Dear colleagues,
We are pleased to announce that the 33rd International Congress on Occupational Health 2022 (ICOH 2022), previously planned to be held in Melbourne, Australia, will be held from 6-10 February 2022 in a new digital format.
During this difficult pandemic year, even if forced to cancel all the events that were planned to be in-presence, ICOH never stopped its networking activity and also supported the transition to a digital format of many events already scheduled. Therefore, the ICOH 2022 Congress, in the format of a fully digital event organized by the ICOH with the support of the Australian National Organizing Committee as Co-Organizers, is the natural consequence of the experience acquired during this extraordinary time of the COVID-19 global pandemic.
The ICOH Congress is recognized as the most relevant Congress in the world for occupational health professionals, policy makers, academics and researchers across a multitude of disciplines. With the theme “Sharing solutions in occupational health through and beyond the pandemic”, ICOH 2022 will be a forum to share knowledge, discuss best practices and share solutions for better worker health worldwide.
The digital Congress will be a high level experience in terms of scientific content and interaction, with networking and engagement opportunities. The Congress will be run through a visually rich digital platform recreating the environment of an in-presence congress. The platform will accommodate all sessions and main events that are traditionally included in the ICOH Congress format, and will also feature networking rooms, live chats, exhibition areas, and much more. We believe that the digital format will ensure wider accessibility, giving the whole OSH community the opportunity to attend. This novel congress approach will be particularly advantageous for participants from low and middle income countries.
Participants will have 24/7 on-demand access to all sessions and content through the Congress digital platform. Live broadcasting will be organized for Plenary sessions and the Global Policy Forum on two stages, taking into account different time zones (“Rome stage” and “Melbourne stage”). Semi-Plenary sessions will provide the opportunity of a live discussion at the end of each session, while Special Sessions, Oral Free Paper and Interactive Poster sessions will be available on-demand at any time during the Congress through the Congress digital platform.
The ICOH 2022 digital experience will not end with the Congress: all the content will be accessible 24/7 for four months after the Congress closing.
Planning is well underway, with ICOH collaborating with other occupational health organizations and experts to ensure the Congress showcases the most effective solutions being undertaken in occupational health locally, regionally and globally also with reference to the global pandemic situation.
We are proud to announce the Opening Keynote address will be given by Sir Michael Marmot who has been a leader in the social determinants of health and workplace health inequalities. We also have an outstanding faculty of international Plenary speakers who will be sharing their extensive knowledge and experience with delegates throughout the Congress. The Plenary topics include prevention of infectious diseases in the workplace, mental health and return to work, resurgence of silicosis, the 24 hour work cycle, basic occupational health services in low and middle income countries and work in a changing climate. The Plenary sessions will also cover COVID-19 related issues. Furthermore, COVID-19 will be the main focus of the Global Policy Forum, with the theme “Work as a key determinant of the COVID-19 pandemic: Sharing experiences and solutions in occupational health”.
Other highlights of the program include Special Sessions being organized by ICOH Scientific Committees and Working Groups and other bodies affiliated with ICOH, Oral Free Paper and Interactive Poster sessions to discuss occupational health issues of relevance to different regions of the world.
There will also be an active program focused on early and midcareer delegates, including a student prize and the ILO Master Fellowship Award.
We invite you to play an active role in the program discussion, by submitting an abstract for an oral or poster presentation. Accepted abstracts will be published in an online supplement of Safety and Health at Work (SH@W). This will be an excellent opportunity to contribute to the global dialogue that will bring about solutions in occupational health. A poster award session will be organized for all accepted posters: delegates will have the opportunity to vote for the best poster. A special recognition will be given to the winner.
The opportunity to apply for a grant to support participation and present a paper will be available for delegates from low and middle income countries.
Registration will open soon offering some valuable early bird savings. Please monitor the Congress website at www.icoh2022.net for further updates and information.
We encourage you to put 6-10 February 2022 into your diary and look forward to your participation in the digital experience of ICOH 2022.