The SOM Podcast

While safety in the workplace gets a massive amount of attention, long-term health risks (specifically exposure to loud noise) are frequently overlooked. In this episode, host Steve Randall is joined by Clare Forshaw , Professional Head of Health and Wellbeing at the RSSB and a Founder/Director of the UK Hearing Conservation Association. Clare challenges the common misconception that hearing loss...

Our monthly SOM News Update brings you the latest stories and insights from SOM and the wider OH world. Hosted by Steve Randall. -- Links mentioned in the podcast: SOM guide, Repositioning OH within the Employee Value Proposition (EVP) Employment support for disabled people: Disability at Work  New WISE-QM: Quality Mark for Wellbeing Initiatives and Services for Employees Work Right: What is healt...

Explore how artificial intelligence is transforming workplaces and what occupational health professionals need to know to support organizations and employees through this evolving landscape. Dr. Lara Shemtob shares insights with Kat Barnard on the challenges, opportunities, and strategies for managing AI integration in the workplace. In this episode: The broad impact of AI beyond office roles, tou...

In this episode, Werner Stipp - Consultant in Occupational Health and member of the SOM Special Interest Group in Sleep - joins host Steve Randall to discuss the critical intersection of sleep health and workplace performance. Stipp outlines how OH professionals can utilize sleep assessments to improve worker wellbeing and mitigate safety risks, particularly in safety-critical roles like train dri...

In this episode, Steve Randall speaks with with Dr. Emma Wallace, a recipient of the SOM Golden Jubilee Award. Emma shares her journey from anaesthetics to occupational medicine and her recent research expedition to Ny-Ålesund, the world’s northernmost permanent settlement. She discusses the physiological challenges of extreme cold, the hidden risks of UV exposure in icy climates, and how the uniq...

Our monthly SOM News Update brings you the latest stories and insights from SOM and the wider OH world. Hosted by Steve Randall. -- Links mentioned in the podcast: Prof Neil Greenberg Letter to the Editor in  The Observer . Occupational Health Awareness Week 2026, 21st-27th Sept, brief  here . Annual General Meeting of SOM 2026, 16th June 5.15-6.15pm - A draft agenda is  here.  SOM/FOM Conference:...

In this episode of the SOM Podcast, we welcome back Lanre Ogunyemi, independent occupational health physician and former president of the Society of Occupational Medicine, to explore what it really takes to build a successful independent career in occupational health. Lanre shares his personal journey from the NHS into independent practice, including how he managed the transition, the importance o...

Our monthly SOM News Update brings you the latest stories and insights from SOM and the wider OH world. Hosted by Steve Randall. -- Links mentioned in the podcast: The Right to Disconnect: https://www.alliancembs.manchester.ac.uk/media/ambs/content-assets/documents/news/right-to-disconnect-report.pdf  Major cultural shift needed in workplace fertility support: https://www.som.org.uk/major-cultural...

In this special episode of The SOM Podcast, Amy McKeown speaks with Carolyn Harris MP, Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Menopause, following an International Women’s Day event at the Houses of Parliament focused on keeping women in work. Carolyn shares the progress that has been made in raising awareness of menopause over the past five years — from improving access to hormone r...

In this episode of the SOM Podcast – Global CMO Series , host Dr Lara Shemtob speaks with Dr Katherine Carandang Chua , Chief Medical Officer for APAC at Pfizer, about the evolving role of occupational health and why workforce wellbeing must be viewed as a strategic business investment. Drawing on nearly two decades of experience in occupational medicine, Dr Chua shares how Pfizer delivers holisti...

Our monthly SOM News Update brings you the latest stories and insights from SOM and the wider OH world. Hosted by Steve Randall. -- Links mentioned in the podcast: Precarious work risks: https://academic.oup.com/occmed/advance-article/doi/10.1093/occmed/kqag006/8489195?login=false   Mental health apps MHRA guidance: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/mhra-issues-new-guidance-for-people-using-menta...

In this episode of The SOM Podcast , Steve Randall is joined by workplace health and mental health expert Amy McKeown for a practical, insightful discussion on what good occupational health and wellbeing really looks like in modern organisations. Drawing on over 20 years of experience—from early mental health tech startups to designing global workplace health strategies for organisations like Burb...

In this episode of Boardroom Brief , Dr Lara Shemtob speaks with Dr David Roomes , Chief Medical Officer at Bristol Myers Squibb, about what work and health really mean inside global organisations. From aerospace engineering to mining to biopharma, David shares insights from a remarkable career spanning multiple industries and continents — and explains how occupational health can create real organ...

