* These webinars will be provided in English with simultaneous interpretation into Spanish *
H5N1 – also known as highly pathogenic avian influenza/HPAI or bird flu – continues to spread among dairy herds and poultry flocks. While the risk to the general public remains low, workers on dairy and poultry farms are at high risk. In this webinar, Migrant Clinicians Network, in collaboration with the National Center for Farmworker Health, offers the latest updates on the current state of H5N1. We will overview the recommendations regarding treatment and prevention of H5N1 for clinicians and community health workers serving farmworkers employed in dairy and poultry. We will also discuss considerations for H5N1 as seasonal influenza begins taking hold, and the importance of reducing coinfection. Key social determinants of health, such as occupation, language, and literacy, will be discussed as we introduce strategies to provide culturally contextual care to workers. We will share resources in English and Spanish to address H5N1 and the seasonal flu.
At the conclusion of this presentation, participants will be able to…
- Discuss the current state of H5N1
- Review clinical guidelines for treating and preventing H5N1 and preventing seasonal influenza
- Identify culturally contextual resources and best practices that can be used to address H5N1 and seasonal influenza in farmworker patients
Presenters
Laszlo
Madaras
MD, MPH, FAAFP, SFHM
Chief Medical Officer
Migrant Clinicians Network
As the Chief Medical Officer for Migrant Clinicians Network, Laszlo Madaras, MD, MPH is responsible for the oversight of MCN clinical activities. He also serves as a subject matter expert for various topics in migrant and immigrant health including COVID-19. Over the last 30 years, in parts of Africa, Central America, South America, the Pacific Islands, and the United States, Dr. Madaras has served thousands for wide-ranging ailments, including newly emerging diseases.
Dr. Madaras arrived to in the United States as a Hungarian refugee in 1968 at the age of seven and eventually became a US citizen. Dr. Madaras received his MD and MPH from Tufts University School of Medicine in 1993. Early experiences include working as an Albert Schweitzer Fellow in pediatrics in Gabon, West Africa; as a Peace Corps volunteer in the Congo; and as a pesticide review manager at the US Environmental Protection Agency. He worked on the Congo/Rwandan border during the 1994 Rwandan genocide, and on the Hungarian border with the former Yugoslavia in 1995.
Since 1996, Dr. Madaras has been a board-certified family physician in both inpatient and outpatient medicine in Pediatrics, Adult Medicine, and Obstetrics. He served as a frontline clinician at the Keystone Health Center where he cared for farmworkers and their families and became Assistant Medical Director from 2001 to 2005. In 2005, he became a hospitalist in Chambersburg and Waynesboro Hospitals in south central Pennsylvania, where he continues to work part time. In 2016, he became a Senior Fellow of Hospital Medicine. In 2020, he became a Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians.
In addition, Dr. Madaras has worked as a staff physician in Tuberculosis control at the Pennsylvania State Health Department since 2012, and regularly teaches US-based medical students on an international health rotation in Honduras. Dr. Madaras also teaches hospital medicine to Penn State nurse practitioner and physician assistant students and medical residents at Summit Health.
Amy
Liebman
MPA, MA
Chief Program Officer, Workers, Environment and Climate
Migrant Clinicians Network
Amy K. Liebman, MPA, MA (she/her) has devoted her career to improving the safety and health of disenfranchised populations. She joined Migrant Clinicians Network (MCN) in 1999 and currently serves as the Chief Program Officer: Workers, Environment and Climate. With MCN she has established nationally recognized initiatives to improve the health and safety of immigrant workers and their families. She oversees programs ranging from integrating occupational and environmental medicine into primary care to designing worker safety interventions. She is a national leader in addressing worker safety and environmental justice through the community health worker (CHW) model. She has been a strong advocate for worker health and safety during the COVID-19 pandemic, leading programs to improve access to care and culturally contextual education for migrants and immigrants. Prior to her current position, she directed numerous environmental health and justice projects along the US-Mexico Border including an award-winning, community-based hygiene education program that reached thousands of families living without water and sewerage services. She has spearheaded policy efforts within the American Public Health Association to support the protection of agricultural workers and served on the federal advisory committee to the EPA Office of Pesticide Programs. Her programs have won several awards including the 2008 EPA Children’s Environmental Health Champion Award and the 2015 National Safety Council Research Collaboration Award. In 2011, Liebman received the Lorin Kerr Award, an APHA/Occupational Health and Safety Section honor recognizing public health professionals for their dedication and sustained efforts to improve the lives of workers. She is a past Chair of APHA’s Occupational Health and Safety. Liebman has been the principal investigator and project manager of numerous government and privately sponsored projects. She has authored articles, bilingual training manuals and other educational materials dealing with environmental and occupational health and migrants. Liebman has a master’s degree from the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin, and a Master of Arts from the Institute of Latin American Studies at the University of Texas at Austin. Liebman has traveled throughout Mexico, Guatemala, Argentina, Chile, and Europe. She is an avid soccer fan and loves to spend time with her husband and two sons. Together they spend a lot of time outdoors.
Dr. Jeff Bender is a veterinarian and public health expert with over 25 years of experience, currently serving as Professor in the Division of Environmental Health Sciences at the University of Minnesota and Director of the Upper Midwest Agricultural Safety and Health (UMASH) Center. His career focuses on emerging issues affecting both animal and human health, with expertise in infectious and zoonotic diseases, occupational safety in agriculture, and emerging pandemic threats.
With a strong background in infectious and zoonotic diseases, Dr. Bender collaborates with government agencies, industry, and academic institutions to develop innovative solutions. His expertise has informed public health policies and programs, ensuring the safety and well-being of both animals and humans.
Continuing Education Credit (CEU)
Application for CME credit has been filed with the American Academy of Family Physicians. Determination of credit is pending.
Migrant Clinicians Network is accredited as a provider of nursing continuing professional development by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation.