AMSEA will highlight late breaking research on sleep, fatigue, and pain to improve fishermen’s health and wellbeing. Three short presentations will provide a foundation for a panel discussion where panel members will share feedback on these findings. The short presentations will utilize visual diagrams, stories, or statistics. Fishermen attending the forum will be asked to discuss how researchers, safety trainers, and advocates can better serve the commercial fishing community.
The session will begin with 10-minute presentations from:
Dr. Mandy Roome (Senior Scientist, Northeast Center for Occupational Health and Safety) and Jerry Dzugan (AMSEA) Commercial Fishing Sleep and Fatigue Study Highlights-In this presentation, Julie and Jerry will discuss findings regarding the factors that impact sleep, in addition to long workdays, and how these and other lifestyle characteristics that come with fishing can affect fishermen’s overall health and wellbeing.
Dr. Laurel Kincl (Oregon State University): A Fishing Industry and Research Partnership Driven by Fishermen-The presenter for this short session will talk about a partnership between researchers and Dungeness Crab fishermen to reduce risk of shoulder and back pain and injury.
Denise Damewood, RN, BSN, MAR: Nurse consultant with the State of Alaska Department of Health, Public Health and AMSEA. As the founder of Project Gabe opioid misuse awareness, Denise will discuss how unmanaged pain and unchecked stressors can lead to self-medication and unwanted addictions. She will share her stepson’s tragic story of opioid addiction and death and how Project Gabe was born out of her loss and deep concern for fishermen who live with, and around opioid addictions.
Questions on these presentations or for panel members: 5 minutes.
Following presentations and panel discussion, we will invite attendees to share their thoughts on the following questions: (15-minute discussion)
1) What are your biggest concerns regarding fishermen’s safety and wellbeing in the coming decade?
2) What should researchers, advocates or safety trainers be working on and how would these efforts best serve the fishing community?
3) How could training, research, and advocacy partners be better informed and mobilized to address the needs of fishing communities?
4) What are some examples of collaborations (industry, researchers, trainers, and advocates) that have worked or not worked well?
Conclusion: 5 minutes
After discussion, an overview will be provided on challenges facing the industry in the coming decade, as well as examples of how fishermen, researchers and advocates have worked together to solve these problems. The panel will discuss how feedback gathered in this session will be shared with funding agencies, researchers, trainers and advocates to ensure that efforts are more successful.
Moderated by Leann Cyr, PhD, executive director of AMSEA
Proposed Panel Members:
- Dr. Mandy Roome (Senior Scientist, Northeast Center for Occupational Health and Safety)
- Jerry Dzugan (AMSEA trainer and founder)
- Dr. Laurel Kincl (Professor at Oregon State University)
- Denise Damewood, RN, BSN, MAR: Nurse consultant with the State of Alaska Department of Health, Public Health and AMSEA.
- Fisherman who participated in NEC study (Julie and Jerry will provide recommendations and recruit)
- Fisherman who participated in OSU study (Jay and Laurel will provide recommendations and recruit)
