The members of the EPICOH Scientific Committee of the International Commission on Occupational Health (ICOH-CIST) have retained the IRSST’s bid to host the 28th International Symposium on Epidemiology in Occupational Health (EPICOH). The Institute will organize this event in collaboration with its partners.
Since the first symposium held in Helsinki in 1981, EPICOH has been offering scientific conferences aimed at promoting communication and the sharing of the results of epidemiological studies on the health effects of all types of occupational exposures. This conference brings together not only epidemiologists, but also toxicologists, industrial hygienists, physicians and other scientists working in the occupational health and safety field.
“The EPICOH Conference convenes approximately 400 delegates and presents more than 200 papers and as many posters. The scientific program can offer from 6 to 8 parallel sessions,” explains France Labrèche, IRSST researcher and co-chair of the Montréal event.
“The preliminary theme of the 2020 Conference is From the Workplace to the Population: Exposure and Prevention. Preparing for and organizing this event will demand resources and energy, but France and I are delighted to be taking part!” added Marie-Élise Parent, professor at the INRS-Institut Armand-Frappier and the other co-chair of the event.
To substantiate its bid, the IRSST obtained letters of support from three Québec universities offering epidemiology study programs (Université Laval, McGill University and Université de Montréal), the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the Occupational Cancer Research Centre (OCRC) and the Institute for Work and Health (IWH) in Ontario, CAREX Canada in British Columbia, the Canadian Association for Research on Work and Health (CARWH), the Canadian Society for Epidemiology and Biostatistics (CSEB), Anil Adisesh (secretary-general of ICOH Canada), and of course, the Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS).
“The EPICOH Conference offers the perfect opportunity for sharing research results and launching scientific collaborations. It also provides a forum for forging ties between researchers and practitioners in the occupational health sector,” explained IRSST president and CEO, Marie Larue. “The Institute has always been actively engaged in organizing major scientific events by hosting and supporting national and international conferences. These events ensure it visibility and outreach both at home and abroad.”
EPICOH is an international organization that forms part of the ICOH and currently has members from 29 countries.