Ramazzini; Blog on work and health

This weblog is kept by Annet Lenderink, trained as an occupational physician and a journalist. From July 2009 I started my PhD research on recognition and reliable diagnosis of work-related skin and lung diseases in workers and doctors. My first interest in finding out about workers’ perceptions on illness and workrelatedness while suffering from skin or lung problems. Other than you might except not much research done on the particular subject.

From September 2005 until July 2009 I have been working as coordinator of knowledge dissemination at the Netherlands Center of Occupational Diseases since 2005. I am responsible for several websites aimed to disseminate information on occupational diseases, on infectious diseases and work and on hearing and work. Besides that we give information in publications, presentations and education. We have a helpdesk through which professionals in the field of occupational health can ask questions on complex problems. This service is used by other stakeholders as well. We have several networks of experts on occupational health subjects (infectious diseases, allergies, reproduction and work and skin and work). I try to coordinate all those activities to inform professionals and public on this important topic.

Freelance Journalist (1996 – 2005)
In 1996 I started my own business as a freelance journalist work and health. My business was called PresScription (a mix of presscription, press and script, being a medical doctor that started writing). From September 2003 until September 2005 I worked one or two days a week on the website of the Netherlands Center for Occupational Diseases. I have been their head editor and webmaster. We are working on an English version at the moment. Besides that I delivered on a weekly basis content on psychiatry and dermatology for the medical portal Care4Cure. Since 2001 I put content (news and the articles from the magazine on the website of PW, a site concerning personnel management: PW Net. Besides working on websites I wrote articles for several magazines concerning work and health, occupational health matter, management and personnel management.

Occupational physician for 14 years (1982 – 1996)
At first three months as an interim physician at a company which produced artificial fibers, Akzo/Enka in Emmen. After that I worked, again as an interim physician at the Occupational Health Service Schoterwerven in Wolvega. In 1983 I started working at the Occupational Health Service Midden IJssel (these days called ArboUnie Oost Nederland) at companies situated mainly in Apeldoorn.

Education
After following high school on Atheneum B level (exam 1975) I studied medicine at the University of Groningen. I passed my last exams in 1982 and started working as an occupational health physician. Between 1984 and 1986 I studied to become a certified occupational health physician at the University of Nijmegen (graduated 1986).