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Sharing knowledge on workplace disease prevention

25 June 2008

The Mahidol visitors with Professor Malcolm Sim (standing) and Dr David Goddard (seated) of MonCOEH.

Representatives from Mahidol University in Bangkok, Thailand, gained valuable knowledge in the prevention of occupational diseases such as asthma, stress and cancer on a recent visit to Monash.

The Monash Centre for Occupational and Environmental Health (MonCOEH) hosted three academics and 17 postgraduates as part of a training program to build capacity to prevent occupational diseases in Thailand.

The one-week visit, funded in part by a grant from the Australia-Thailand Institute, included discussion on the different occupational health approaches of the two countries, and visits to Alcoa's Point Henry aluminium smelter and the Monash University Accident Research Centre (MUARC) to hear about programs on injury surveillance and prevention.

Director of MonCOEH Professor Malcolm Sim, who visits Mahidol University to conduct workshops, said the visit was an excellent opportunity to increase Monash's links with the occupational and environmental health community in Thailand.

"Some great discussion came out of the workshops and we are looking forward to developing our collaborative relationship further," Professor Sim said.

MonCOEH is a research centre within the School of Public Health Sciences and Preventive Medicine that works to identify occupational risk factors for disease.

The centre also conducts research into veteran and military health, occupational disease surveillance, exposure assessment, and environmental health hazards and risk assessment.

For more information visit the MonCOEH website.