Occupational Safety and Health Seminar
The Department of Environmental Health and the Harvard Chan Education and Research Center for Occupational Safety and Health invite you to the next Occupational Safety and Health Seminar on Friday, September 11, from 1:10-1:50.
Title: Occupational Medicine Implications of Race-Neutral Spirometry
Recent recommendations from the American Thoracic Society advocate for race-neutral spirometry reference values, a shift with significant implications for occupational health. This session explores how these changes affect medical surveillance, fitness for-duty evaluations, and impairment ratings. Participants will gain insight into the timeline behind use of reference equations, their impact on classification of lung function across racial groups, and the potential consequences for disability assessments and compensation.
Learning Objectives:
- Summarize current American Thoracic Society recommendations for spirometry, including the shift to race neutral reference values.
- Identify key implications of race-neutral spirometry for eligibility for duty evaluations.
- Identify key implications of race-neutral spirometry for impairment and disability evaluations.
Presenter: Stella Hines, MD, MSPH
Location: Zoom only
RSVP: Please click here to register.
About the Presenter: Stella Hines, MD, MSPH is a Professor in the Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and the Baltimore VA Medical Center. Boarded in Occupational, Pulmonary, and Internal Medicine, Dr. Hines has evaluated patients with work and environmentally related lung conditions since 2006. From 2023 to 2025, Dr. Hines served as Chief of the NIOSH Field Studies Branch, which led national investigations into workplace respiratory hazards. Dr. Hines is a Fellow of ACOEM and the American Thoracic Society, where she is the Chair-Elect of the Assembly on Environmental, Occupational and Population Health.
Speaker Information
Organizers
ⓘ Harvard Chan School hosts a diverse array of speakers, invited to share both scholarly research and personal perspectives. They do not speak for the School, and hosting them does not imply endorsement of their views, organizations, or employers.