About

MedLaw LLC is proud to serve comprehensive workplace solutions locally and nationally. We are dedicated to providing the highest level of occupational health services along with friendly, compassionate care.

Kenji Saito, M.D., J.D., FACOEM

Dr. Saito is a Fellow of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, is certified by the American Board of Preventive Medicine with specialty training in Occupational and Environmental Medicine. He is certified as a Medical Review Officer, a Senior Medical Examiner for the Federal Aviation Administration, National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, Certified Course Director and founder of NIOSH Spirometry course in Central Maine, and Certified Course Director for CAOHC courses. He has extensive experience in the clinical, corporate, and academic settings and is nationally recognized expert in occupational fitness for duty evaluation and in occupational eye disorders.

Biography

Hello and welcome to my website. I am currently the President, Chief Medical and Science Officer at MedLawPractice.com, offering consultative Occupational and Environmental Medicine services for businesses across the nation. I am formerly the Vice President, Medical Staff and Chair of Medical Specialties where I served as Medical Director of an Occupational Health Service clinic in multiple locations and several worksite clinics in Central Maine where I also Direct Health Promotion and Well-being, Employee Assistance Program, State of Maine Fitness Centers & Ergonomics,Teaching Kitchen, and serve as the Regulatory Liaison at the Health System. I am also an Adjunct Faculty at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Clinical Assistant Professor of Community Medicine at Dartmouth College and Clinical Assistant Professor of Preventative Medicine at the University of New England. I serve on the Board of Directors for MaineGeneral Health, the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM) and the Board of Directors and President-elect for the New England College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (NECOEM) where I host webinars with the Harvard School of Public Health. As a Founding Board Member of Kids’ Chance of Maine, I encourage you to help children of workers seriously injured on the job with a chance at a college education or training beyond high school.

I graduated from the University of Pennsylvania where I founded the Penn Bioethics Society and was one of the first to create a concentration/major in bioethics. I then worked at a global pharmaceutical company in R&D, Policy, Compliance and HR before pursuing a six year medical and law dual degree program at Temple University and Rutgers University.

I enjoy connecting with both local and national audiences and continue to deliver presentations nationwide quarterly, while continuing my research interests with publications yearly. I came to Central Maine to pursue my passion for improving health of the community where I have helped lead my organization to national recognition as a leader in employee well-being by receiving honorable mention recognition for the 2018 C Everett Koop National Health Awards presented by the Health Enhancement Research Organization. I continue to champion physician and clinician well-being by addressing burnout, resiliency and advocating to bring back the joy in medicine.

I am currently barred in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania and am a licensed Real Estate salesperson. Growing up in the hospitality industry and being the son of the Philly’s Queen of Sushi, I learned how not only to be a sushi chef, but also understand the challenges of small business owners. The seeds for my entrepreneurial spirits stem from these experiences and I look forward to working with you to develop a holistic approach to medical/dental, legal and business/real estate endeavors.

ACOEM Practice guidelines / MDGuidelines.com

Chapter on Occupational Eye Disease for ACOEM Practice Guidelines / MDGuidelines.com

ACOEM Guidance Statements

Occupational and Environmental Medicine Competencies – in progress
Use of Contact Lenses in an Industrial Environment – in progress
Functional Status Measurements – click here

