What is COHRI?

The Concentra Occupational Health Research Institute, established in 2000, is dedicated to the promotion of America's workers health through scientific research and medical education. Traditionally there has been little funding directed to the field of occupational medicine research. The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health has generally served as the primary funding agency for occupational health research, but research grants from this organization have been consistently small. Likewise, few medical schools have devoted substantial resources to occupational health research.

The Concentra Occupational Health Research Institute (COHRI) was established to fill this void. The Institute is an independent entity that has been recognized by the Internal Revenue Service as being exempt under section 501 © (3) of the internal revenue code. Therefore, contributions to COHRI are tax deductible as allowed by law.

Research initiatives focus on promoting workers' health by determining best practices regarding injury/illness management of the worker, promoting injury/illness prevention, and advancing knowledge in the field of occupational health. The Institute has access to Concentra's database, which is the largest clinical outcome database in the country. This enables its researchers to analyze and collect clinical and outcome information on the over 500,000 workers treated in occupational health clinics annually.

The institute also promotes medical education in the field of occupational health. In February, 2004, the first national occupational health medical conference was held in San Antonio at the Plaza resort. The conference attracted physicians and occupational health nurses from across the United States. Keynote Speakers were Gordon Waddell, MD, a renowned back expert from Glasgow, Scotland; Kim Burton, DO, PhD, a well-known physician-ergonomist from Great Britain, and Nortin Hadler, MD, a distinguished rheumatologist from North Carolina.

COHRI MISSION