Applied Research

The Total Worker Health conference in Iowa began this morning with a presentation by Dr. John Howard, the Director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH),  on the critical importance of prevention in the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare). The role of workforce health in the nation’s health, where prevention is the primary method for reducing health care costs, was the theme of Dr. Howard’s presentation. Shown in the picture is a … Read More

The Southern Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Conference was once a well kept secret. In recent years, including this week’s event with 318 registered attendees, it has proved itself to provide a wealth of top notch technical sessions and networking opportunities for health, safety, wellness and environmental professionals. And – although not expecting it – it seems that references to Total Worker Health are popping up everywhere. Today it was in the keynote, provided by … Read More

The External Advisory Committee (EAC) of the Oregon Healthy WorkForce Center met last Thursday to learn about the research, education and outreach in the Center’s first year.  Pictured and attending are EAC members (from right) Joe Hurrell (formerly of NIOSH, now Editor of the Journal of Occupational Health Psychology), Leda Garside (Tuality Heathcare ¡Salud! Services), Chuck Easterly (SAIF),  John Mohlis (Oregon Building Trades), Noah Sexius (University of Washington) and Mark Cullen (Stanford University). The EAC concluded … Read More

Did you know that in Oregon, healthcare costs doubled between 1990 and 2001, and doubled again between 2002 and 2012? Did you know that, since 2000, employment based health insurance premiums have increased by 87%, and have significantly outpaced inflation and workers’ earnings over the last 20 years? These are a few of the statistics cited by Mark Hurliman, Oregon OSHA SHARP and VPP Program Manager, during an educational session he chaired at the recent … Read More

The Oregon Healthy WorkForce Center held it’s first annual Partner’s Luncheon in Portland on Friday. Over 125 people attended to hear keynote speaker Larry Chapman of the Chapman Institute in Seattle present “An authoritative look at the ROI of worksite wellness.” He described the evidence basis for the high return on investment (ROI) of workplace wellness programs measured in dollar savings to the organizations. In a conservative meta-analytic review of 22 published, scientifically rigorous studies: … Read More

This summer I decided to put on hold my adventures and take an internship at OHSU. My name is Eric Serres, I attend Western Oregon University and I am working to get a major in psychology and a minor in biology. My main area of focus is neuroscience. So, when I applied for a summer research internship at CROET I was expecting traditional laboratory work. Instead I got chosen to help in Diane Rohlman’s lab … Read More

Are you seeking to improve safety, health, and personal wellness in your workplace? Are you a member or employee of a company, union, or government organization in Oregon or a neighboring area? If you answered “yes,” to these questions, we would like to meet you. Please join us at the Oregon Healthy WorkForce Center’s 1st Annual Partners Luncheon on September 14, 2012 to be held in Portland at the Red Lion – Jantzen Beach Hotel … Read More

Everyday we see the power of collaboration. Yesterday we were lucky to see this demonstrated at the City of Portland Parks and Recreation Aquatic Division Award Breakfast. Kudos to the staff – comprised of so many young workers – employed as lifeguards and managers at pools throughout Portland this summer. We honor the commitment to health, safety and wellness in these employees, who clearly support each other and work together to achieve their mission of … Read More

We are eager to follow the work of CROET’s Dr. Ryan Olson and the staff of the Safety and Health Involvement for Truckers (SHIFT) project. Last week we enjoyed reading the blog at Trucking Injury Reduction Emphasis (TIRES), a health and safety blog for the trucking industry. If you missed it, read SHIFT into Health Gear now. SHIFT is currently conducting a research study of driver health and safety with funding from the National Heart, … Read More

    Summer Student Research Awards are three-month paid summer internships designed to introduce college freshman, sophomores, juniors, and seniors to various fields of biomedical research. Selected interns are Oregon residents or attend colleges and universities in Oregon. Learn more about the CROET Summer Intern Program. See more photos from the poster session on CROET’s facebook page.