August 1, 2002

Electronic newsroom

02-63

Laura Sbarra Named Manager of Brookhaven Lab’s Occupational Medicine Clinic

UPTON, NY – Laura Sbarra has been named manager of the Occupational Medicine Clinic at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory, effective June 13. She had been interim manager since Bryce Breitenstein retired in September 2001.

The Occupational Medicine Clinic at Brookhaven Lab provides a range of occupational health programs to promote the health of the Laboratory’s 3,000 employees. The clinic provides guidance in health and safety, protects workers against health hazards, and facilitates medical care and rehabilitation of injured or ill employees.

With 22 employees, the clinic is responsible for regular physical exams and medical surveillance, which includes screening for work-related health effects and providing medical clearance for certain work-related activities for employees. Also provided are clinical services, health promotion programs, an employee assistance program to help with personal and mental health problems related to job performance, and back-to-work and restricted-duty determinations. The clinic also provides medical case management for illness and injury.

The clinic was honored with a Model Program Award from the American College of Occupational & Environmental Medicine (ACOEM) in May 2000, and it earned accreditation from the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Care, Inc., in January 1999.

Sbarra, who managed the clinic from 1979 to 1987, added, “I appreciate the opportunity to serve again. I enjoy working with Lab personnel, and I feel very fortunate to have a wonderful staff. In my work, I follow the principles and ethics of occupational medicine, and I try to balance the needs of managers and employees.”

Sbarra earned her B.S. in genetics from Cornell University in 1965, and her M.D. from the Medical College of Pennsylvania in 1969. She is board-certified in occupational medicine, and she is certified as a medical review officer by the Medical Review Officer Certification Council. Before joining Brookhaven in 1972 as a contract physician with the clinic, she had practiced with the Suffolk County Department of Health and at several local hospitals, as well as privately.

Sbarra has served in several roles at the clinic since 1976, including staff physician, clinic manager and deputy manager. She is a member of several professional organizations, including ACOEM and the Nuclear Industry Physicians Association.