Tyson Foods Names Coplein Chief Medical Officer

Claudia Coplein

Tyson Foods Inc. of Springdale hired Claudia Coplein as the company’s chief medical officer.

Tyson Foods had announced plans to hire its first CMO as part of a safety initiative July 30 in “an offensive” against the virus causing the COVID-19 pandemic. Coplein will assume the role beginning Jan. 4.

Coplein has more than 20 years of experience in the health care industry. She joins Tyson Foods from MassMutual, where she served as that company’s CMO and head of health and wellness.

“I look forward to contributing to Tyson’s culture of caring for its team members and discovering new and innovative ways to further build our culture of safety, health and wellness,” Coplein said.

Coplein earned an osteopathic medical degree from the New York Institute of Technology College and a law degree from the University of Connecticut. She also has a master’s degree in public health.

“At Tyson, nothing is more important than the health and safety of our team members, so I am especially excited to add Dr. Coplein to our team,” said Johanna Söderström, executive vice president and chief human resources officer for Tyson Foods. “Her unique perspective of the health care ecosystem will be a tremendous asset as we continue to build a culture of health and take additional steps to protect our team members and plant communities.”

At Tyson Foods, Coplein will be responsible for coordinating the company’s efforts to protect workers. She will also oversee the pilot seven health clinics the company plans to open in communities where Tyson Foods have production facilities; the pilot program is in partnership with Marathon Health of Winooksi, Vermont.

In November, Tyson Foods CEO Dean Banks said during an earnings report that the company had spent $540 million related to the pandemic in fiscal 2020.The company has come under legal fire from the families of several employees who died of the coronavirus after working at Tyson Foods’ pork production plant in Waterloo, Iowa.

The federal lawsuit alleged that, among other charges, a plant executive started a betting pool about how many employees would become infected and that leaders lied to interpreters about the severity of the virus. The Waterloo plant, which temporarily closed after a rash of cases, employs approximately 2,800, many of them non-English speaking immigrants.