Alumni Profile
practicing preventive medicine


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James Blessman decided to specialize in occupational medicine out of a frustration that he couldn’t do enough for his patients as an internal medicine trainee. “I was often called to see individuals with end-stage organ damage; they were asking me to help, and for the most part it was too late,” he recalls. “This led me to the preventive medical specialty, occupational medicine.” He found out about occupational medicine “late in the game,” but was fortunate enough to get accepted in two programs, one in Chicago and the University of Washington.

A Michigan native, he packed himself and his then-pregnant wife into a too-small Honda hatchback and headed west. He wasn’t disappointed.

“I was able to rub elbows with many of the individuals who were actually writing in the field” such as Linda Rosenstock, Scott Barnhart, and Bill Daniell. “Coming from a community hospital, this was a big deal to me.” He was also impressed by the quality of the other candidates in the program. His class included Joel Kaufman and Matt Keifer, both now on the DEH faculty. “My colleagues were an inspiration then and continue to be to this day,” James recalls.
After graduating from the residency program in 1989, he returned to Detroit and joined the faculty of Wayne State University. In 1996, he was asked to serve as the medical director for City of Detroit employees. Under his direction, the city has saved $20 million in occupational safety and health costs in the past five years. Last year, Wayne State made him director of the Division of Occupational Medicine and interim residency director for the occupational medicine residency program.

He is board certified in internal medicine and occupational medicine. His research specialties are low back pain and occupational stress. “Needless to say my life is currently very exciting and I feel blessed and honored to serve in the capacity that I do.” He encourages medical residents and graduate students to find a balance in their lives. He has been married 16 years and has four children, is active in his church, and plays bass guitar.

His advice to those currently in training includes: “enjoy your stay; you are working with a good group of individuals who will likely be able to open doors for you in the future.” He considers preventive medicine a “noble field that requires that your efforts be focused.” He cautions residents not to expect instant gratification, because people “don’t know that they have not developed problems because of your efforts.”

He would urge today’s students to develop skills in “learning how to learn quickly” and effective communication. In occupational medicine, information is changing rapidly “and you need to know how to keep pace with it.” He has found that “there is little that you can do by your-self; you have to be able to work effectively with others.”