Corteva Agriscience Hires First Chief Health Officer

Corteva Agriscience has hired its first chief health officer. 

Dr. Claudia Coplein joined Corteva in May 2024, before which she was the chief medical officer for Tyson Foods. Coplein is board-certified in occupational medicine and is a fellow of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. Besides having served in various physician executive leadership positions, she was also a flight surgeon in the U.S. Air Force.

Coplein spoke with Successful Farming about her new role, what it means for Corteva, and why farmers will benefit.

SF: What was Corteva’s goal in creating this role? 

CC: It’s really all about health. We believe that good health is supported by access to safe, nutritious, and affordable food, but a growing population and climate pressures are presenting new risks to our industry overall and to global food security. That’s why companies like Corteva have to use our resources to overcome those challenges, while, at the same time, recognizing the critical connection between agriculture, food, and health. So, we’re looking to find new ways to advance agricultural science while also ensuring the health and safety of our people and our products. 

It’s a big goal and one that can only be achieved by continuously innovating and bringing new perspectives and fresh ideas — and for me, the health lens — to the table.

SF: Is there something happening in the world currently that makes a role like this more applicable right now?

CC: The role was created because Corteva has recognized that it’s uniquely positioned to lead the conversation that’s happening right now at the intersection of ag, food, and health, and there’s a lot of those conversations going on. An exciting part of my role is identifying new programs and partnerships that help to elevate that discussion. 

As a global leader in agricultural innovation, we have both the privilege of helping farmers to feed the world and the responsibility of ensuring that our products are safe for farmers, consumers, and for the environment. 

So, my role is also to be a strategic partner to the business and consider all of those audiences so that our products continue to be safe and sustainable, while also ensuring the health of both people and the planet. 

SF: Will you interact with farmers, and, if you do, how will you engage with them? 

CC: Corteva is only as successful as our customers — meaning farmers — so ensuring safe and effective tools get into the hands of farmers who need them is a top priority. It’s been important for me, personally, to spend time in the fields listening to farmers talk about their challenges and how we can better support them. And I really enjoy doing that. 

My medical training is in occupational and environmental medicine, so I’m excited to apply my expertise to help ensure that we’re getting relevant health messages to the farm, whether it’s talking about application safety or mental health, nutrition, or safety at planting and harvest. 

Farmers really have the critical job of feeding and fueling the world, so enhancing and supporting their overall well-being is an area that I’m excited to continue to develop. 

SF: What benefit will this role provide to farmers? 

CC: We at Corteva think about farmers’ health and safety every day in how we design our products, to how they’re stewarded, and well beyond that. A new opportunity that we have with my role is to be a resource for the agricultural community and to provide information to farmers and their families through programs, partnerships, and publications like [Successful Farming] on occupational health topics and on general well-being. Really, it’s the ability to touch on all aspects of farmers’ health.

SF: What advantage will this role provide to Corteva over its competitors?

CC: Corteva as a company is at the forefront of agricultural innovation, so one of my roles as chief health officer is to show that our advancements align with the highest health standards. As a company, we aim to lead the industry by example, demonstrating why sustainable and innovative agricultural practices are vital to the health of people and to the planet.

In addition to advocacy, I’m working to identify partners in the healthcare ecosystem that can amplify our work and our shared commitment to health and nutrition in new and innovative ways. 

SF: Who in the company will you work with most closely and why?

CC: I work across the organization because, when you think about it, health touches everything. I work with people from [research and development], from commercial, food systems, sustainability, and [environmental health and safety]. Our safety and well-being culture is foundational to who we are as a company. As the chief health officer, my primary focus is to further integrate health and safety into every aspect of our business and enhance the well-being of Corteva employees, as well as our customers. 

A good example is, in 2024, the National Safety Council named Corteva the winner of its Campbell Award, which recognizes excellence and environment health and safety. That honor came just five years after we launched as a stand-alone company, so this makes Corteva the youngest company to win the award. 

We’re proud of where we came from, but we’re also really focused on the future. We’re always exploring new ways to grow our health and safety culture and ensure that we’re implementing it on a global scale.