The world’s largest society of agricultural safety and health professionals has awarded its highest honor to Barbara Lee, Ph.D., associate director, National Children’s Center for Rural and Agricultural Health and Safety, “in recognition of her lifetime of achievement, deep commitment to professional excellence and transformative impact on the field.”
The International Society for Agricultural Safety and Health (ISASH) presented Lee with the Maynard Coe Professional Achievement Award during its annual conference, June 25, in Portland, Maine. Coe served as director of the Farm Division of the National Safety Council for 20 years and worked with universities, farm organizations and the agriculture industry in establishing farm safety as a recognized profession.
“This is a really special award that needs to be shared with a lot of people,” Lee said. “I have had the good fortune of working with so many talented and passionate people, and together we have had a positive impact on childhood agricultural injury prevention. We’ve been able to grow these collaborations and now have safety advocates around the world. It’s really important to celebrate the successes we have had.”
Lee is a senior research scientist with the National Farm Medicine Center, Marshfield Clinic Research Institute, home to the National Children’s Center for Rural and Agricultural Health and Safety. Lee’s career embodies the principles and intent of the Maynard Coe Award. Her sustained excellence in research, education, policy and leadership has elevated the standards of practice in agricultural safety and health and helped institutionalize child agricultural injury prevention as a national and international priority.
“Dr. Lee’s work and collaborations are of the highest caliber,” said Casper Bendixsen, Ph.D., Farm Medicine director. “This recognition is much deserved.”
The agricultural worksite is one of the nation’s most hazardous, and the only one where children of any age may be present. Among early National Children’s Center initiatives was the development of guidelines for parents to match chores with their child’s developmental and physical capabilities. Follow-up data demonstrated a 56 percent decline in youth farm injury rates from 1998 to 2009, which ranked among Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report’s Ten Great Public Health Achievements 2001-2010.
Lee’s pioneering efforts began in the late 1980s when she joined the National Farm Medicine Center. In 1992, under her direction, the first national symposium on childhood agricultural injury prevention was held in Marshfield, laying the foundation for a national agenda. In 1997, the National Children’s Center was established with a competitive grant from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. The National Children’s Center remains a national and international hub for resources, data, consensus guidelines, and outreach strategies designed to protect the most vulnerable members of the agricultural workforce.
Lee’s influence extends beyond programmatic leadership. She has authored or co-authored numerous peer-reviewed publications and book chapters and has served in advisory roles for national and international initiatives. She was co-chair of the NIOSH National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA) Council for Agriculture, Forestry, and Fishing and a longstanding member of national advisory groups such as the National Tractor Safety Coalition and the National Coordinated Child Safety Initiative. In 2007, she co-founded the Agricultural Safety and Health Council of America (ASHCA), helping bridge public-private collaborations in agricultural safety. Within ISASH, Lee has long been a central figure. She is a past president (1995-96) and notably the organization’s first female president.
In 2024, Dr. Lee transitioned to the role of associate director of the National Children’s Center, continuing to mentor emerging leaders, while advancing her individual research on the legal dimensions of childhood agricultural fatalities.
“Dr. Lee’s commitment to child agricultural health and safety continues as she mentors and guides emerging leaders within the field and engages in novel research,” said Andrea Swenson, Ph.D., National Children’s Center director.
Lee’s recent publication, “Child Farm Injuries are Never ‘Accidents,’” in the Journal of Agromedicine, has drawn national media attention and ignited critical discourse on responsibility and accountability in rural injury prevention.
The Coe Award consists of a monetary award and a plaque. Lee plans to donate the $1,000 back into the ISASH Endowment Fund.
ISASH was established in 1962 as the National Institute for Farm Safety. ISASH is dedicated to the development of agricultural safety and health professionals, and to providing leadership in the prevention of agricultural injuries and illnesses. ISASH membership includes engineers, educators, insurers, physicians, nurses, veterinarians, epidemiologists, communicators, anthropologists, sociologists and business leaders. Many safety initiatives in U.S. agriculture have involved members of ISASH, including: the slow-moving vehicle emblem; emergency farm rescue; rollover protective structures; and assistive technologies for disabled farmers.
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