Over 310 participants including delegates, speakers and exhibitors gathered at The Grand Hotel Brighton on the 17-18th June for the Annual Scientific Meeting: Occupational Health 2025 ‘Leading OH into the Future’.

The programme brought together delegates and speakers from over 20 countries reflecting the global nature and importance of occupational health and the breadth of topics within the speciality. Following the Welcome Address by Rt Hon Sir Stephen Timms MP, the conference contained a mixture of lectures, clinical updates, presentations and awards.

Prior to the conference, delegates were once again able to take part in the popular visits to local employers which this year included Gatwick Airport, Goodwood Estate, BT Openreach Training Centre and Brighton Aquarium.

Here are just some of the talks, panel discussions and notable awards across the two days:

Day 1

The 2025 Thackrah Lecture was given by Dr Alasdair Emslie, past president of SOM and CMO of Health Partners Group. Following this, Dr Alice Rutter was announced as the winner of the FOM Peter Taylor Trainee Presentation Award and gave her presentation, ‘Specialist training in Occupational Medicine: averting a doom cycle’.

Commenting on the award, Dr Rutter said “It means a lot to me to win this award. It’s really important to have this work validated as both important and interesting by the Faculty”.

Later in the afternoon, Dr Louise Hancock, winner of the 2024 Peter Taylor Trainee Presentation Award gave her talk, ‘Local Oncology Update – Systematic anti-cancer treatments and their impact on work.’

Day 2

The Jameson Parkinson lecture was given by Professor Dame Jenny Harries, recently retired as Chief Executive, UK Health Security Agency. Titled ‘Retirement or Re-Occupation’, Dame Jenny emphasised the many benefits of working in older age.

A packed session demonstrated the interest in‘How we can improve the quality and availability of work and health data to improve practice, research and policy’, led by Professor Martie van Tongeren, with panellists Dr Professor Diana Kloss MBE and and Professor Chris Warhurst.

Dr Gail Allsopp, Chief Medical Adviser, DWP shared her inspirational message “Occupational medicine – there has never been a more important time for your work” as she delivered her Plenary Lecture: ‘Work as a health outcome’.

The conference closed with a highly topical lecture on Artificial intelligence:Data, Ethics and Practical Implications from Dr Lara Shemtob, followed by Dame Carol Black speaking on the State of the Nation.

President’s summary:

Reflecting on Occupational Health 2025, FOM President Dr Robin Cordell said “There has been huge benefit in coming together, as there is every year and it’s been another truly international gathering. The value is not just in sharing best practice but being able to have those discussions in the margins as well as asking questions in formal presentations. I’ve learnt a lot, but it’s also helped me, and I hope our delegates, in discussing the big issues in occupational health and how we’ve been able to influence change and ultimately, through healthier organisations, to improve the health of the nation.”

Thank you to everyone who joined us in Brighton.

FOM would like to congratulate Professor Ewan MacDonald OBE FRCP, Professor and Head of the Healthy Working Lives Group at the University of Glasgow for his recent award in the King’s Birthday Honours List.

Professor MacDonald becomes Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for services to Occupational Medicine and to Reducing Health Inequalities.

Photo credit: University of Glasgow.

As a member organisation of the Council for Work and Health, FOM contributed to the statement on the UK Government’s Get Britain Working White Paper.

Please see the Council for Work and Health website for the full statement.

https://www.councilforworkandhealth.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/20241213-Council-for-Work-and-Health-statement-on-the-Get-Britain0D0A-Working-White-Paper-November-2024.pdf ^[3]

We were delighted to welcome recent academic prize winners, new Members, Fellows, and Honorary Fellows to the Faculty of Occupational Medicine on September 26th.

Held at the Royal College of Physicians, the event celebrated the achievements of those winning prizes in the FOM examinations, including the Diploma in Occupational Medicine (DOccMed) and the new Diploma in Occupational Health Practice (DipOHPrac), those awarded the MFOM specialist qualification, and those elected to Fellowship of the FOM.

Award and Prize winners: L-R: Dr Louise Hancock (2023 Peter Taylor Award Winner), Ms Lauren Foster-Thompson (DipOHPrac Prize – Winner), Dr Momeda Deen (Academic Dean and Deputy President), Dr Lisa Smyth (DOccMed Prize – Runner Up), Dr Anneka Varma (William Taylor Award – Winner), Ms Caroline Gibbs (DipOHPrac Prize – Runner Up).

New members: Back row, L-R: Dr Andrew Sproston, Dr Loren Zelic, Dr Emily Rawle, Dr Malachy Abah, Dr Mary McBride, Dr Oladapo Oladele Olayinka. Front row, L-R: Dr Shairana Naleem, Dr Kathleen Lin, Prof Steve Nimmo (Immediate Past President), Dr Momeda Deen (Academic Dean and Deputy President), Dr Jacqueline Furzeland.

