Being part of OHSU Global Health SE Asia has given us a terrific opportunity to collaboratively learn with our Thai partners. As part of OHSU’s Alliance with Bangkok Dusit Medical Services I am in the midst of teaching a five-day class in Bangkok to occupational health and nursing professionals, kindly joined by two seasoned occupational health nurses. I thank my OHN friends, Karin Drake of Kaiser and Mary Salazar of the University of Washington, for joining me on this trip.

In addition to enhancing our training participants’ hazard identification and action planning skills, we are comparing and contrasting the strengths and weaknesses of the US and Thai occupational health systems. Without a doubt there are some things that work better here in Thailand, and others that are more effective in the States. But thanks to global learning opportunities like this, we can try to examine the best of both as we move ahead to provide the healthiest and safest environments for all workers everywhere.