Speaking engagements

Speaker at the New Hampshire Bar Association on “Clearing the Haze: Cannabis and CBD in the Workplace” for the Legal Issues, Ethical Issues and Medical Update session. Concord, NH. June 2020.
Chair of “Updates on the Opioid Epidemic” and Speaker at Work Related Injuries Workshop on “Culinary Medicine & Culinary Rehabilitation” and “Impairment: How Can You Tell?” Waltham, MA. June 2020.
Speaker at Maine HR Convention on “Why EAP Should be HR’s Best Friend.” Rockport, ME. May 2020.
Conference Co-Chair and speaker at American Occupational Health Conference 2020 on: “Assessing Fitness For Duty Among School Bus Drivers”, “Contracts, Benefits, Negotiation, and the Interview: What the Mid-Career and Recent Graduate Needs to Know to Succeed”, “Workshop on Suturing”, “College of Workers Compensation Lawyers”, “A Taste of Good Health – Culinary Medicine in the Teaching Kitchen”, and “Health Informatics – Integrating Technology Skills Into an Occupational Medicine Career.” Washington D.C. May 2020.
Keynote Speaker at Massachusetts Society of Human Resources (SHRM) Legislative Conference. “Updates on Coronavirus and the Workforce” and “Modern Marijuana, CBD and Spice in the Workplace and Assessing Impairment.” Suffolk University Law School. Boston, MA. March 2020.
Grand Rounds Speaker. “Food – The Best Medicine for the Community and Your Patients: Culinary Medicine with a Demonstration of MaineGeneral’s Teaching Kitchen.” November 2019.
Speaker at National Safety Council and Maine’s Safety and Health Conference, Augusta ME. “Sleep & The Workforce: A live cooking demonstration.” October 2019.
Speaker at Transportation Safety Conference by Atlantic Provinces Trucking Association and Maine Motors Transportation Association, Rockport ME. “A Deeper Dive Into the FMCSA Medical Exam.” September 2019.
Speaker at National Association of Occupational Health Professionals 33rd National Conference Phoenix Biltmore, AZ. “Approaches to Behavioral Health in the Workplace: There is No Health without Mental Health” September 2019.
Speaker at Maine’s Comp Summit, Rockport ME. “Post-offer, preplacement medical evaluations: A workers’ comp asset or human resources liability? – Let the data tell the story.” August 2019.
Webinar Moderator for Harvard School of Public Health and New England College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. “Employee Health & Heart Disease: The Power of Teaching Kitchens” June 2019.
Speaker at American Occupational Health Conference at Disneyland, Anaheim, CA, “Digital Privacy of Clinical, Work, and Personal Health Data,” “Fitness for Duty: Use of Opioid and Benzodiazepine Medications,” “Under Pressure: A Live Demonstration of Direct Testimony and Cross-Examination of a Physician,” “Navigating Employment Opportunities and Issues for the New Occupational Medicine Provider.” May 2019.
Keynote Speaker at WWCMA18 (Wellness Council of Massachusetts) annual conference, Gillette Stadium, Foxboro, MA “Health Promotion and Wellbeing, Rethinking Innovation in the 21st Century: Navigating the Industrial and Digital Era.” October 2018.
Speaker at National Association of Occupational Health Professionals Annual Conference, Nashville, TN “Bioethics 201.” September 2018.
Panelist at the Maine Workers’ Comp Summit, Rockport, ME “The Doctors’ Perspective on Workers’ Comp.” August 2018.
Presenter at the Maine HR Convention, Rockport, ME “Moving from Traditional Wellness to Strategic Wellbeing.” May 2018
Speaker at American Occupational Health Conference 2018 in New Orleans on “The Role of Occupational Medicine in Preventing and Mitigating Physician Burnout.” May 2018.
Speaker at American Occupational Health Conference 2018 in New Orleans on “OEM-based Electronic Health Records.” April 2018.
Webinar Speaker for Community Health Options. “Workplace Drug Use and Testing in a New Era.” April 2018.
Speaker at New England Occupational and Environmental Medicine Annual Conference in Boston, MA on “There’s no “Eye” in Team: An Occupational Vision Assessment based on Job Description from OEM partners in HR and Safety.” November 2017.
Speaker at Workers Compensation Board, State of Maine Worker Advocate Training on “Diabetes, Carpal Tunnel and Plantar Fasciitis: Medical and Legal Causation.” November 2017.
Moderator/Panelist at Workplace Health Employer Forum on “Understanding Respiratory Protection Requirements and What Employers Need to Know.” November 2017.
Panelist at 90th Annual Maine Safety & Health Conference hosted by National Safety Council of Northern New England on “Medical & Recreational Marijuana in Maine.” October 2017.
Speaker at National Association of Occupational Health Professional in Chicago, IL on “Bioethics in Occupational Health: Harmonizing Business, Legal and Medical Decision Making Process.” October 2017.
Speaker at University of Southern Maine’s Patient Safety Academy on “The Intersection between Worker and Patient Safety: Harmonizing Employee Health, Wellness and Safety.” September 2017.
Speaker at Health Enhancement Research Organization (HERO) Conference in Phoenix, AZ on “Moving from Traditional Wellness to Strategic Well-Being: MaineGeneral’s Evolution & Engagement Results.” September 2017.
Moderator and Panelist at Maine Workers Comp Summit on “The Doctor’s Perspective – Occupational Medicine and Causation in Multifactorial Cases.” August 2017.
Speaker at Northeast Society for Human Resource Management on “Population Health Management as a Retention Strategy.” August 2017.
Speaker at MaineGeneral Grand Rounds on “Evidence-Based Prevention & Wellness: Healthcare Workers & Community.” June 2017.
Speaker at Kennebec Valley HR Association talk on “Value of Workplace Health and Wellness Improving Employee Engagement and Retention.” June 2017
TED talk at AOHC 2017 National Conference in Denver, CO on “Value of Workplace Health and Wellness: A Competitive Advantage.” April 2017.
Keynote Speaker and Panelist at the University of Maine at Presque Isle Distinguished Lecturer Series on the Ethics of Care in a Rural Community Setting. February 2017.
Panelist/Speaker on “Harmonizing Medicine & Law through Occupational and Environmental Medicine: A Regulatory Platform of Health Care in the 21st Century” at the 39th Annual Health Law Professors Conference Co-Sponsored by the American Society of Law, Medicine & Ethics, Boston University School of Law, and Boston University School of Public Health, June 2016.
Panelist, at AOHC 2016 National Conference in Chicago, IL on “Past, Present, and Future of Gizmos and Gadgets: The History and Advancement off OEM and Industrial Hygiene Technologies.” April 2016.
Keynote Speaker at Aroostook County Safety Symposium. “Harmonizing HR & Safety: Promoting a Safe and Happy Workplace” at the 11th Annual Safety Director’s Conference, March 2016.
Speaker at University of Maine at Presque Isle. “Intro to Bioethics – Human and Environmental Experimentation: What have we Learned?” at the UMPI Spring Science Seminar Series, February 2016.
Keynote Speaker at Northeast Society for Human Resource Management (NESHRM). “Occupational Health in the 21st Century” at the 19th Annual Human Resource Conference, September 2015.
Speaker at CDC/HRSA Webinar on Preventive Medicine and Public Health Issues: “Governmental Public Health – Federal, State, and Local Perspectives.” May 2014.
Guest Lecturer on “Cross-Cultural Medical Ethics: Informed Consent a Western Concept as Applied in the East” at the Stanford Japan Center and at the University of Pennsylvania, June 2001.
Panelist/Speaker on “Cross-Cultural and International Bioethics” at the Fifth Annual National Undergraduate Bioethics Conference at Boston University, March 2002.
Keynote Speaker on the “Nature and Legitimate Scope of Bioethics” at First Canadian National Bioethics Conference at St. Francis Xavier University, February 2003.
Guest Speaker on “Bioethics and Public Policy” and “Bioethics: Harmonizing Medicine and Ethics” at the Sixth Annual National Bioethics Conference at Texas A&M University, March 2003.
Guest Speaker on “Harmonizing Bioethics in Academia, Industry, and Beyond: The Ongoing Challenges” at the University of Michigan National Bioethics Conference, March 2004.
Guest Speaker on “Undergraduate Bioethics” at the University of Pennsylvania “Going Too Far: Rationalizing Unethical Medical Research in Japan, Germany, and the United States, April 2004.
Host of an International Bioethics Conference at the UPenn – Pharmaceutical Enhancements: The Brain and Beyond, April 2005.
Lecturer on “Integrating Medicine and Law” at Rutgers University, April 2008.
Medical Humanities Consortium at the College of Physicians – Turning a Blind Eye to the Rehabilitation Act: Meaningful Access and the Dollar Bill, May 2010.