Our monthly SOM News Update brings you the latest stories and insights from SOM and the wider OH world. Hosted by Steve Randall. -- Links mentioned in the podcast: AI Guidance for Occupational Health: https://www.som.org.uk/sites/som.org.uk/files/AI_Guidance_for_OH_Jan_2026.pdf  SOM Business Plan 2026: https://www.som.org.uk/sites/som.org.uk/files/SOM_business_plan_2026.pdf Expanded WorkWell schem...

In this inspiring episode, Dr. Richard Heron welcomes Dr. Ivan Ivanov — global leader in occupational and workers’ health — for a wide-ranging conversation recorded at the Royal College of Physicians in London. Dr. Ivanov reflects on his 40+ year journey from aspiring surgeon in Bulgaria to factory health inspector, national reformer, and ultimately Head of Workers’ Health at the World Health Orga...

In this CPD-focused episode of the SOM Podcast, Steve Randall speaks with Fiona Day — former public health consultant, NHS medical director, chartered coaching psychologist, and leadership development specialist — about how coaching psychology is transforming leadership and mentoring in healthcare.   Fiona shares insights from her 20+ year medical career, her transition into executive coaching, an...

In this episode of the SOM Podcast, host Steve Randall is joined by a panel of leading clinicians and occupational health experts to explore the realities of the UK Fit Note system. The discussion covers how Fit Notes work in general practice, barriers to meaningful “maybe fit for work” recommendations, international comparisons from Guernsey’s healthcare system, and the growing call for stronger...

As part of the Society of Occupational Medicine’s 90th anniversary , this fifth and final special Diamond Days episode explores how artificial intelligence is shaping the future of occupational health — from efficiency gains to ethical concerns and everything in between. Hosts Amy McKeown and Anna Jones are joined by a panel of experts to unpack the realities of AI in OH today and where it’s headi...

In this CPD-focused episode of The SOM Podcast , host Steve Randall is joined by Mandy Murphy , an experienced Occupational Health Specialist, senior leader, and professional coach, to explore how coaching skills can enhance occupational health practice and career development . Drawing on her extensive NHS leadership background and current coaching work, Mandy explains how coaching supports career...

In this thought-provoking episode of SOM’s Diamond Days podcast series with Amy McKeon & Anna Jones, we sit down with Dr Charlie Vivian, occupational physician of 20+ years and current Chair of the SOM Council in South Wales and the West of England.  Charlie reflects on how occupational medicine has evolved throughout his career, from the early adoption of the biopsychosocial model to today’s...

In this landmark episode of SOM’s Diamond Days — celebrating the Society of Occupational Medicine’s 90th anniversary — host Amy McEwen and sits down with Dame Carol Black , patron of SOM and one of the most influential voices in UK work and health. Dame Carol discusses why she believes occupational health must “rebirth” itself for the future — broadening scope, embracing prevention and psychosocia...

In this thought-provoking episode, host Steve Randall is joined by Professor Kim Burton , freelance occupational health researcher and former Professor of Occupational Health Care at the University of Huddersfield, and Janet O’Neill , Occupational Health Nurse Specialist and Deputy Head of the National School of Occupational Health. Nearly two decades after Burton co-authored the influential 2006...

Our monthly SOM News Update brings you the latest stories and insights from SOM and the wider OH world. Hosted by Steve Randall. -- Links mentioned in the podcast: The SOM/FOM Conference will take place in Nottingham next year. Save the date – 15th-17th June 2026. Bookings will open at the end of January but the call for abstracts is open now https://www.occupationalhealthconferences.com/call-for-...

In this special Diamond Days episode, host Amy McEwen brings together two leading voices in workplace health – Professor Neil Greenberg, president of SOM and Peter Cheese, CEO of the CPID – to discuss the Keep Britain Working report by Sir Charlie Mayfield. The conversation dives into the future of work, wellbeing, and the collaboration needed between HR and occupational health to address the UK’s...

In this episode of The SOM Podcast, host Steve Randall speaks with Dr. Jo Feary. Jo is a Respiratory Consultant specialising in occupational lung disease at the Royal Brompton Hospital, and Researcher at Imperial College London. She is also the Clinical Lead for Lungs at Work, an NHS service supporting workers, clinicians, and occupational health professionals affected by respiratory hazards. She...