Thursday, February 1, 2024, 9:00 AM - 3:15 PM Pacific (Online Only)

9:00 AM - 9:05 AM: Introduction to Navigating Extremes: Climate Impacts on Occupational and Environmental Health

Emerging Biological Hazards 

9:05 AM - 9:40 AM: (Re)-Emerging Vector-Borne Diseases in the Era of Climate Change with Angel N. Desai, MD, MPH, UC Davis Health

Join Dr. Angel Desai for a discussion on emerging and re-emerging vector-borne disease epidemiology. Explore data on the association of climate change and extreme weather events, the shifting epidemiology of vector-borne disease, and discuss resources clinicians need to be prepared. 

9:40 AM - 10:00 AM: Examining the Relationship Between Valley Fever and Climate in California with Simon Camponuri, MPH, UC Berkeley PhD Candidate

Valley fever is an emerging fungal infection in the U.S., and until recently, our understanding of how climate influences the patterns and distribution of Valley fever has been limited. Join Simon Camponuri to discuss recent advances in the study of Valley fever's environmental epidemiology, including the role of drought in magnifying Valley fever incidence, the relationship between regional climate and the spatial distribution of the disease, and how climate change may shape the future distribution of Valley fever in the United States. 

10:00 AM - 10:20 AM: Valley Fever Among Workers Constructing Solar Power Farms in California with Gail Sondermeyer Cooksey, MPH, CDPH

In this case-based presentation, Gail Sondermeyer Cooksey will discuss outbreaks of coccidioidomycosis (Valley fever) that occurred among construction workers on solar power farms in California, including a description of the occupational risk of Valley fever, disease impacts and outcomes, and recommended risk reduction measures. Learners will also explore the challenges of outbreak detection and prevention, and the potential impact of changing climate on occupational Valley fever. 

10:20 AM - 10:30 AM: Stretch Break

10:30 AM - 11:00 AM: Joint Q&A on Emerging Biological Hazards with Angel N. Desai, MD, MPH; Simon Camponuri, MPH; and Gail Sondermeyer Cooksey, MPH, CDPH

Wildfire Smoke & Debris: Protecting Workers from Chemical Exposures

11:00 AM - 11:30 AM: Exposure of Agricultural Workers in California to Wildfire Smoke Under Past and Future Climate Conditions with Miriam Marlier, PhD, UC Los Angeles 

Due to the outdoor and physically demanding nature of their work, agricultural workers are particularly vulnerable to wildfire smoke pollution. Join Dr. Miriam Marlier to quantify the exposure of California agricultural workers to past and future wildfire smoke PM2.5. Discuss the increase in 'smokewave' exposure under future climate conditions, and the CA counties projected to be most impacted. Consider the role of air quality monitoring networks, and policies needed to better protect outdoor agricultural workers. 

11:30 AM - 12:00 PM: Protecting Workers Performing Fire Debris Removal: Medical Surveillance Recommendations with Sheri Belafsky, MD, MS, UC Davis Health and John Balmes, MD, UC San Francisco

California workers tasked with removing debris resulting from wildland and wildland urban interface fires face potential exposures to airborne and soil-based contaminants including known carcinogens and respiratory hazards. In this emerging field of occupational health, specific medical surveillance guidance for these workers has not been previously identified. Occupational health providers will need resources to guide their screening recommendations for these workers. 

12:00 PM - 12:15 PM: Health and Wellbeing for Federal Wildland Firefighters with Kathleen Navarro DuBose, MPH, PhD, U.S Department of the Interior

Discuss hazards in the wildland fire environment, recent congressional direction to address wildland firefighter health and wellbeing, current efforts under development, and the difficulties of working and conducting research in an incredibly dynamic environment. 

12:15 PM - 12:45 PM: Joint Q&A on Wildfire Smoke & Debris with Miriam Marlier, PhD; Sheri Belafsky, MD; John Balmes, MD; and Kathleen Navarro DuBose, MPH, PhD

12:45 PM - 1:30 PM: Lunch Break

Heat Illness: Addressing Physical Exposures

1:30 PM - 2:00 PM: How to Prevent Heat Illness in California: Assessing the CA Heat Illness Prevention Standard & CA Indoor Heat Proposal with Amy Heinzerling, MD, MS, California Department of Public Health, and David Hornung, MPH, CIH, Cal/OSHA

Join David Hornung and Dr. Amy Heinzerling to discuss existing and potential regulations in California to prevent heat illness, including lessons learned from recent heat fatalities. Review rates of heat illness observed in California workers over time, and leverage worker's compensation data to highlight demographic and occupational risk factors for heat illness. 

2:00 PM - 2:20 PM: Improved Methods to Measure Extreme Heat Exposure and Response with Konrad Rykaczewski, PhD, Arizona State University

Discuss new biometerological methods being developed at Arizona State University (ASU) to assess how humans are impacted by extremely hot environments. Learn about ANDI, an indoor-outdoor breathing, sweating, and walking thermal manikin leveraged to better understand and measure the effects of extreme heat on human health. 

2:20 PM - 2:40 PM: Using the Heat-Related Illness Screening Tool (HIST) with Jean M. Bernhardt, PhD, MSN, MSHA, NHA, NEA-BC, CNP, Mass General Brigham

Extreme heat is a major health risk associated with climate change. Heat-related illness (HRI) resulting from exposure to excess heat presents a complex intersection of physical, environmental, and social processes. The heat-related illness screening tool (HIST) identifies individuals at risk for HRI. Early screening with the easily admissible HIST can prevent or mitigate the progressive negative effects of heat intolerance. 

2:40 PM - 2:50 PM: Stretch Break

2:50 PM - 3:15 PM: Joint Q&A with Amy Heinzerling, MD, MS; David Hornung, MPH, CIH; Jean M. Bernhardt, PhD, MSN, MSHA, NHA, NEA-BC, CNP; Konrad Rykaczewski, PhD; and Nayamin Martinez, MPH; Central California Environmental Justice Network