New Fellows: Back row, L-R: Dr Elschen Kotzé, Dr Aingarapillai Samuel Thayalan, Dr Robbert Hermanns, Dr Yousef Habbab, Dr Gordon Jackson-Koku, Dr John Sterland. Front row: L-R: Dr Jacqueline Thompson, Dr Momeda Deen (Academic Dean and Deputy President), Prof Steve Nimmo (Immediate Past President), Prof Kevin Fenton CBE (Honorary Fellow), Dr Manawar Khan.

Awards in absentia

In addition, a number of winners and recipients were unable to join us. Congratulations also go to: Dr Arthur Barrow (DOccMed Prize – Winner), Dr Niqui Solomon (DOccMed Prize – Runner Up), Dr Jennifer Sealey (DipOHPrac Prize – Runner Up), Dr Alice Rutter (2024 Peter Taylor Award – Winner), Dr Alex Bacon (2024 Peter Taylor Award – Runner Up), Mr Andrew Walker (Honorary Fellow), Dr Dominic Haseldine (Fellow), Dr Mark Ferris (Fellow), Dr Sunita Hema Babu (Member), Dr Theo Booker (Member), Dr Kadambari Gokhale (Member), Dr Emil Hinov (Member), Dr Rose How (Member), Major Charles Lampl (Member), Dr Amy Pickles (Member), Dr Josef Wallace (Member), Dr Kirsty Wilson (Member). In addition, Mr Andrew Walker (Honorary Fellow), in attendance but not pictured.

The 2024 Annual Scientific Meeting took place on June 20th and 21st in Belfast. Attended by nearly 300 delegates and speakers, the meeting brought together occupational health professionals from as far as Australia, New Zealand and Brazil.

The meeting was opened by Professor Sir Michael McBride, CMO Northern Ireland offering his welcome address before the two-day mixture of lectures, presentations, clinical updates and poster sessions took place in the impressive Titanic Belfast venue, with optional workplace visits to local employers.

A diversity of discussion

The range of topics reflected the breadth of the occupational health specialty. Starting with Dr Will Ponsonby’s Thackrah lecture on the health issues affecting mining and concluding on day two with Dr Brooke Lanyard discussing managing liver disease in the workplace, topics included arthritis, lung health, leadership in OH, menopause, silicosis, work travel and workplace loneliness – and many, many more. In fact, a number of delegates said it was the diversity of topics that encouraged them to attend.

A sense of connection

While professional development was a key objective for many, what really came across in the many conversations taking place was a sense of connection experienced. As one delegate commented, “It’s one of the very few times you get so many occupational health professionals in the room at the same time, away from home and away from work. For me it’s the relationships that are the most important part.” Another held a very similar view. “There was a general sense of collegiality, and of support, and of trust. And very many helpful conversations took place.”

Reflections on the future of OH

The Annual Scientific Meeting was themed ‘Leading OH into the Future’ so the ‘OH challenges in the digital revolution’ lecture given by Professor Malcolm Sim AM, from Monash University Australia was very appropriate. Prof Sim addressed the issues and opportunities presented by how technology is changing the way we work and how managing workplace health can be helped by AI and other advances.

Reflecting on the futuristic content, Dr Shriti Pattani OBE said, “From an educational point of view, it was a fantastic range of topics but also a very futuristic view. Where we are going, where’s it’s all leading, covering Al and the things that will influence our practice. So really, at the leading edge of occupational medicine.”

The thoughts of the FOM and SOM Presidents

Speaking at the end of the meeting, Dr Lanre Ogunyemi, SOM President shared his thoughts. “The feedback has been really, really good and inspiring. People are talking about more scientific rigour to the talks, and also being able to have things they can take away. So, we managed to cater to our community very, very well. And I’m really proud of the organisers for that.” FOM President Steve Nimmo added, “It was a great venue and a great meeting with some excellent speakers. I’ve had lots of positive feedback from delegates, and it seems to have been a great success.”

 

 

 

Posters and Prizes

One of the highlights was the recognition given to others for excellence in their work. This was seen in several ways across the two days. Dr Louise Hancock, winner of the Peter Taylor Trainee Presentation award shared her research titled ‘Mixed methods study of infection risk in patients with solid tumours in the workplace’.

On day two Professor Ira Madan presented several awards including the FOM Morris Cooke Medical student prize to Ms Anzhelika Ghafuri (3rd year KCL medical student) for her presentation ‘Exploring the impact of severe asthma in the workplace: A narrative review’. Dr Cara Ghiglieri (Centre for Musculoskeletal Health and Work) won the prize for the best poster and Dr Vaughan Parsons (London Centre for Work and Health) won the FOM prize for the best oral presentation ‘Assessing opportunities and challenges for growing the allied health professional working in occupational health specialty in the National Health Service (NHS).’

Professor Ken Addley OBE presented The Irish Faculty of Occupational Medicine, RCPI Poster Prize for the best poster that represents research, policy or education in the field of occupational health within an all-island Irish context. This was won by Dr Nuala Kelly and Dr Dominick Natin.

Join us next year

The next Annual Scientific Meeting will take place next June 2025 in Brighton.

We are delighted that the latest edition of iOH (Association of Occupational Health & Wellbeing Professionals) e-journal OH Today features SEQOHS on the cover.

