Occupational Health Connections

03/20/2026

03/18/2026

Mark your calendars! We've got a packed Public Health Week coming in April! Lots of programs and partnerships!

03/17/2026

December 10, 1941. Manila.

The sky split open with the thunder of Japanese bombers. Laura Mae Cobb crouched beneath her quarters as the Cavite Navy Yard disintegrated half a mile away. The wounded arrived in waves. Cars packed with four, five bodies each. Doctors operating on the steps. On the floor. Blood everywhere.

She was the Chief Nurse. Forty-nine years old. Born in a Kansas town most people couldn't find on a map. And now she stood in hell.

When Manila fell and American forces retreated, eleven Navy nurses were left behind. Too many wounded. Too many dying. Someone had to stay. Cobb and her ten nurses remained as the Japanese marched in. On January 2, 1942, they became prisoners of war.

What happened next reveals the kind of courage no medal can measure.

When the Japanese ordered them to inventory medical supplies, Cobb had the nurses relabel precious quinine as "soda bicarbonate." The enemy looted everything except the mislabeled bottles. That quinine saved dozens from malaria. She hid military records under her uniform, protecting her nurses from interrogation and ensuring they'd receive the pay and promotions stolen by captivity.

For thirty-seven months, Cobb led her nurses through two internment camps. Santo Tomas. Los Baños. Twelve-hour shifts treating two hundred patients a day with almost no medicine. Beriberi. Dysentery. Tuberculosis. They scavenged supplies. Improvised everything.

The last three months, they survived on less than 900 calories daily. Then it dropped to 250 grams of unhusked rice. Weevils. Cockroaches. Worms.

Cobb never stopped encouraging her nurses. Never stopped leading.

February 23, 1945. U.S. Army Airborne and Filipino guerrillas stormed Los Baños at dawn. As 2,100 prisoners fled to freedom, Cobb gave her final order: "Protect the babies with all your life." Her nurses carried patients, two newborn infants, and their mothers to safety.

All eleven nurses survived. None weighed more than 100 pounds. Cobb had lost 35 pounds, suffered from an undiagnosed heart condition and arthritis.

Other prisoners later testified: "Had it not been for these nurses, many of us would have died."

Lieutenant Commander Laura Mae Cobb retired in 1947. She died in 1981 at age 89. She is the only Navy Chief Nurse in U.S. military history to continue her duties while held as a prisoner of war.

Thirty-seven months of captivity. Thousands treated. Not one nurse lost.

03/17/2026

Join us in Orlando for the 2026 AAOHN National Conference! 🌴

📅 April 26–28 | Rosen Shingle Creek

Connect with occupational and environmental health nursing professionals, earn up to 14.5 CNE credits, and gain practical insights you can apply immediately.

This conference is more than sessions — it’s meaningful conversations, learning from leaders, and connecting with a community dedicated to worker health and safety.

Invest in yourself, grow your expertise, and leave re-energized. Let’s advance our specialty together!

💰 Early-bird pricing ends tonight, Monday, March 16. Register now! https://www.aaohn.org/Events/2026-National-Conference/Registration

03/16/2026

Now hiring a nurse practitioner experienced in occupational health for a temporary, full-time position within a busy hospital occupational health department. Info & apply:https://occhealthconnections.com/job/26-16/

03/16/2026

https://www.foxwilliams.com/2026/03/16/neurodiversity-in-the-workplace-and-steps-to-create-neuro-inclusivity/

Explore neurodiversity in the workplace and discover steps to create neuro-inclusivity for all employees in your organization.

03/13/2026

Now hiring a registered nurse experienced in occupational health for a per diem position working within a manufacturing setting in Adairsville, GA. Info & apply : https://occhealthconnections.com/job/26-15/

03/13/2026

⚠️ Don’t Miss Out! Last Chance to Register for the 2026 Work Related Injuries Workshop! - https://mailchi.mp/neareastspine/registration-now-open-for-the-2024-work-related-injuries-workshop-4942572 Hear from our President, Dr. Tony Tannoury, here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEmGjlrX44A

03/12/2026

Six Years ago today, on March 11, 2020 COVID 19 was declared a global pandemic.

A moment that changed our lives forever.

Today we pause to honor the lives we lost, the families forever impacted, and the empty seats that still hurt. We remember the sirens, the silence in our streets, and the uncertainty we all felt.

We also lift up the essential workers, the doctors, nurses, transit workers, grocery clerks, delivery drivers, sanitation crews, and first responders who showed up every single day when the rest of the world shut down. You carried us through the darkest days.

And we recognize how our city came together. Neighbors helping neighbors. Applause from windows. Food drives. Mutual aid. Love in the middle of fear.

It was hard. It was heavy. It was tragic. But it also showed our resilience.

We will never forget. 🖤 iHeartRadio

03/11/2026

Now hiring a registered nurse experienced in occupational health for a per diem position in Cambridge, MA.

03/11/2026

Join CMSNE for an upcoming webinar on Thursday, April 9 at 6 PM, AI in Healthcare: What a Case Manager Should Know. This presentation will feature Dr. Allen Chang, Associates Chief Clinical Information Officer for AI at UMass Memorial Hospital. The presentation will offer 1 RN, CCM and SW credit. Registration is $10 CMSNE member, $15 CMSA member, $20 non-member. Special thanks to our event sponsor MCG. To learn more about MCG visit: https://www.mcg.com/

Special networking event at 5:30 PM for registered attendees. Join us early to network with fellow colleagues. There will be an opportunity to share and ask questions.

To register for the event visit: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/44tbn8u

03/09/2026

Coal workers’ pneumoconiosis, more commonly known as black lung, is a lung disease caused by inhaling respirable coal dust. Learn more about identifying and diagnosing black lung: https://bit.ly/3ZbOnKk