Main Conference Programme Day 1

“For our speakers’ photos and biographies, please click on their name”

Pre-Conference Day – 15th June 2026

 

SOM Council/Exec meeting
Workplace Visits
19.00 – 21.00 Welcome Reception with Registration at Nottingham Castle

 

The Future of Occupational Health: "Transforming Work and Health through Prevention"

Main Conference programme Day 1, 16th June 2026

Main Hall and Parallel 1

 

 Parallel 2

 

 Parallel 3

 
8.00 – 9.00 Registration, Coffee and Poster Installation
9.00 Welcome from the SOM President and FOM President
9.10 Welcome Address

Nick Carver OBE, Chair, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust

9.25 -10:10

 

 Eponymous Lecture: Thackrah Lecture

Science, Politics and Leadership during the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic

Professor Sir Jonathan Van-Tam, Public Health Specialist and Senior Adviser at 5654 & Company
10.10 - 10.40

 

 Peter Taylor Award Winner Presentations and Award

MRI as a Screening Tool for Dysbaric Osteonecrosis in Compressed Air Workers

Dr John Colvin, TunnelMed/Health Partners Group
10.40 - 11.10

 

 Peter Taylor Award Winner Presentation and Award

Long Term Work Disability in Fibromyalgia – Insights from a Systematic Review.

Dr Clare Fernandes, Haleon
11:10 - 11:40

 

 Refreshments, Exhibition and Posters
11:40 - 12:25

 

 

 Parallel 1

Clinical Update:

Return to Work after Major Trauma

Professor Kate Radford, Professor of Rehabilitation Research, Centre for Rehabilitation & Ageing Research, University of Nottingham

 

 

 Parallel 2  

Oral Presentations Session 1

The profession, the evidence and the future of OH

O1
 OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH LEADERSHIP COMPETENCY FRAMEWORK

N. Green, Affinity Health, London, UK

O2
 SENTINEL CASES REPORTED TO THOR NETWORK IN 2024

K. Fyall, The University of Manchester, UK

O3
 GUARDRAILS FOR AI IN OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH USE: GUIDANCE FRAMEWORK AND RISK CHECKLIST

J. G. O’Neill, PAM, Burton Upon Trent, UK

O4
 THE SUPPLY CHAIN HEALTH INITIATIVE EVALUATION (SHINE) STUDY: INSIGHTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FROM SETTING UP A RANDOMISED CONTROL TRIAL WITH 18 SMALL AND MEDIUM SIZED BUSINESSES

B. Dempsey,Guy’s and St Thomas NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK

 

 Parallel 3/6  

International Group Session - Informal mining

Chair - Dr Lanre Ogunyemi, The Immediate Past President of SOM

The experience of

Columbia - Dr Maria Borda, Colombian Occupational Medicine Society

Zimbabwe - Dr Moyo, Baines Occupational Health
12.25 – 13.10

 

 Parallel 4

Professional Practice Update:

Ethics

Hilary Winch, Associate Director, Workplace Health, Safety & Wellbeing, Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Chair Ethics Committee, FOM

 Parallel 5

 

Oral Presentations Session 2

 

Occupational lung disease and specific health conditions

 

O5
 DRIVING STRATEGIC CHANGE TO REDUCE OCCUPATIONAL ASTHMA IN THE MOTOR VEHICLE REPAIR INDUSTRY: AN EVIDENCE-BASED INTERVENTION

K. Jones, Biological Monitoring, Health and Safety Executive, Buxton, UK

O6
 OCCUPATIONAL LUNG DISEASE AND SOCIAL DEPRIVATION IN THE UK: DATA FROM THE SWORD SCHEME

R. E. Wiggans, University of Manchester, UK

O7
 CIRCADIAN DISRUPTION, SLEEP QUALITY, AND SOMNOLENCE IN THE WINTER-OVER CREW OF THE CONCORDIA STATION, ANTARCTICA

P. Cocco, University of Manchester, UK

O8
 Abstract withdrawn

 

 Parallel 3/6  cont

 

 
13:10-14:10

 

 Lunch, Exhibition and Posters 13:20 – 13:50 – FOM AGM
14:10 – 14.55

 

 Parallel 7

Clinical Update:

Mental ill health in the Police: a holistic approach to prevention

 

Professor John Harrison, National Police Chief Medical Officer - National Police Wellbeing Service

 

 

 Parallel 8

 

Oral Poster Presentations Session 1

Work, employment and staying healthy
OP1
  DETERMINANTS OF HIGH ANNUAL SICKNESS ABSENCE IN OLDER WORKERS: FINDINGS FROM THE HEALTH AND EMPLOYMENT AFTER FIFTY (HEAF) STUDY

S. D’Angelo, University of Southampton - MRC LEC, UK

OP2
 Abstract withdrawn

 
OP3
 ACTIVE WORKPLACE BEHAVIOURS OUT PERFORM EQUIPMENT PROVISION IN PREDICTING MUSCULOSKELETAL PAIN: EVIDENCE FROM 323,414 WORKPLACE ASSESSMENTS

T. L. N. Tik, Vitrue Health, London, UK

OP4
 EVIDENCE BASED ROTA DESIGN : INTEGRATING MODELLING, TRAINING AND MULTIDISCIPLINARY COLLABORATION IN FATIGUE RISK MANAGEMENT

Z. Hayes, Shell International, The Hague, The Netherlands
OP5
 EMPLOYMENT SUPPORT AND RETURN-TO-WORK (RTW) OUTCOMES AMONG MENTAL HEALTH SERVICE USERS: EVIDENCE FROM LINKED HEALTH AND WELFARE DATA

X. Xu, King’s College London, UK
OP6
 A WORKER-LED DIGITAL SOLUTION TO IMPROVE ACCESS TO EVIDENCE-BASED OH : RE>WORK

A. Etuknwa, Swiss Re, London, UK
OP7
 FEASIBILITY STUDY: ESTABLISHING A NATIONAL DATASET OF OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH ASSESSMENTS

D. McElvenny, University of Manchester, UK

OP8
 CREATING A COMMON UNDERSTANDING OF HEALTHY WORK: A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW OF THE FEATURES OF HEALTHY AND UNHEALTHY WORK

K. J. Daniels, Norwich Business School, University of East Anglia, UK

Parallel 9

How do multidisciplinary teams use rehabilitation as a preventative approach?

Dr Julie Denning, Managing Director, Working To Wellbeing and Chartered Health Psychologist and CBT Therapist

Dr Sarah Upjohn, Performing Arts Medicine Physiotherapist and Educator

Ms Jo Vallom-Smith, Occupational Therapist, specialising in Work and Health

Ms Amanda Hinkley
Head of UKHSA Occupational Health(SCPHN)
Fellow and Chair of the Faculty of Occupational Health Nursing (SOM)

14:55 – 15.25

 

 2026 Colt lecture: Silicosis

Dr Jo Feary, Honorary Consultant in Occupational Lung Disease and Asthma, Royal Brompton Hospital and Senior Clinical Research Fellow at the National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College
15.25 - 15:55

30 mins

 Refreshments, Exhibition and Posters
15:55 – 16.25

 

 Plenary followed by panel discussion

The Role of Big Data In OH

Professor Sharon Stevelink, Professor of Applied Epidemiology and Occupational Health at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College, London
16.25 – 16:55

 

 Data to inform occupational health practice and policy

Professor Sharon Stevelink plus:

-          Professor Martie Van Tongeren, Professor of Occupational & Environmental Health, Division of Population Health, Health Services Research & Primary Care, University of Manchester

-         Dr Nikki Cordell, CEO and Co-Founder of Cordell Health

-        Mr Dan Riddle, Keep Britain Working, Joint Work and Health Directorate
 17.15 – 18.15 SOM AGM
19.30 Gala Dinner and Dance (dress code: Black Tie optional) at The Hilton Hotel, Nottingham

Pre-Conference Day – 16th June 2025

 

SOM Council/Exec meeting
Workplace Visits
19.00 – 21.00 Welcome Reception with Registration at The Royal Pavilion

 

Main Conference programme Day 1, 17th June 2025

 

Main Hall and Parallel 1

 

 Parallel 2

 

 Parallel 3

 
8.00–9.00 Registration, Coffee and Poster Installation
9.00 Welcome from the SOM President and FOM President
9.10 Welcome Address

