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The North American Agromedicine Consortium (NAAC)

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The North American Agromedicine Consortium

Our Mission

The North American Agromedicine Consortium (NAAC) is Devoted to the Programmatic Teamwork of Land-grant and Medical Universities and Their Partners to Promote Health and Prevent Disease for Farmers and Farm workers and Their Families, Others in Rural Communities, and Consumers of Food and Fiber.

Click here to download the Power Point file explaining NAAC in details.

Our Story

Agromedicine is a partnership of health and agricultural professionals which promotes the health and safety of agricultural producers and workers, their families, and consumers of agricultural products. Agromedicine addresses the health and safety concerns of agriculture, including forestry and fisheries, by a combination of the sciences of agriculture and medicine. This approach was established as a collaboration of the colleges of agriculture and schools of medicine and their partners.

The scope of agromedicine reaches all who are part of the universe relating to the practices or agents used by or products of the agricultural, forestry and fishing industries.

This comprehensive approach involves multiple disciplines. Examples of areas of interesting agromedicine include agricultural chemicals (safety, toxicity, oncology, teratology, etc.), noise-induced hearing loss, skin cancer, farm stress, insect-transmitted disease, and other areas of preventive, occupational and environmental medicine, rural health and primary care.

What is NAAC?The North American Agromedicine Consortium (NAAC), founded in 1988, is an affiliation of faculty representing schools of agriculture, life sciences, family, and consumer sciences, medicine, nursing, allied health, public health, pharmacy and veterinary medicine and representatives of related government, agribusiness, and voluntary agencies. These faculty and other interested parties have organized to share, through a multidisciplinary approach, their expertise and resources in public service, education and research for the enhancement of agricultural safety, rural health and the practice of rural medicine within their state, province, country and the North American region. The consortium is affiliated with the International Association of Agricultural Medicine and Rural Health (IAAMRH), and functions as its North American Bureau.

What does the NAAC offer? The Annual Meeting: The NAAC meets annually in the autumn and is generally hosted by an agricultural campus, medical campus, or other major partner of a state's agromedicine program. The annual meeting is an opportunity for sharing scientific information and strategies for enhancing each state's agromedicine program. The executive committee conducts general business sessions of the membership at the annual meeting.

NAAC Begginings: The Agromedicine Program of South Carolina, a partnership of Clemson University and the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), was instrumental in founding the Consortium. The Consortium is indebted to Stanley H. Schuman, M.D., Dr. P.H., of MUSC for his dedication to agromedicine, service to the organization and his academic contribution in establishing the Journal of Agromedicine.

The Executive Committee: The Executive Committee consists of the officers elected at the annual meeting. The Executive Committee provides consultation and assistance to those interested in developing a state agromedicine program. The spring meeting of the Executive Committee may be arranged to facilitate formal development of a state's agromedicine program.

Publications:The Consortium newsletter is published twice a year, and a membership directory is updated and distributed. NAAC members receive a 30% discount from both the individual ($75) and institutional ($125) rates but there is not a library ($185) rate discount. Please see the Haworth Press for ordering information. NAAC members are also encouraged to consider submitting manuscripts to the Journal of Agromedicine.

NAAC Membership Information:Membership in the NAAC allows one to vote on Consortium business, to be eligible to serve as an officer of the Consortium, and to receive a subscription to the newsletter. The organization encourages students to become members by offering discounted membership. We also encourage members to join the International Association for Agricultural Medicine and Rural Health (IAAMRH), our worldwide affiliate. Membership in this organization provides opportunities for professional relationships with peers throughout the world. The IAAMRH meets once every three years. To become a member, please fill out and mail the Membership Application Form.
Contact Us | Updated: May 14, 2008 | ©2008 NAAC