Paul Anderson II, MD, MDiv, MA, OEM Resident/MPH Student
What training did you complete before starting your Occupational and Environmental Medicine program?
I completed medical school at the University of Minnesota in 2005 and completed a surgical internship in Grand Rapids, Michigan. My undergraduate education is in Mathematics and I have also completed Master’s degrees in Theology and in Bioethics.
What interested you in Occupational and Environmental Medicine?
I had always thought I would be a surgeon since I first contemplated attending medical school. Many experiences during medical school also emphasized the importance of preventive medicine and public health. After getting into surgery, I realized that preventing problems was more compelling for me than fixing them once they happened. Preventive medicine has the potential to help large numbers of people and the subspecialty of Occupational medicine retains the clinical aspects of medicine that I spent so much time learning. As I investigated the field more, I became interested in the way it blended the skills of public health and primary care knowledge. Also, I found that I really like ‘workers’ and enjoy ensuring that they can do their job in a healthful manner.
Why did you choose Health Partners Occupational and Environmental Medicine program?
After a visit to the program I really felt that there was an excellent clinical experience for residents and that getting an M.P.H. from the University of Minnesota (one of the nation’s best) was a big pull. I am a Minnesota native, so training near family and friends was also a significant factor. This program was also tremendously flexible even holding out the opportunity for international experiences during residency.
What will you do when you finish the program?
I have accepted a fellowship through the Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) at the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, Georgia. This fellowship is a two-year program that exposes EIS officers to intensive training in field epidemiology. I do not know my final location for deployment at this time; but I will likely be working for NIOSH in some capacity. After the fellowship, I am interested to continue clinical work with a blend of academic involvement and perhaps some consulting.
What would you say to a student considering the program?
This residency is a strong clinical program with tremendous opportunities for research and training in public health. The combination of clinical experience and the resources at the University of Minnesota is hard to find in Occupational Medicine training programs. Minneapolis and St. Paul are very cosmopolitan towns with something for everyone.
Julia Weis Jacobson, MD, OEM Resident/MPH student
What training did you complete before starting your Occupational and Environmental Medicine program?
I received a bachelor’s degree in music at the University of Minnesota and a medical doctorate from Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska. I completed a year of pathology training at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee.
What interested you in Occupational and Environmental Medicine?
I heard about the interesting field of Occupational and Environmental Medicine after completion of my internship from a friend who graduated from this residency program. I enjoy outpatient clinical work and the variety of cases we see in clinic. The field encompasses preventive medicine, occupational medicine, and toxicology, so the opportunities are many and varied.
Why did you choose Health Partners Occupational and Environmental Medicine program?
I am a Minnesota native, and although I have traveled previously for training, I was anxious to continue my training in Minnesota near family and friends. The strong clinical component of the residency program appealed to me as well as the opportunity to receive my Master’s degree in Public Health at the University of Minnesota. I was also impressed with the success of the program’s graduates and amazing international research opportunities in which they had participated.
What will you do when you finish the program?
I am planning on pursuing a clinical occupational medicine career.
What would you say to a student considering the program?
The residency program provides strong clinical training as well as exceptional research opportunities and completion of masters degree education at the University of Minnesota. The faculty is extremely approachable, eager to teach, and concerned about each resident’s goals.
Mike Lockheart, MD, MPH, OEM Resident
What training did you complete before starting your Occupational and Environmental Medicine program?
My undergraduate majors were Physiology and Biology; I graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Minnesota in 2000. During my final undergraduate year, I worked on diabetes clinical trials at Hennepin County Medical Center, Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism, and Nutrition. I completed a combined MD/MPH at the University of Minnesota from 2000 to 2006, including a research fellowship in Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention. My MPH project was a case-control study of dietary patterns and risk of myocardial infarction. During this time I also completed the coursework for an MS degree in Nutrition, and am finishing the remaining requirements for this degree as a resident. From 2006 to 2007 I completed an internship in Family Medicine at North Memorial Medical Center.
What interested you in Occupational and Environmental Medicine?