Rt Hon Sir Stephen Timms MP, Minister of State (Minister for Social Security and Disability)

 
9.25 -10:10

 

 Eponymous Lecture: Thackrah Lecture

Occupational Health; the forgotten solution to our Healthcare Crisis?
Dr Alasdair Emslie, past president of SOM, CMO of Health Partners
10.10

 

 Peter Taylor Award Winner Trainee Presentations and Awards

Specialist training in Occupational Medicine: averting a doom cycle
Dr Alice Rutter, Salus Occupational Health, NHS Lanarkshire

 
10.40–11.10

 

 Plenary Lecture

Follow the yellow brick road: navigating pathways from practice to evidence-based policy

Dr Jo Daniels, UKRI Policy Fellow, Science, Research and Evidence Directorate, Department of Health and Social Care and University of Bath

 
11:10-11:40

 

 Refreshments, Exhibition and Posters
11:40-12:25

 

 Parallel [1&4 – 90 mins]

Clinical Update: Ill Health Retirement Workshop – New Guidance Update by the SOM Pensions Specialist Interest Group

Dr Shairana Naleem, Medical Director, Health Partners

 

Dr Simon Sheard, Medical Director, Health Partners

 

Dr Clare Piper, Medical Director: Clinical Lead Pensions, Health Partners

Pre-booking required: please book when you register or modify your registration to include this.
Kindly supported by Health Partners

 

 Parallel 2  

Oral Presentations Session 1

Click for details

 

 Parallel 3

Confidentiality, consent and disclosure in the public interest

Dr Antonia Karus-McElvogue, Medico-Legal Adviser, MDDUS

Session kindly supported by MDDUS

 
12.25-13.10

 

 Parallel 5

Clinical update: Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome

Dr Roger Cooke, Consultant Occupational Health Physician, leading expert in the field of HAVS,

 

 Parallel 6

OH MDT panel discussion

Our role as workplace advisors

 

Professor Diana Kloss MBE, Professor and Honorary Senior Lecturer, Manchester

 

Dr Ali Hashtroudi, Senior Medical Director, Optima Health and Head of National School of Occupational Health, NHS E

 

Amanda Hinkley, Head of Occupational Health, Safeguarding Lead, Associate Caldicott Guardian, Fellow of Faculty of Occupational Health Nursing,

Division of Workplace, and Health and Safety, People and Workplace Directorate,

UK Health Security Agency

 

Jo Vallom-Smith, Occupational Therapist specialising in Occupational Health

 
13:10-14:10

 

 Lunch, Exhibition and Posters Academic Forum (13:30 start)
14:10-14.55

 

 Parallel 7

Clinical Update: Vision and Work

Dr Marisa Rodriguez Carmona, Lecturer in Optics, School of Health Sciences,  City, University of London

 

 

 

 Parallel 8

Oral Poster Session

Click for details

 

 Parallel 9

SOM International Group Session

Dr Bobby Joseph- Occupational Health in India - challenges and successes

 

Dr Dominic Yong – ANZSOM - Occupational Health issues in Australia

 

Dr Richard Heron – IOMSC update

 

Dr Rupali Das - Climate change and OH

 

 
14:55-15.25

 

 Lecture

Local Oncology Update - Systemic Anti-cancer Treatments and Their Impact on Work

Dr Louise Hancock, Honorary Specialty Doctor in Medical Oncology, Royal Sussex County Hospital and Consultant Occupational Physician, Medigold Health

 

 
15.25-15:55

 

 Refreshments, Exhibition and Posters
15:55-16.25

 

 The Colt Foundation Lecture

How Occupational Health professionals can influence manager behaviour to improve Health and Wellbeing

Professor Jo Yarker, Registered and Chartered Occupational Psychologist and Professor in Occupational Psychology at Birkbeck, University of London

16.25-16:55

 

 Plenary Lecture

Employment legislation update, including the Employment Rights Bill

Mr Mark Landon, Partner, Employment, Pensions and Immigration Team, Weightmans, London

 
17.15-18.15 SOM AGM
19.30 Gala Dinner and Dance (dress code: Black Tie optional) at The Grand Hotel, Brighton