The article, written by Mandy Murphy, Quality Lead for SEQOHS Assessors, recaps on the SEQOHS Accreditation Scheme and covers what has changed or is new following the review that saw the launch of the 2023 Scheme.

Mandy also covers the important factors that the scheme brings to occupational health and shares her insider perspective, having worked in the NHS when her service achieved accreditation in 2012.

To support the accreditation process, SEQOHS are looking to expand the assessor team. If you would like more details about the role, please contact Mandy by email at mandy.murphy@fom.ac.uk ^[7]

The article starts on page 6.

https://issuu.com/ioh1/docs/oh_today_volume_31_issue_2 ^[8]

The FOM AGM, Awards and Annual Dinner will take place at the Royal College of Physicians, London on 26 September 2024.

This year’s Trainee/Portfolio Pathway Conference will be held on the 24^th April 2024 at the Chesford Grange, Kenilworth ^[11].

FOM members who are trainees, or members interested in following the Portfolio Pathway (formerly called CESR), can attend this event free of charge. Places are limited, so please register below if you would like a place. Please note that we charge £40 for a no-show or cancellation within 2 weeks of the conference.

 If you aren’t a member of FOM but would like to attend the conference, you can either join as an Affiliate member (£95) which includes a free place plus other membership benefits, or you can pay a day delegate fee of £95. To arrange this, please contact payments@fom.ac.uk ^[12] .

To book your place, please click here ^[13].

The programme for the day is as follows:

10:00 – 10:30	Registration Refreshments
10:30 – 11:00	Welcome and Updates Prof. Ira Madan, Academic Dean, FOM Merv Young, Head of Assessment and Quality, FOM
11:00 – 12:00	Dr. Simon Unter – Dermatology Consultant Dermatologist, Warwick Hospital
12:00 – 12:30	Further Updates Dr Lisa Curran, Director of Training, FOM Dr Jon Spiro, Portfolio Pathway Lead, FOM
12:30 – 13:30	Prof. Vinod Patel – Diabetes and Work, and Ramadan Professor – Diabetes and Clinical Skills, Warwick Medical School Consultant in Endocrinology and Diabetes, Acute medicine, and Medical Obstetrics, George Eliot Hospital, Nuneaton
13:30 – 14:30	Lunch and Networking
14:30 – 15:30	Prof. Ian Brown – Epilepsy and Occupational Health Honorary Consultant Physician in the Co-Morbidities of Neurological Disorders, OUH Visiting Professor, Institute of Food Nutrition and Health, University of Reading
15:30 – 16:00 (Close)	Dr. Ali Hashtroudi – Updates and Brief Q & A Session Head of National School of Occupational Health
16:00 – 16:10	Dr. Daniel Border Trainee Rep – Closing remarks

 

 

The Faculty of Occupational Medicine is delighted to announce that Dr Robin Cordell will be the next President of the Faculty of Occupational Medicine.

 Dr Cordell brings a wealth of experience to the role. He is in day to day practice as an occupational physician and Chair of a social enterprise delivering occupational health services and providing specialty training, with five GMC approved posts, and also supporting doctors progressing towards CESR. He has held senior medical leadership roles in Defence, been a past President of SOM, and is a director of the Council for Work and Health. He is an examiner for the DOccMed and MFOM Part 2/AFOM, and led on the recent SEQOHS Standards Review for the Faculty.

 Commenting on his appointment as President Elect, Dr Cordell said:

 “I feel privileged to be asked to represent the Faculty later this year in what continues to be a time of some challenge and significant opportunity for our specialty, and the real potential for enhancing health and work nationally.  I will seek to continue the momentum built by Steve Nimmo and his work with the other colleagues who have been engaged at a senior level in Government and the NHS, as well as work to build the occupational health workforce. In my view the Faculty is central not only to increasing capacity, but also in making a critical contribution to assurance of the quality of services required to meet this need.  I see an inclusive and collegiate approach as essential, including building on the DOccMed workforce, and the new DipOH Prac, and working with the full breadth of those engaged in health and work.”

As President Elect, Dr Cordell will work with the current President to ensure a smooth handover of presidential responsibilities when Professor Steve Nimmo demits office at the FOM AGM on 26 September 2024.

The annual scientific meeting, held this year in Belfast 20 and 21 June, is open for registration.

The conference website has been updated to include the full programme, social events and workplace visits. These include a visit to Translink’s £1.7 million Training Academy in south Belfast, a guided tour at Titanic Distillers and visits to Coca Cola and Spirit Aerosystems.

Full registration includes participation in all sessions, poster viewing, access to the exhibition, delegate materials and catering during the conference including an invitation to the welcome reception on-board SS Nomadic, moored next to Titanic Belfast (but places must be pre-booked) on 19 June. Tickets to attend the Gala Dinner on 20 June can be purchased separately.

Recognising financial and cost-of-living pressures, SOM and FOM have kept the registration fees for 2024 at the 2023 level.

The updated website also has information on the venue location, hotels and things to do around Belfast. It’s set to be an exciting conference in a vibrant and historic city.

Register here: https://www.occupationalhealthconferences.com/registration/ ^[16]