OccHealthSci July 2025 Newsletter
- Shaun McGillis
- Jul 1
- 3 min read
The latest news, updates, and events from OccHealthSci
______________________________________________________
Professional development
Oregon Total Worker Health® Alliance
The following trainings are developed and offered by the Oregon Total Worker Health Alliance, which includes Oregon OSHA, SAIF Corporation and the Oregon Institute of Occupational Health Sciences, OHSU.
Total Worker Health: Train the Trainer Virtual Workshop Series
Mondays, July 21 – 11
Virtual workshop series
In this 8-hour workshop series you will learn how to effectively deliver the Total Worker Health (TWH) 101: The Basics course offered by the Oregon TWH Alliance in your organization or in your network. This interactive and engaging professional development course covers TWH core concepts, principles and practical resources that are essential for initial planning and implementation of the TWH approach in any organization or work setting. Previous completion of the TWH 101: The Basics course offered by the Oregon TWH Alliance is required to enroll in this course.
Total Worker Health 101: The Basics
Tuesday, August 19
9:00 – 11:30 a.m. PDT
Virtual workshop
The Total Worker Health (TWH) approach brings together policies, programs and practices that are essential for advancing worker safety, health, and well-being. In this introductory course, participants will learn about:
The terms and concepts essential to the TWH approach;
The five defining TWH elements;
Effective organizational implementation strategies of a TWH approach; and
Ways to develop applicable next steps.
Continuing education credit through SHRM is available upon completion of the training.
OccHealthSci Sponsored Programs
Oregon Healthy Workforce Center
Faculty members from the Oregon Healthy Workforce Center (OHWC) are presenting at the Work, Stress & Health conference in Seattle July 8-11. Conference organizers invited OHWC Director Leslie Hammer to participate in the conference's open plenary panel: Workforce 5.0. Associate Professor David Hurtado is also present. Hammer and Hurtado join Associate Professor Julia Goodman and Center Manger Anjali Rameshbabu presenting papers at the conference.
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 & OR-FACE Programs
The Oregon Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (OR-FACE) Program, in collaboration with Jeff Wimer (Logging Safety Consultant, OSU Retired), has developed a free, self-guided, online Oregon Yarding and Loading Safety Training. This training was adapted from the Oregon OSHA Yarding and Loading Handbook and is intended to supplement the essential training offered by employers. Designed for those working in the logging industry, this online training covers essential topics such as types of yarding systems, recommendations for rigging, procedures for rigging crews, and more! A Spanish version of the training is currently being developed and will be available soon for free.
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
The Oregon Institute of Occupational Health Sciences is pleased to announce the launch of the new and improved Oregon and the Workplace content hub. Oregon and the Workplace is the centralized hub for news and content from the OccHealthSci. Stay up to date on news and upcoming events, professional development opportunities and exciting content like the Working Well webinar series, the What’s Work got to do with It? Podcast and much more.
Research briefs
Sex differences in the relationship between self-selected sleep-wake timing and morning cardiovascular risk in midlife adults
Researchers at the Oregon Institute of Occupational Health Sciences wanted to know—do people who wake up later have worse blood vessel function in the morning? The research team studied 24 healthy adults and discovered a surprising connection between sleep timing and heart health. The researchers found that for women who wake up later, their blood vessels don't work as well in the morning, putting them at higher risk for heart problems. Learn more.
Aflatoxin B1-Induced Hepatic Mutagenesis in Mice Expressing Gene-Edited Neil1
Researchers at OccHealthSci investigated how genetic variations in a DNA repair enzyme called NEIL1 affect liver cancer risk from aflatoxin B1 exposure. Aflatoxin B1 is a toxic compound produced by mold that commonly contaminates food in parts of Asia and Africa, causing liver cancer. Researchers studied mice with two specific genetic variants of NEIL1 (A51V and G83D) that are found in human populations. The results showed that while overall mutation rates were similar to normal mice, both variants had increased mutations at specific DNA sites (A/T locations), indicating impaired DNA repair function. This suggests that people carrying these NEIL1 variants may have a higher risk of developing liver cancer when exposed to aflatoxin-contaminated foods. Learn more.
Comments