Ryan Olson Lab
Caitlyn Trullinger-Dwyer, Phuc Nguyen, Alan Rodriguez Tiburcio and Ivanna de Anda. (Jan 2023)
Research interests
Dr. Olson's research is focused on safety and health interventions for lone workers, and on behavioral self-management methods. The overreaching goal of this research is to understand how organizations can best protect and promote health among workers who are physically isolated from peers. Dr. Olson has extensive experience conducting injury prevention and health promotion research in transportation industries (aviation, bus, trucking), but also has current projects in home health care and long-term care industries.
Current projects
Tech4Rest
The Tech4Rest project is a randomized controlled trial designed for team trucker drivers. The study aims to reduce fatigue, improve sleep, and increase well-being for team drivers who have an inherently challenging sleep environment (sleeping in a moving truck). The study will assess the effectiveness of an enhanced cab intervention that utilizes a therapeutic mattress and an active suspension driving seat to alter whole body vibrations. This enhanced cab intervention will be studied on its own as well as in combination with a behavioral sleep intervention. Tech4Rest project is currently in the pilot phase.
Learn more about Tech4Rest study for Team Truck Drivers
Success & Health Impacts For Transit operators during Onboarding (SHIFT Onboard)
SHIFT Onboard stands for "Success and Health Impacts For Transit operators during Onboarding." It is enhanced training and support for new bus operators during their first year on the job. The program involves group activities and discussion during operators’ initial training period, followed by collaborative and supportive online challenges. Online challenges include setting health and job success goals, and tracking goal progress and job satisfaction, and completing short training topics on health and job success. New operators’ supervisors also receive training on how to support newcomers’ safety, health, and well-being on the job.
Learn more about the SHIFT Onboard project for new bus operators.
Safety and Health Involvement For Truck drivers (SHIFT)
The Safety and Health Involvement For Truck drivers (SHIFT) program was a weight and health promotion program tailored for commercial truck drivers. Over 450 drivers from 5 companies participated in the SHIFT program which produced medically meaningful and statistically significant weight loss. The difference between treatment and control groups in average weight change was –1.0 units of Body Mass Index (-7.3 lbs). SHIFT is currently being adapted for bus operators and will focus on the long-term prevention of weight-related health conditions while also fostering well-being, job satisfaction, and overall work performance for new employees.
Learn more about SHIFT (Safety & Health Involvement For Truckers).
Oregon Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (OR-FACE)
The OR-FACE program is designed to prevent occupational fatalities through surveillance, targeted investigation, assessment, and outreach associated with traumatic work-related deaths in Oregon. OR-FACE is supported by a cooperative agreement with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) through the Occupational Public Health Program (OPHP) of the Public Health Division of the Oregon Health Authority.
Learn more about OR-FACE (Oregon Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation)
Community of Practice And Safety Support (COMPASS)
The Community of Practice And Safety Support (COMPASS) program is a peer-led social support group intervention designed to improve social resources, reduce the risk of injuries and promote health among caregivers. Over 140 home care workers participated in the COMPASS randomized controlled trial, which found that COMPASS made a significant positive impact on home care workers' perceived community of practice, use of ergonomic tools, safety communications and hazard correction, and healthy eating. The COMPASS project is being disseminated in Oregon in partnership with the Oregon Home Care Commission. COMPASS is currently being adapted for Personal Support Workers.
Learn more about COMPASS (Community of Practice and Safety Support) Teams for Home Care Workers
Lab members
Ryan Olson - Ph.D., Principal Investigator
Stacy Stoffregen, Ph.D. - Research Associate
Stacy Stoffregen joined the Oregon Institute of Occupational Health Sciences in June 2022 as a Research Associate working across the SHIFT Onboard (Success & Health Impacts for Transit operators during Onboarding) and COMPASS-NP (Community of Practice and Safety Support for Navigating Pain) projects. Stacy earned her B.S. in Psychology from Minnesota State University, Mankato and her M.S. and Ph.D. in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from Kansas State University. She is interested in employee well-being including burnout, work engagement, job satisfaction, and safety practices, as well as how work experiences have an impact beyond the workplace.
Jarred Rimby - Senior Research Assistant
Jarred Rimby joined the Oregon Institute of Occupational Health Sciences in March 2018 as a Research Assistant II working across the Safety and Health Intervention for Truck Drivers (SHIFT), Tech4Rest, and Oregon Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (OR-FACE) projects. Mr. Rimby earned his BA in Chemical Biology and Global Health Studies from Whittier College. He is interested in the development and evaluation of public health interventions that seek to improve the health of vulnerable populations, particularly those that function in cross-cultural contexts.
Courtney Donovan - Research Associate
Courtney Donovan joined the Oregon Institute of Occupational Health Sciences in June of 2019 as a Senior Research Assistant working for both SHIFT Onboard and Tech4Rest. Courtney earned her Master’s in Public Health from the OHSU-PSU School of Public Health in 2019 with a concentration in Health Promotion and Certification in Public Health. She is interested in developing and evaluating effective interventions that address work as a social determinant of health which can be disseminated and implemented broadly to improve population health.
Caitlyn Trullinger-Dwyer - Research Assistant II
Caitlyn Trullinger-Dwyer joined the Oregon Institute for Occupational Health Sciences in November of 2019 as a Research Assistant II for the SHIFT Onboard (Success &Health Impacts for Transit operators during Onboarding) program. Caitlyn earned her BA in Neurobiology from the College of Wooster in 2015. Previously, Caitlyn has worked in both breast cancer research in the Sears Lab and alcohol research in the Ryabinin Lab at OHSU. She plans on pursuing a career in Clinical Psychology. Caitlyn is interested in holistic health (physical and mental) of people in difficult occupations. In her spare time, Caitlyn plays Dungeons and Dragons.
Ivanna de Anda - Research Assistant II
Ivanna de Anda joined the Oregon Institute of Occupational Health Sciences in June 2021 as a Research Assistant II for the Tech4Rest and SHIFT Onboard (Success & Health Impacts for Transit operators during Onboarding) studies. Ivanna earned her BA in Public Health-Global Health from the University of Washington in 2019. She is highly interested in evaluating and improving population health through sustainable and community-led structural interventions in the built environment. Outside of work, Ivanna enjoys bike riding and exploring new places.
Alan Rodriguez Tiburcio - Research Assistant II
Alan Rodriguez Tiburcio joined the Oregon Institute of Occupational Health Sciences in June 2021 as a Research Assistant II for SHIFT Onboard (Success & Health Impacts for Transit operators during Onboarding) and Tech4Rest. Alan earned his BS in Psychology with a concentration in Research Methods and a minor in Economics from Portland State University in 2021. He strives to contribute to an increasingly multicultural and pluralistic world through social and behavioral science research. During his leisure time, Alan enjoys reading, weightlifting, and diverse cuisine.