Grand Rounds – Christopher Leopardi, DO, MPH, second-year OEM resident
Occupational Asthma: Risks and Management in Laboratory Workers Exposed to Animal Proteins
Presenter: Christopher Leopardi, DO, MPH, Second-Year Resident in Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Discussant: Stefanos N. Kales, MD, MPH, FACOEM, FACP, Director, Occupational and Environmental Medicine Residency, Professor of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health; Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Div. Chief OEM, Cambridge Health Alliance.
Learning Objectives: Participants will be able to 1) identify the common sources of animal protein exposure in laboratory environments; 2) identify the role of animal proteins in occupational asthma; 3) describe the mechanisms by which high-molecular-weight animal proteins contribute to the development of sensitizer-induced occupational asthma; 4) assess the diagnostic approaches used to detect occupational asthma in laboratory workers and to 5) formulate management strategies for reducing exposure to animal proteins in laboratory settings and mitigating asthma symptoms.