OccHealthSci January 2024 Newsletter
- Shaun McGillis
- Jan 29, 2024
- 5 min read
Updated: Mar 14
Special Announcements
New Website Arriving in February 2024
The Oregon Institute of Occupational Health Sciences, Oregon Healthy Workforce Center, and Oregon Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation program are excited to announce the launch of a new Institute website in February 2024.
The new website will deliver an improved user experience by combining the Institute’s occupational health, safety, and well-being resources, scholarship, and educational and professional development activities under a single site.
Oregon and the Workplace Blog Now on OHSU Now
The Oregon and the Workplace blog has moved. The Institute recently migrated the Oregon and the Workplace blog from its previous home to OHSU Now. You can find your favorite blog posts and keep updated on new posts at the Oregon and the Workplace blog OHSU Now feed. To sign up to receive Institute blog posts via email, please use this sign-up form.
Professional Development
Oregon Total Worker Health® Alliance Courses
SafeBuild Alliance: Total Worker Health Member Meeting
February 28, 2024 Portland, Oregon
Please join SafeBuild Alliance (Oregon) for their first meeting of 2024, at which Drs. Katia Costa-Black and Erin Flynn will present the Total Worker Health (TWH) Awareness Workshop. The presentation will focus on the key elements of the TWH approach and important takeaways relevant to the construction industry with practical case examples from organizations that have implemented this approach to date. This workshop is part of the Oregon TWH Alliance Curriculum.
Total Worker Health: Workplace Solutions
March 5, 2024 Eugene, Oregon
Participants attending the Cascade Safety and Health Conference on March 5 are invited to join the Institute's Dr. Katia Costa-Black and SAIF Corporation's Total Worker Health Advisor, Liz Hill, for Total Worker Health: Workplace Solutions. This course will help participants examine effective and feasible practices and TWH solutions. Participants will leave the course with the ability to identify available, evidence informed TWH solutions and tools, describe strategies for successfully implementing the TWH approach in workplaces, and develop next steps related to these solutions, as applicable to the participants' organization. This workshop is part of the Oregon TWH Alliance Curriculum.
University of Washington Total Worker Health Certificate Program
Total Worker Health: Advancing Well-being in the Workplace
February 21 – April 3, 2024 Virtual, Instructor-led
Join the Institute’s Dr. Katia Costa-Black and colleagues in this combined learning environment that includes six weeks of self-paced learning and two days of live, virtual, instructor-led education on the Total Worker Health (TWH) approach.
This continuing education course is designed to equip working professionals to apply the TWH approach in their own organization and to communicate its value to stakeholders. It focuses on evidence-informed solutions rooted in safety science, occupational health psychology, and human and organizational performance goals. The Advancing Well-being in the Workplace course is a part of the University of Washington TWH Certificate program; the course may also be taken as a stand alone.
OccHealthSci Training Programs
Workplace Mental Health Support Training for Managers
The Workplace Mental Health Support Training for Managers is a unique training course, designed specifically for leaders and is proven to deliver measurable results that have a lasting impact on employee mental health within organizations like yours.
For a limited time, OccHealthSci is offering the training at reduced rates:
Public/Non-Profit Organizations residing in Oregon: Free - usually $100/seat
Public/Non-Profit Organizations outside of Oregon: $50/seat - usually $100
Commercial Organizations: $75/seat - usually $150
Additionally, the price for larger organizations with their own learning management system is now $25,000. This option allows you access to the complete training for unlimited use for up to 5 years.
Email supportiveworkplaces@ohsu.edu for more information.
OccHealthSci Sponsored Programs
Oregon Healthy Workforce Center
The Oregon Health Workforce Center's Dr. Katia Costa-Black was featured in the article "Getting Started with Total Worker Health" by Justin Molocznik in the January 2024 issue of PSJ Professional Safety. The article discusses the concept of Total Worker Health and its significance in creating a safe and healthy work environment. The article emphasized the interplay between physical and psychosocial hazards and the need to address both aspects for the well-being of workers. Similarly, see the new editorial article, "The National Institute for Occupational and Health Total Worker Health® Program, the Third Decade," published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine's January issue.
Learn more about the Oregon Health Workforce Center, including interventions to improve worker health and other resources, current and past research projects, and other resources.
Occupational Public Health Program
The Occupational Public Health Program's Oregon Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (OR-FACE) unit recently published two hazard alerts on young employee safety and runovers/backovers. These hazard alerts provide valuable insights into some of the workplace fatalities in Oregon workplaces since 2018. Hazard alerts also provide prevention recommendations (safety tips) and are available for download from the OR-FACE website.
Learn more about OR-FACE, including our fatality investigations and toolbox talks. To download and receive new publications including investigative reports and other OR-FACE publications, please join our mailing list.
OccHealthSci Research
Stay up to date on the latest basic, clinical, and applied research research at OccHealthSci, and learn about our partnerships and community engagement at the Oregon and the Workplace blog.
Now accepting applications for the OccHealthSci Summer Internship Program
OccHealthSci is now accepting applications for our Summer Internship program. The program is open to Oregon residents or individuals who attend Oregon institutions of higher educations and are working toward their first baccalaureate degree. The deadline to apply is Friday, February 15, 2024.
Acute fasting reduces tolerance to progressive central hypovolemia in humans
OccHealthSci post-doctoral scholar Dr. Joshua Gonzalez and colleagues investigated the impact of acute fasting on tolerance to central hypovolemia in healthy individuals. The researchers found that a 24-hour fast reduced tolerance to simulated hemorrhagic insult by approximately 10% compared to a fed state. Higher blood ketone levels were associated with reduced tolerance and fasting led to decreased forearm vascular resistance and more significant reductions in stroke volume. Notably, no differences were observed in autonomic variables between the fasted and fed conditions. These findings suggest that acute fasting may modestly reduce an individual's tolerance to central hypovolemia, highlighting potential implications for individuals exposed to hemorrhagic situations.
Multidimensionality of the PROMIS sleep disturbance 8b short form in working adult populations
OccHealthSci faculty members Drs. Steven Shea, Leslie Hammer, and colleagues examined the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System's (PROMIS) factor structure. The findings provide valuable insights into the psychometrics of sleep disturbance measures, emphasizing the bidirectional associations between work and sleep. The study significantly advances our understanding of sleep health in working adult populations and underscores the importance of accurately measuring self-reported sleep disturbances in workplace settings.
Longitudinal Sleep Patterns and Cognitive Impairment in Older Adults
OccHealthSci affiliate faculty member Dr. Miranda Lim and colleagues studied longitudinal sleep patterns and cognitive impairment in older adults. The study aimed to evaluate the association of longitudinal sleep patterns with age-related changes in cognitive function in healthy older adults. The study found that shorter sleep duration and poorer sleep quality were associated with worse cognitive function in older adults. These findings highlight the importance of sleep for maintaining cognitive function in older adults and suggest that interventions to improve sleep may help prevent cognitive decline.
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