When I was applying to medical school, I knew I wanted a combined program with public health. Preventive medicine was an area of interest for me early on, though I didn’t know about occupational medicine per se. As a medical student I rotated in OEM at Regions Hospital and was impressed with the residency program. Other specialties I considered strongly were family medicine, endocrinology, and general preventive medicine. There is much overlap of OEM with GPM, but a more well-defined clinical role exists for OEM. The preventive aspects of primary care are very appealing to me, but I ultimately feel more comfortable in a specialist role. With occupational medicine, you have the opportunity to not only manage individual level work related conditions, but prevent these disorders through your interactions with plant safety personnel on a public health level. Increasingly, employers are recognizing the burden of lifestyle-related chronic diseases on their workforce and financial bottom line. Workplace wellness programs and health risk assessments tied to employee benefits are examples of areas where occupational medicine physicians with an interest in chronic disease prevention can play key roles in promoting worker health. The broad range of opportunities the field offers in areas including clinical occupational medicine, corporate medicine, governmental public health, and research, make OEM interesting and full of opportunity. In addition, the field enjoys a more balanced lifestyle with time for family and outside interests.
Why did you choose Health Partners OEM program?
During my rotation as a medical student I met most of the current faculty and felt very comfortable with the program and its commitment to resident education. There is considerable opportunity to pursue individualized clinical and research interests. The curriculum is strong clinically compared with other OEM programs, a major decision point for me compared with more narrowly research focused programs. The associations with the University of Minnesota School of Public Health and Midwest Center for Occupational Health and Safety are additional strengths.
What will you do when you finish the program?
I have accepted a position in clinical occupational and preventive medicine with Mayo Health System’s Red Cedar Medical Center in Menomonie, Wisconsin.
What would you say to a student considering the program?
I am happy to answer questions from potential applicants. My email address is <lockh017@umn.edu>. The U of M SPH has an international reputation, and abundant research opportunities exist in nearly all aspects of occupational medicine, environmental health, and other areas of preventive medicine. We have strong clinical training throughout the residency/fellowship, and considerable flexibility to pursue individual educational goals. The faculty are very dedicated to resident education. We are a large OEM program with a strong group of residents (six total), currently including multiple Occupational Physicians Scholarship Fund awardees and a future Epidemic Intelligence Service officer.
Ryan Otten, MD, OEM Resident/MPH student
What was your educational and relevant work experience prior to enrolling in the Occuptional and Environmental Medicine program?
I received a bachelor of arts degree, with majors in religious studies and biology, from Indiana University. After graduation, I spent two years working as a cytogenetic technologist in a clinical cytogenetics lab. I matriculated at the Indiana University School of Medicine in 2000. During my fourth year of medical school, due to my growing interest in public health, I spent a month at the Indiana Department of Health. While there, I wrote a position paper regarding the increasing incidence of kernicterus, a potentially fatal newborn disorder. Following medical school, I began an internal medicine residency, but just into my second year I decided to leave that program. After much consideration, I concluded that occupational medicine, with its public health focus, was a good fit for me, and so here I am.
What made you interested in the field of occupational and environmental medicine?
I became interested in OEM for numerous reasons. As mentioned above, I had developed an interest in public health, and especially with preventive medicine. While in medical school, I had even considered a combined MD/MPH program, so now I saw my chance to pursue that MPH after all. Also, I very much liked the idea of practicing a medical specialty in which most patients fully recover, as compared to my experience in internal medicine, in which chronic, incurable disease was the norm. Not least, OEM was attractive to me because it generally affords a less demanding work schedule, one that would allow me time for my family and my other pursuits and interests.
What made you choose the University of Minnesota?
Early in 2007, I was busy scheduling interviews at numerous OEM residencies throughout the country. My first interview was with HealthPartners, and that is the only one I ended up needing. I quickly realized that this residency program was a great match for me, not in small part because it allowed me to pursue my MPH at this very well respected university. I am grateful that my residency program and the School of Public Health deemed me a worthy candidate for this position.
What type of job would you like to find upon completion of the program? [If you have already commenced a position, you can elaborate upon that.]
That’s a good question! In my short time as an OEM resident, I have been amazed to discover all the career possibilities for board-certified OEM physicians. I still have some time to decide in which direction I am going to go, but presently I am thinking that I would be satisfied with a clinical position that combines traditional occupational medicine with urgent care. The urgent care would allow me to use the general medicine knowledge and skills that I gained during my previous training.
What would you say to a student considering the program?
I would say that if you are interested in a clinically-focused OEM residency with a great MPH education, this is the place to be. From my understanding, there are few, if any, other OEM programs that provide as much clinical experience with such a variety of possible rotations. Being in the Twin Cities affords us experiences with corporate giants such as 3M and General Mills, as well as with numerous large hospitals and other occupational medicine clinics. Further, we get to spend time with OSHA and the Minnesota Department of Health. Beyond that, as long as you can put up with some winter weather, the Twin Cities is a fun, lively place to live, with great culture and an unusually strong focus on parks and outdoor activities. Come see for yourself!
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