2024 SUSAN GOODWIN GERBERICH SYMPOSIUM
Cannabis and Work
The 2024 Susan Goodwin Gerberich Symposium, hosted by the Midwest Center for Occupational Health and Safety (MCOHS), Upper Midwest Agricultural Safety and Health Center (UMASH), and the University of Minnesota School of Public Health, focused on “Cannabis and Work.”
Held in person at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities campus on May 2, 2024, the event brought together faculty, researchers, staff, students, and professionals in occupational health and safety to discuss the impact and implications of the emerging cannabis industry. Led by keynote presenter Dr. John Howard, Director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), these conversations emphasized the need for more research on the opportunities and challenges surrounding cannabis and work.
EVENT INFORMATION
THANK YOU to all who joined us for this important discussion on the occupational health and safety considerations related to cannabis use and production.
As more states adopt cannabis access laws, and as more workers join the cannabis industry or choose to consume cannabis-containing products, the implications for existing workplace policies, programs and practices become more salient. Shifting legal standards and changing cultural views require us to craft workplace policies and practices that are adaptive to these new realities.
KEYNOTE PRESENTER
John Howard, MD, MPH, JD, LLM, MBADirector, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
Dr. John Howard serves as the Director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and the Administrator of the World Trade Center Health Program in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in Washington, D.C. He first served as Director of NIOSH from 2002 through 2008, and again from 2009 to 2015. He was re-appointed to a third six-year term in 2015 and a fourth six-year term in 2021.
Prior to his appointment as Director of NIOSH, Dr. Howard served as Chief of the Division of Occupational Safety and Health in the California Department of Industrial Relations, Labor and Workforce Development Agency, from 1991 through 2002.
Dr. Howard received his Doctor of Medicine from Loyola University of Chicago, his Master of Public Health from the Harvard School of Public Health, his Doctor of Law from the University of California at Los Angeles, and his Master of Law in Administrative Law and his Master of Business Administration in Healthcare Management from the George Washington University in Washington, D.C.
Dr. Howard is board-certified in internal medicine and occupational medicine. He is admitted to the practice of medicine and law in the State of California and in the District of Columbia, and he is a member U.S. Supreme Court bar. He has written numerous articles on occupational health law and policy and serves as a professorial lecturer in environmental and occupational health in the Milken Institute School of Public Health at The George Washington University in Washington, D.C.
CONTINUING THE LEGACY…
A NEW NAME FOR THE NORA SYMPOSIUM
In memory and recognition of Dr. Susan Goodwin Gerberich and her years of service and dedication to the field of occupational health and safety, the annual NORA Symposium has been renamed the Susan Goodwin Gerberich Symposium.
Dr. Gerberich served as the Director of the Midwest Center for Occupational Health and Safety (MCOHS) from 2007 to 2019, and was a faculty member in the Division of Environmental Health Sciences for 39 years. She was a pioneer in the field of injury and violence prevention, developing the original MCOHS injury prevention training program in 1987. Dr. Gerberich was a devoted mentor, training future leaders in occupational health and safety.
For many years, the NORA Symposium has been a reflection of Dr. Gerberich’s passion and vision, showcasing student research and bringing together students, faculty, researchers, media, and a wide variety of stakeholders to explore existing and emerging topics in occupational health and safety. Therefore, it is only fitting that this annual event be renamed in her honor.
The Susan Goodwin Gerberich Symposium is co-sponsored by the Midwest Center for Occupational Health and Safety Education and Research Center (MCOHS) and the Upper Midwest Agricultural Safety and Health Center (UMASH).
