Happy Summer, PSHFES member! I think we should all be proud of how we and those around us dealt with all that was during this pandemic. It’s been quite the 15 months or so. We’re not completely back to normal (whatever that was) but it feels very close (whatever it will be). How we work and where we work may never go back to what it was. Time will tell. But for us who work in occupational health and safety, our goal of helping workers have long and healthful careers remains unchanged. PSHFES strives to contribute to this mission by supporting the HFES community providing opportunities to learn and acquire new knowledge. But supporting the HFES community means supporting those that are entering the field. It’s has to be so scary to be a recent or soon-to-be graduate or someone seeking a new direction to enter a job market that has undergone such turmoil. It’s more important than ever, for the growth and longevity of our field, that we support those individuals. It’s also important that for those of us long in this field, we remain open to accepting new perspectives and methodologies for addressing occupational health and safety. With all of this in mind, PSHFES has been actively developing educational events and seeking new ways to support our community. So far this year, we have held two webinars (details of each are included in this newsletter) and are busily planning for the 2021 Annual Human Factors and Ergonomics Symposium. Similar to last year’s, we are going to be virtual but we are expanding it two days, October 14 and 15. Finally, I want to give a shout-out to Rammohan (Ram) Maikala. Ram has always been a very active participant of PSHFES, including serving as president. After more than 4 years as editor of our newsletter, Ram stepped away from these duties at the beginning of this year. I know I can speak for the entire PSHFES community and say thank you for all of his hard work and dedication! Jia-Hua Lin, of the SHARP Program, has taken over as editor. This is his first edition and as you will see, the newsletter is in great hands. I’m looking forward to his being a part of the PSHFES Executive Committee. As always, I am grateful to be a part of such a dynamic and diverse community.
Niki Howard
President, PSHFES