Oregon & The Workplace

Sleep disruption has been reported among individuals that regularly use cannabis and following the abrupt cessation of cannabis, sleep disruption has also been reported as the most distressful withdrawal symptom and a reason for relapse. The mechanism(s) by which cannabis regulates sleep remains unclear, however, the escalation and/or maintenance of hazardous levels of cannabis likely involves a bidirectional (and mutually reinforcing) relationship between sleep and cannabis use. We aim to use a mixed approach of ambulatory assessments, observations of naturalistic cannabis use, and intensive laboratory measures with a controlled sleep protocol to systematically determine the prospective interrelationship between sleep, changing cannabis use, and hypothalamic pituitary adrenal- axis activity within and between participants. PI: Nicole Bowles, Ph.D. Learn more: https://www.ohsu.edu/oregon-institute-occupational-health-sciences/nicole-bowles-lab

The Oregon Institute of Occupational Health Sciences addresses the challenges facing the 21st-century workforce, providing new knowledge and evidence-based solutions to improve worker safety, health, well-being, and productivity in Oregon, the region, and beyond. Citation: Shafer, B. M., Kogan, S. A., Rice, S. P., Shea, S. A., Olson, R., & McHill, A. W. (2025). Circadian Alignment, Cardiometabolic Disease, and Sex-Specific Differences in Adults With Overweight/Obesity. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 110(5), e1351-e1357. Learn more about the Oregon Institute of Occupational Health Sciences: https://www.ohsu.edu/oregon-institute-occupational-health-sciences

In this Physiology Shorts video, Leandro Campos de Brito from Oregon Health and Sciences University discusses the impact of aerobic training in the evening on sympathetic activity and baroreflex sensitivity. Read more in the Journal of Physiology. Evening but not morning aerobic training improves sympathetic activity and baroreflex sensitivity in elderly patients with treated hypertension. L.C. Brito, L.M. Azevêdo, G. Amaro-Vicente, L.R. Costa et al. 602 pp. 1049-1063 https://physoc.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1113/JP285966

At the Oregon Institute of Occupational Health Sciences, researchers have identified a novel mechanism through which both dietary and genetically induced weight gain can be largely prevented by increasing the DNA repair capacity within mitochondria.

-The Safety Integration Stewards, or SAINTS, Program, will introduce you to an innovative, yet simple approach to hospital safety initiatives! The aim of the SAINTS program is to bridge the gap between patient and worker safety by using a unified approach and addressing overlapping risk factors, to ensure efficiency and effective use of resources. The SAINTS Program is a randomized controlled trial led by the Oregon Institute of Occupational Health Sciences and the Oregon Rural Practice-based Research Network at OHSU. It is funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Many critical access hospitals in Oregon have separate departments, and initiatives for patient and worker safety, leading to limited interaction between personnel. Integration can help address overlapping risk factors between patient falls and patient-assist injuries, including reducing staff burden, and finding missed opportunities for prevention, such as proper staffing, improved communication, and safer patient handling practices. With an integrated approach, hospitals can reduce duplicated efforts, variation in policies, and the risk of injury for both patients and healthcare workers. This unified strategy can bridge gaps, improving safety outcomes for everyone. The SAINTS program is a low-effort design and will provide hospitals with: - Training on safety integration and preventive practices - Identification and training of unit safety champions - Quality improvement cycles with both patient and worker safety leaders - All hospitals that take part in the SAINTS program will receive: - Personalized survey data on patient and worker safety culture and practices - Tools and resources to support safety integration efforts. - By participating in the SAINTS program, you can take part in a study that aims to - align departmental efforts and foster a sense of shared governance - improve safety culture, and - improve collaboration and communication For more information on this program or are ready to enroll, please contact the team. Thank you!

Researchers at the Oregon Institute of Occupational Health Sciences are engaged in a multidisciplinary approach to understand the effects of food timing on human health and physiology. https://www.ohsu.edu/oregon-institute-occupational-health-sciences

At the Oregon Institute of Occupational Health Sciences, experts in DNA damage and repair mechanisms are developing pharmacological tools to boost the body's natural ability to repair DNA damage caused by sunlight. https://www.ohsu.edu/oregon-institute-occupational-health-sciences