March 4, 2021
Society News
Call for Proposals – HFES 65th International Annual Meeting

Present your work at the 65th International Annual Meeting, October 4 - 8, 2021. Each year the Annual Meeting provides a forum for more than 600 research and practice presentations across 26 Technical Groups. Present a lecture or poster of your latest work or ideas, organize a panel of experts on a timely subject, give a demo of cutting-edge technology, or share your expertise in a workshop.
 
We invite you to submit your proposal by March 12, 2021.
Conference Program Now Available for International Symposium on Human Factors and Ergonomics in Health Care
Gain valuable insights on the latest science and best practices related to medical devices and the delivery of drugs, discover innovations improving the safety of health care providers and patients, examine multiple topics related to human factors and COVID-19, review barriers and challenges related to the provision of safe patient care and how to surmount them and experience even more at the 10th International Symposium on Human Factors and Ergonomics in Health Care, April 12 - 16. View the detailed program now.

Be sure to include a workshop or two in your registration for a deeper examination of HF/E across six intriguing and important health care topics. And our special evening panel session “COVID-19: What Did We Learn” is not to be missed.
 
Early registration rates now available through March 8.
Join the People of Color Affinity Group

The first HFES People of Color Affinity Group meeting was held during the 2020 Annual Meeting. Since then, a few HFES members have met to keep the momentum going, but we need YOU. Please consider joining us if you are an HFES member that either identifies as a person of color OR wants to contribute as an advocate for people of color in the following ways:

  • Help elevate the society’s diversity and inclusion efforts
  • Support recruitment and retention of people of color in the society
  • Meet and share with ideas like-minded people

We are looking for your ideas, input, and hopefully your involvement at some level.
Editor-in-Chief Candidates Sought for Human Factors Journal

The term of the current editor-in-chief of Human Factors (HF) will expire at the end of 2021, and HFES is now seeking candidates for the position.

The Human Factors editor's term is four years (2022-2025), with the possibility of two additional two-year terms. The incoming editor will be asked to work with the outgoing editor in the latter part of 2021, so on each end of the tenure there will be a few months of overlap to enable a smooth transition.

Desirable candidates should have a good and clear vision for the journal and prior experience working with authors of scientific research, including a demonstrated ability to communicate sometimes unwelcome news with consideration, tact, and diplomacy. They should also be able to coordinate the activities of professional staff and volunteers involved in the review and publication process.

Administrative support for the manuscript review process is provided by HFES and SAGE staff. Questions about these functions may be directed to HFES Executive Director Steven Kemp at skemp@hfes.org or (202) 367-1114.
EID: Best Student Paper in Ergonomics in Design Award Sponsored by Dr. Brian Peacock

We are proud to announce an annual award for student work submitted to Ergonomics in Design: Best Student Paper in Ergonomics in Design Award sponsored by Dr. Brian Peacock. The first award will be bestowed in 2021 for work submitted in 2020. Student papers from the 2020 EID issues are now under review for the Award. HFES urges academicians and their students to consider this unique opportunity and submit your design work to EID.
Comments Sought on Draft Standard
HFES members and the general public are invited to comment on the draft HFES 400 Standard - Human Readiness Level Scale in the System Development Process.

This standard specifies how to apply the Human Readiness Level (HRL) scale in the system development process. Comments may be submitted via either the online submission form or by completing the Word document and emailing it to HFES400@hfes.org. The submission deadline is March 18, 2021.
HFES Announces 2021 Human Factors Prize Competition

The Human Factors Prize was established in 2010 by former Editor-in-Chief William S. Marras to recognize excellence in HF/E research through an annual competition in which authors are invited to submit papers on a specific topic for that year. The prize carries a $5,000 cash award and consideration of publication of the winning paper in the Society's flagship journal, Human Factors. The award is formally conferred at a special session at the HFES International Annual Meeting, where the recipient presents his or her work. Submissions will be accepted between May 15 and June 15, 2021.
HFES Seeks Nominees for Prestigious Society Awards
HFES Full Members and Fellows are invited to submit nominations for eight Society awards to be presented at the 65th International Annual Meeting in Baltimore, Maryland, October 4 – 8, 2021.

Award nominations are invited for individuals whose contributions merit special recognition. The eight awards for which nominees are sought are:

  • Hal W. Hendrick Distinguished International Colleague Award
  • Paul M. Fitts Education Award
  • A.R. Lauer Safety Award
  • Alexander C. Williams, Jr., Design Award
  • Jack A. Kraft Innovator Award
  • Oliver Keith Hansen Outreach Award
  • William C. Howell Young Investigator Award
  • Bentzi Karsh Early-Career Service Award

Nominees are not required to be HFES members, but only members of HFES may submit nominations. The nomination submission deadline for each award above is 11:59 p.m. EST on Wednesday, March 31, 2021. 
IEA 2021 Congress Moving Fully Virtual
 
The IEA 2021 planning committee recently made the very difficult decision to cancel the in-person portion of the meeting. Read more about this decision here. There are more than 30 exciting tracks being organized for the IEA Congress (13-18 June 2021) covering a wide range of topics in HF/E, in addition to special sessions. The top ten tracks that received the most submissions are:

  1. Healthcare Ergonomics
  2. Musculoskeletal Disorders
  3. Transport HF/E
  4. Activity Theories for Work Analysis and Design
  5. Organizational Design and Management
  6. Health and Safety
  7. COVID-19
  8. Biomechanics
  9. Ergonomics in Design for All
  10. Work with Computing Systems
Member News
Volunteer of the Month: Dr. Rammohan Maikala
Dr. Maikala, Chair, HFES Technical Standards Committee, is a Project Manager and Senior Program Specialist, Injury Prevention and Ergonomics at Providence St. Joseph Health based in Everett, Washington. He teaches and trains on safe patient handling and mobility for various caregivers. He is also a part of the development and provision of ergonomics and safety risk assessments of the workplace and tracks employee-related injuries for three different counties and developing interventions to mitigate injuries. His proudest accomplishment in the HF/E industry is his physiology research using a variety of non-invasive physiological modalities including Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS); this effort, in turn, lead to the very first special issue on applications of NIRS in Ergonomics-related research: Maikala, R.V. and Hargens, A. (2010). Application of Near-Infrared Spectroscopy in Ergonomics and Exercise. International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics, Volume 40, Issue 2, March, pp. 123-230.

His motivation to volunteer with HFES is to give back to his profession and his extended HFES family. As a Student member and now as a Full Member, he continuously benefited from HFES and its services. For example, thanks to HFES Members Directory, as a student, he interned at Dupont (1994) and General Motors (1995). Thanks to the HFES Member Directory, he got his first job interview (and subsequently employment) with Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety (2001).
HFES Members in the News
HFES wants to promote the important achievements of our members in the bi-weekly Bulletin. Appropriate topics include research milestones or other significant achievements, professional accolades, awards or recognitions, promotions or new positions, and similar professionally-oriented topics. If you would like to share news with the HFES community, please fill out the form. 

Additionally, if you are made aware of the passing of any members of HFES, please let us know. Contact HFES Executive Director Steven Kemp at skemp@hfes.org.
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