Dr. Pamela Krahl was selected as an Occupational and Environmental Medicine representative on ABPM’s Board of Directors and began her term in August 2024.
Dr. Krahl works as the Associate Director for Occupational Health Services at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC, having retired in September 2024 from the US Navy following 33 years of service. She has also served since 2021 on ABPM’s Occupational and Environmental Medicine exam subcommittee.
What led you to a career in medicine and, specifically, the specialty of Occupational and Environmental Medicine?
My first career in the Navy was as a meteorology and oceanography officer. It was a fantastic first job. I worked with wonderful people in some challenging environments, including on a ship doing coastal surveys in the Middle East and later in Antarctica doing weather forecasting. As my initial commitment to the Navy was winding down, I considered whether to go to graduate school and continue in meteorology and oceanography, or to try a new adventure and apply for medical school. I ended up going to medical school on a Navy scholarship and learned about Occupational and Environmental Medicine (OEM) while I was at Emory. It just clicked with me as the perfect specialty to support my Navy shipmates when I eventually returned to active service. I also appreciated the wide variety within OEM to provide continued challenges and opportunities for growth. As you might have guessed from my description of my previous career, that was one of my most important considerations in picking a specialty.
What is the value of board certification for you?
Board certification establishes professional credibility and opens doors. It demonstrates an ongoing commitment to professionalism and quality. Oh yeah, and you get paid extra by the military, too 😊.
What do you hope to accomplish during your term on the ABPM’s Board of Directors?
My biggest goal is to contribute to raising the visibility of preventive medicine specialties amongst medical students, our fellow physicians, and employers.
For many specialties, board certification is a key qualification for medical staff privileges to practice in that specialty. Although board certification is equally relevant to ensuring competence in our specialties, it often isn’t required for those who are hired to provide preventive medicine services. Employers, including those outside of traditional health care settings, need to understand that board certification in our specialties exists and should be a key qualification, just as it is in other more well-known medical specialties.
Given the small size of our field, I believe that our specialty societies are critical to addressing our visibility challenges and must work together to be successful. We need to highlight the overlap of our specialties in a collaborative rather than competitive way, and messaging should center around why government, corporate, and other employers with the need for preventive medicine services should prioritize board certification. I hope that through the ABPM’s Board, we may be able to help catalyze these partnerships to advance us all.
What hobbies or other activities do you enjoy outside of work?
I always stay busy. I enjoy triathlons (and each of the component sports), indoor and outdoor household DIY projects, and genealogy. We recently built a new home on the Magothy River and look forward to boating next summer!
Is there anything else you’d like to share about yourself with the ABPM community?
I’m very honored to be representing OEM on the Board. I welcome anyone to reach out with questions, concerns, comments, or ideas!