Recipients of the 2025 W. Kent and Billie F. Anger Impact Awards for Research

The Oregon Institute of Occupational Health Sciences has named the recipients of the prestigious W. Kent and Billie. F. Anger Impact Awards for Research. Associate Professor David Hurtado. Ph.D. is the recipient of the Impact Award for applied research. Assistant Professor Nicole Bowles’s received the Impact Award for basic/clinical research.

The Impact Awards recognize Institute faculty for pursuing, conducting, and disseminating research that has the potential for positive impacts on workers in Oregon and beyond. Recipients of the awards receive a $2,500 honorarium.

To receive the applied science award, nominees must have conducted research that produced practical changes to improve safety, health, or well-being in working people demonstrated in or derived from published work. To receive the basic/clinical sciences, nominees must have conducted research that produces discoveries about biological mechanisms, functions, or clinical practice/treatment. The recipients are nominated by their colleagues and selected by a jury of peers based on the significance and quality of the research.

“The Kent and Billie Anger Impact Awards for Research recognize the outstanding contributions of our faculty members to occupational health sciences” said Dr. Steven Shea, Director of the Institute. “Doctors Hurtado and Bowles are both doing really important research that is destined to directly help improve the safety and health of workers.”

Support for the Institute Impact Awards for Research comes from W. Kent and Billie F. Anger. Dr. Anger is an Emeritus Professor and former Associate Director of Applied Research at the Institute. OccHealthSci thanks Kent and Billie for their generous contributions to the Impact Awards and their commitment to recognizing the quality and utility of research produced by faculty at the Institute.

David Hurtado, Sc.D. - Impact Award for Applied Research 

Dr. Hurtado’s work has made a meaningful impact on applied science, with a strong focus on minority health and health equity. His innovative research designs, develops, and evaluates Total Worker Health® interventions that address injuries, chronic disease, and mental health challenges among vulnerable workers. 

He has built strong collaborations with employers and community partners, ensuring that his research leads to real-world change. His leadership of the OR-FACE program, his teaching and mentorship, and his impressive record of publications and funded projects are being recognized with this award.

Dr. Hurtado truly exemplifies the Institute’s mission of turning research into practice to improve the safety, health, and well-being of workers. 

Nicole Bowles, Ph.D. - Impact Award for Basic/Clinical Research

Dr. Nicole Bowles is a scientist whose work seamlessly bridges basic and applied research with remarkable impact. Her innovative program advances the health and safety of high-risk occupational groups, particularly firefighters, by integrating mechanistic physiology, community-based research, and applied interventions. She has cultivated strong statewide partnerships, showcasing her ability to translate science into practical, evidence-based solutions that protect worker health.  

Her publications demonstrate both depth and breadth, spanning circadian biology, health equity, and occupational health interventions. Reviewers unanimously agreed that her work exemplifies the Institute’s ethos of “research-to-practice,” with significant health implications and strong potential for outreach and dissemination through stakeholder engagement. Overall, Dr. Bowles‘ work fully embodies the spirit of the Kent and Billie Anger Impact Award.

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Researchers at the Oregon Institute of Occupational Health Sciences are committed to improving the workforce’s safety, health, and well-being. We achieve this aim by pursuing new knowledge and a greater understanding of the issues facing workers here in Oregon and beyond and translating research discoveries into practical solutions. The W. Kent and Billie F. Anger Impact Awards for Applied and Basic/Clinical Research recognize our outstanding faculty members and their contributions to the occupational sciences. Please join us in congratulating Impact Award recipients, Assistant Professor Nicole Bowles, and Associate Professor David Hurtado.