OccHealthSci March 2025 Newsletter
- Shaun McGillis
- Mar 5
- 3 min read
The latest news, updates, and events from OccHealthSci
Working Well webinar series
Rules that work for workers: Paid Leave Oregon
Webinar
Tuesday, March 18, 2025
Noon – 1:00 p.m.
Registration is free and open to all
Paid Leave Oregon provides 12-14 weeks of job-protected paid leave for Oregon workers who need to take time away from work for qualified family, medical, or safe leave. In this webinar, we seek to understand the implications of this program for worker health, safety and wellbeing. We will talk to practitioners and researchers evaluating the use and effectiveness of paid family and medical leave programs for workers and program administrators overseeing implementation of Paid Leave Oregon. The webinar will consider:
How does the Paid Leave Oregon program work?
How does Paid Leave Oregon compare with other programs of its type in other states?
What outcomes have employees and employers experienced?
Professional development
University of Washington & OSHA Training Institute for Region 10
Total Worker Health®: Advancing Well-being in the Workplace
March 31 – May 5, 2025 Virtual course Learn more and enroll
This course is a part of the University of Washington Occupational Safety and Health Continuing Education Total Worker Health® Certificate program. Course content will include an examination of the Total Worker Health® (TWH) five elements and concepts, an introduction to occupational health psychology and its relevance to safety and TWH, and a discussion of resources and strategies for integrating safety and occupational health into organizations. Interactive activities include large and small breakout group discussion, problem solving based on attendees’ organizational experience, homework and recap on published articles.
OccHealthSci Sponsored Programs
Occupational Public Health & OR-FACE Programs
The Oregon Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (OR-FACE) Program recently published a Spanish version of a fatality investigation report that examines contributing factors and lessons learned from a wildland firefighter fatality. The report offers best practice recommendations to help prevent this kind of incident from reoccurring. You can download the Spanish and English versions of the report from our website.
Learn more about OR-FACE (Oregon Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation Program), including our fatality investigations and toolbox talks, by visiting our website. To download and receive new publications including investigative reports and other OR-FACE publications, please join our mailing list.
OccHealthSci Research, Blog and Events
Stay up to date on the latest basic, clinical, and applied research at OccHealthSci, and learn about our partnerships and community engagement at the Oregon and the Workplace blog.
Research briefs
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) molecules are byproducts of the combustion of organic materials and are present in cigarette smoke, coal-fired power plant emissions, vehicle exhaust, and wildfire smoke. In addition to being found in the air, PAHs are also prevalent in soils and waterways due to interactions with the water cycle. A new study from OccHealthSci researchers, published in the journal Scientific Reports, examines a population of wild fish called mummichogs that live in PAH-polluted waters in the Elizabeth River in Virginia. These remarkable fish have developed genetic adaptations that mitigate the harmful effects caused by interactions between the CYP1A gene and PAHs.
Events
March 12: OccHealthSci Seminar, “Patient aggression toward healthcare workers,” with Lisa Kath, Ph.D.
March 12: Ethics and Future of Work: Ethics of Wearables (OccHealthSci presenting)
March 13: “Creating a psychological safety culture through a Total Worker Health® approach”—OccHealthSci presenting at the Healthy Workforce Summit
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