed state. Right now, most systems only react once risk is already there, but true prediction, spotting fatigue, equipment failure, or environmental dangers ahead of time, could change safety from reactive to legitimate proactive and thereby prevent incidents altogether.

The biggest challenge is the almost total lack of specialized datasets for occupational safety & health. Without good organized, labeled data from real workplaces, it is difficult to train artificial intelligence models that are accurate, reliable, and safe enough to trust in the field.  On that latter point, while robots have been used for many decades behind safety cages, making their use more widespread generally in the workplace comes with its own associated risks.

The biggest training need is providing safety professionals with artificial intelligence 'literacy'. They do not necessarily need to code, but they do need to understand how these systems work, recognize their limitations, interpret outputs correctly, and handle the ethical side, things like privacy, bias, and helping workers rather than simply automatically weeding them out, so managers can actually integrate the tools into safety programs without creating new problems.

At the end of the exercise at our table, I added another thought of my own that seemed appropriate. A major strength of these artificial intelligence systems lies in their vigilance. Unlike people, whose attention naturally drifts after long shifts, machines can maintain perfect focus 24-7 on monitoring patterns to pull signals from the noise. That constant attention could be the key advantage in high-risk environments where natural human fatigue is often the weakest link. 

AI clearly has potential in the field, but we have to close those gaps in data, skills, and forward-looking design that optimizes for its strengths before it fully delivers on promised returns.

Automation and Robotics in OSH

Written by: Slater Payne
People talking at roundtables in hotel conference roomPhoto caption: groups participating in the afternoon activity discussing future challenges for OSH professions

A key component of the 2026 ERC University of Michigan Regional Symposium was a group exercise in which participants of the event were split into different groups to discuss the future challenges faced by the occupational health and safety profession. Prior to the conference, each group member was sent an article to better familiarize themselves with the topic they were assigned to discuss. Topics ranged from climate change to AI to better connecting occupational, environmental, and public health. I personally was in a group focused on automation and robotics. We discussed the pros and cons of automation, such as the removal of hazardous tasks versus potential job loss due to a reduction of tasks. This portion of the exercise was by far the most engaging as the event organizers ensured that the groups were composed of individuals of diverse backgrounds. My table consisted of University of Cincinnati and Michigan students/faculty, people from the Michigan state government, and a few people from private industry. This allowed for a variety of unique perspectives to be discussed regarding the topic at hand and a nice way to network with other occupational health and safety professionals. Ultimately the main points of what each group discussed were presented to everyone in attendance and several votes were taken to assess how we ranked the relative importance of each topic. While it was interesting to see how people leaned towards different topics, it felt like some of the nuances of why each topic was important was lost in this more simplified larger group discussion compared to the smaller individual groups. Ultimately, this was a very rewarding experience and one that I will carry with me into the future.

Group Presentations

Written by: Dickson Rungere and Mercy Omoifo-Irefo

Attendees (faculty and students) were preassigned to 10 groups to discuss different topics to identify the biggest opportunities, challenges, and training needed related to the the topic assigned. Each group member received a paper related to their topic to read prior to symposium to prepare for the group activity. The topics provided aimed to trigger discussion of envisioning the future of Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) since the future of OHS is uncertain, given the aging workforce, changing economy, and a dynamic and sometimes unpredictable regulatory and funding environment. This exercise intended to provide an interpersonal opportunity  to consider the opportunities and challenges that are associated with OHS to promote occupational health and safety in the US and around the world. The following are groups and their topics; -
  1. Artificial intelligence and OHS
  2. Climate change and OHS
  3. Better integrating environmental health and OHS
  4. Robotics and automation and OHS
  5. Ethics and OHS
  6. Federal Disengagement OHS
  7. Exposure standards and OHS
  8. Gig economy and OHS
  9. Globalization and OHS
  10. Mental health, stress, and OHS
This was an intriguing session as it was interactive, educational, and encouraged networking. Each group listed the opportunities, challenges and training needed related to the topic, at the end each group chose one representation to present their biggest opportunity, challenge, and training need in one minute. We had an open Q & A session after all groups presented and every member from each group voted to determine the top opportunity, challenge, and training need from all group presentations.    

 

On Saturday after the symposium, students toured the Ford Rouge Factory. Read part two of the blog here for the recap of the interdisciplinary tour.

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