Publications

Mariano, M, Saito K. Approaches to Behavioral Health in the Workplace: There Is No Health Without Mental Health. Visions: The Periodical of the National Association of Occupational Health Professionals. Winter 2020;8-9.
Gowda S, Saito K. Shared Decision Making: Ethical Aspects Within Occupational and Environmental Medicine. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. 2020;62:e78-e79.
Gowda S, Saito K. Occupational Hearing Loss: What are Some Occupations Not Commonly Considered at Risk? Journal of Occupational & Environmental Medicine. 2018;60:e507-e508.
Saito K. Understanding Causation Analysis from a Legal and Medical Perspective. New England College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine NECOEM Reporter. Volume 2 Issue 50. Fall 2017.
Saito K. Shofer FS, Saberi P, Green-McKenzie J. Health Care Personnel Perception of the Privacy of Electronic Health Records. Journal of Occupational & Environmental Medicine. 2017 Jun; 59 (6): 535–538.
Saito K. Improving Driver Health Will Decrease DOT Reportable Crashes and Injuries. Maine Motor Transport Association Magazine. May-June 2017 edition, 20-23.
Doty RL, Saito K. Disorders of Taste and Smell. The Senses: A Comprehensive Reference. Elsevier Publishing. Dec. 2007.
Mishra A, Saito K, Doty RL. Olfaction Dysfunction in Leprosy. Laryngoscope. 2006 Mar;116(3):413-6.
Saito, K. The New Breed of “Bioethicists”: What does it mean and how to get involved! Ivy Journal of Ethics. Cornell University. 4:2 2005.
Saito K. Approaching Bioethics: A Template for Success. Penn Bioethics Journal. Univ of Penn. Inaugural Issue. 1:1 2005.
Saito K. Cancer Disclosure in Japan and America: Informed Consent a Western Concept as Applied in the East. Harvard Journal on Medical Ethics. 2001 Jul; 2(summer edition): 22-25.
McGee G, Saito K, eds. The New Immortality: Science and Speculation about Extending Life Forever. Berkeley, CA: Berkeley Hills Books. 2001.
Saito K, Bromley S, Doty RL. Value of Smell and Taste – Issues in Medicine and Litigation. White Paper report for Sensonics.