The Agricultural Safety and Health Continuing Education (ASH-CE) Program is an important resource for the Upper Midwest in unique and innovative agricultural safety and health research, dissemination of research, and practicing professional continuing education. Many occupational safety and health professionals may not be employed full-time in an agricultural industry or organization but may be called on by their public or private sector employer to work on special projects, intervention programs, or workplace design efforts in an agricultural or food-related industry. The ASH-CE program assures that participants will have an increased understanding of the nature and demographic characteristics of the local, regional and national agricultural workforce and how those characteristics influence hazardous exposures.

Nurse's Guide to Children's Agricultural Safety

Log in and take the Nurse's Guide to Children's Agricultural Safety

The purpose of this continuing education offering is to help the nursing professional working with rural families understand the importance of adult responsibilities in assigning agricultural tasks to children. The North American Guidelines for Children's Agricultural Tasks are geared toward helping parents choose jobs that are matched to the abilities of their children. The goal of the Guidelines is to reduce the level of risk for children, with the ultimate goal of preventing farm work-related injury and illness. This course will help health care providers give informed guidance to parents in making those decisions.

Infectious Diseases Related to Animal Production

This event took place March 26, 2007.
View the presentation from Infectious Diseases Related to Animal Production.

Increasingly, the connection between human illness and animal health is a growing area of research and public health concern. Illnesses that have a direct animal connection include West Nile Virus, E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella, and Avian Influenza.  This presentation covers various disease agent characteristics and specific disease prevention strategies.

Speakers

Kristina McElroy, DVM, is a Post-Doctoral Fellow in Veterinary Public Health at the University of Minnesota.  She works in the Center for Animal Health and Food Safety which is part of Minnesota's College of Veterinary Medicine.  She is also a Captain in the Army Reserve Veterinary Corps and just recently returned from deployment.  Dr. McElroy comes to Minnesota by way of Missouri where she received her Doctorate from the University of Missouri's College of Veterinary Medicine in 2001.  She practiced in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley where she saw the need for veterinarians to be involved in public health and came to the interdisciplinary program here in Minnesota.  Her currrent research and work is in food security and emergency planning for industry, disease detection, and instruction of veterinary students.  Her interests include preventive medicine, infectious diseases and facilitating communication between health professionals.

Barbara Knust, DVM, Center for Animal Health and Food Safety is a 2004 graduate of Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine. She started off her career at a mixed animal practice in rural New York state, where she worked both with farm animals as well as companion animals. In January 2007, she came to the University of Minnesota to join the Center for Animal Health and Food Safety as a post-doctoral fellow. She is currently earning her Master in Public Health, with a special interest in emerging infectious disease.

Livestock Industry Worker Health Impacts

This event took place March 26, 2007.
View the presentation from Lifestock Industry Worker Health Impacts.

Workers in a variety of livestock industry settings are exposed to multiple hazardous agents that have the potential to cause illness and injury.  Knowledge on the part of health care practitioners of the hazards inherent in these work places is important in the promotion of worker health and safety.

Speaker

Barbara Knust, DVM, Center for Animal Health and Food Safety is a 2004 graduate of Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine. She started off her career at a mixed animal practice in rural New York state, where she worked both with farm animals as well as companion animals. In January 2007, she came to the University of Minnesota to join the Center for Animal Health and Food Safety as a post-doctoral fellow. She is currently earning her Master in Public Health, with a special interest in emerging infectious disease.

Respiratory Illness in Confined Animal Operation Workers

This event took place December 18, 2007.
View the presentation from Lifestock Industry Worker Health Impacts.

Confined animal feeding operations pose specific hazards to workers in terms of exposures to agents that result in respiratory illnesses.  Dr. Kirkhorn presents current information on the sources and potential health effects of selected agents of exposure and describes personal protective strategies that can be used in these settings.

Speaker

Steven R. Kirkhorn, MD, MPH, FACOEM presently serves as Medical Director of the National Farm Medicine Center and Chair of the Occupational Health Department at Marshfield Clinic, Marshfield WI. Dr. Kirkhorn developed an interest in agricultural medicine while providing care for dairy farmers with asthma and Farmers Lung while practicing family medicine in Wisconsin which led to a Bush Medical Fellows Agricultural Medicine Fellowship.  He now specializes in rural occupational health and is involved in teaching, research and clinical consulting in agricultural medicine and is published in agricultural respiratory disease in peer reviewed journals.  He holds a Clinical Professor position in the University of Minnesota Family Medicine and Community Health Department and Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine at UW-Madison School of Medicine.  He also serves as a member of the National Pork Board Worker Safety and Public Health Advisory Panel; Board of Directors of AgriSafe, Inc.; and is Editor of the Journal of Agromedicine.