7th Annual Dust and Respiratory Health Forum

Professor Robert Cohen, University of Illinois Chicago

Robert Cohen is Clinical Professor of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences at the University Of Illinois School Of Public Health. He is also Professor of Medicine and Director of the Occupational Lung Disease Program at Northwestern University. His major research interests are occupational lung disease, particularly mineral dust exposed workers. Professor Cohen is the Principal Investigator on the Black Lung Center of Excellence as well as the Black Lung Clinics Program, he also serves as the medical director for the National Coalition of Black Lung and Respiratory Disease, the organisation of federally funded black lung clinics. 

Associate Professor Emily Sarver, Virginia Tech

Emily Sarver is an associate professor in the Department of Mining and Minerals Engineering, and adjunct faculty in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Virginia Tech. Her primary research interests include monitoring, characterization and abatement of respirable dust and diesel particulates. Over the past decade, she has led or contributed to numerous projects in this area, collaborating with industry partners, government, and researchers in occupational medicine and health sciences. Dr Sarver is currently investigating temporal trends in respirable dust characteristics in US coal mines, the range of respirable silica particle types in mines, and the effects of various dust controls on dust particle size and constituents. 

Dr Nikky LaBranche, The University of Queensland 

Dr Nikky LaBranche is a Dust and Respiratory Health Program Lead within the Sustainable Minerals Institute (SMI) at The University of Queensland, where she leads a $3M research portfolio in dust and respiratory health. Her PhD Characterised the Nature of Respirable Dust in Underground Coal Mines to Inform the Assessment and Management of Respiratory Health Risks to Coal Mine Workers, for which she has been awarded the AusIMM Education Endowment Fund Postgraduate Scholarship. Dr LaBranche is a mining engineer with 15 years’ experience in surface and underground coal through her work in the US, Colombia and Australia. She is currently serving as Chair of the AusIMM Health and Safety Society and has received the John T. Boyd Young Engineers Award.

Evan Pengelly, RSHQ Health Surveillance Unit 

Since 2016, Mr Evan Pengelly has developed and implemented reforms to the regulated health scheme for Queensland coal mine workers in response to coal workers’ pneumoconiosis. In his current role as Director of the Health Surveillance Unit, Mr Pengelly oversees the health assessment process for workers under the Scheme.  Joining the Queensland Government in 2004, Mr Pengelly has diverse experience in policy and operational areas, including responding to resources policy challenges such as balancing land access for resource development.

Professor Nick Cook, The University of Queensland

Professor Nick Cook is Team Leader of the Total Deposit Knowledge group in the WH Bryan Mining Geology Research Centre, Sustainable Minerals Institute, The University of Queensland. Professor Cook has considerable expertise in mineral analysis, rock geochemistry and mineral exploration and has been working with Dr Nikky LaBranche using high-resolution scanning electron microscopy for the analysis of dust particles. 

Dr Jemma King, The University of Queensland

Dr Jemma King is a research fellow at the School of Psychology. She specialises in psychophysiological factors affecting cognitive and behavioural performance. Her research focuses on stress, sleep, recovery protocols, cold exposure, microbiome, biometrics, emotional intelligence, and psychological safety. She has just completed a large scale study (n=404) on the cognitive and mental health benefits of the WHM. She works as a specialist external advisor to McKinsey & Co and has consulted with the Australian Defence Force, the Centre for Australian Army Leadership, the Australian Institute of Sport, and the Australian Olympic Swim Team. She is a reviewer for the journal Scientific Reports Nature. Jemma has developed a pre-deployment biopsychosocial 'Performance Optimisation Program' for Special Operations Command that has effectively displayed measurable improvements in behavioural and performance-based outcomes. Jemma has lectured at the University of Sydney MBA on critical thinking and decision-making, RMIT teaches leadership and EI at the Australian Command and Staff Course at the Australian Defence College, and supervises PhD students at the UQ School of Psychology.

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