Global Benefits Vision: What is IEBA’s mission in the global employee-benefits industry historically and what is it today? Norman Dreger: IEBA is the world’s leading association providing education, information and professional development opportunities in the constantly evolving world of International Employee Benefits, with more than 800 members worldwide. In addition to the development of the International Diploma and the Certified Practitioner Accreditation, our objectives include facilitating the exchange of information between

Medical robots are helping doctors and other professionals save time, lower costs and shorten patient recovery times, but patients may not be ready. Our research into human perceptions of automated health care finds that people are wary of getting their health care from an automated system, but that they can adjust to the idea – especially if it saves them money.

There are people who show incredible resistance to extremes of temperature. Think of Buddhist monks who can calmly withstand being draped in freezing towels or the so-called “Iceman” Wim Hof, who can remain submerged in ice water for long periods of time without trouble. These people tend to be viewed as superhuman or special in some way. If they truly are, then their feats are simply entertaining but irrelevant vaudevillian acts. What if they’re not freaks, though, but have trained their brains and bodies with selfmodification techniques that give them cold resistance? Could anyone do the same?

Companies offer all sorts of benefits and extras to attract the most favored workers, from health care and stock options to free food. But all those perks come at a price: your freedom. There’s a reason labor historians call these perks “welfare capitalism,” a term that originated to describe company towns and their subsidized housing, free classes and recreational activities. Like government welfare, offering any benefits that people come to rely on is also a convenient vehicle to mold their behavior.

Taking a walk on a wooded path, spending an afternoon in a public park, harvesting your backyard garden and even looking at beautiful pictures of Hawaii can all make us feel good. Certainly, for many of us, it’s beneficial to have time outside in natural environments. Being cooped up inside can feel unnatural and increase our desire to get outside. The renowned biologist E.O. Wilson created a theory called the biophilia hypothesis, where he stated that people have an innate relationship to nature.

We know we should eat less junk food, such as crisps, industrially made pizzas and sugar-sweetened drinks, because of their high calorie content. These “ultraprocessed” foods, as they are now called by nutritionists, are high in sugar and fat, but is that the only reason they cause weight gain? An important new trial from the U.S. National Institute of Health (NIH) shows there’s a lot more at work here than calories alone.

Otto Muzik Wayne State University Professor of Pediatrics and Radiology Dr. Muzik is a medical physicist who was recruited from the University of Michigan in 1993 to assume the role of a senior physicist in the newly opened Children’s Hospital of Michigan PET Center. Since then he established himself as an expert in the kinetic analysis of PET data as well as through his work in the development of

Vaibhav Diwadkar Wayne State University Professor of Psychiatry Dr. Diwadkar is a Provost Fellow and Career Development Chair and a multiple recipient of Wayne State’s Faculty Research Excellence and Teaching Excellence awards. He is internationally recognized for his work in brain imaging, and is a renowned media expert on schizophrenia and other neuropsychiatric disorders. Dr. Diwadkar is an associate editor and editorial board member for Frontiers in Schizophrenia and

Stephen Rice Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Professor of Human Factors I am currently a Professor of Human Factors at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. My work has appeared in over 120 peer-reviewed journals and over 140 international conferences. My research highlights the intersections between aviation, automation, and consumer perceptions. I also conduct research on driverless cars and medical/dental robotics, and I am particularly interested in people’s willingness to interact with autonomous agents.

Mattie Milner Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Ph.D. Candidate in Human Factors I recently graduated Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University with my M.S. in Human Factors and I am currently pursuing my PhD in Human Factors at Embry-Riddle in Daytona Beach, Florida. My main research interests include studying psychological and physiological concerns during the development processes of systems, products, and work environments with a focus on aviation and automation. Technology is becoming an

Elizabeth C. Tippett University of Oregon Associate Professor, School of Law Professor Tippett writes about ethics, employment law, and the intersection of law and technology. She is a co-author of the Fifth Edition of the West Academic textbook, Employment Discrimination & Employment Law: The Field as Practiced, along with Samuel Estreicher & Michael Harper. Her research on disparate impact litigation was cited by the United States Court of Appeals

Jay Maddock Texas A&M University Professor of Public Health Dr. Maddock is a Professor in the School of Public Health at Texas A&M University. He is internationally recognized for his research in social ecological approaches to increasing physical activity. He has served as principal investigator on over $18 million in extramural funding and authored over 100 scientific articles.

Richard Hoffmann University of Hertfordshire Lecturer in Nutritional Biochemistry I am a strong advocate of the Mediterranean diet and how to make it more relevant to the UK population. My current research is examining how dietary phytochemicals influence glucose absorption and hence the glycaemic load of a meal. I also write articles and books, lobby politicians and decision makers to promote a Med diet as the gold standard of