Learn about the latest Health Links™ happenings and news below. Have a story to share? Get in touch.
With 90% of Coloradans immune to Omicron and the state transitioning to an endemic response plan, COVID-19 restrictions are more relaxed than ever. Despite this positive news, public health experts—including Center for Health, Work & Environment Director Dr. Lee Newman—recommend remaining adaptable due to the ever-changing nature of the pandemic.
Our own David Shapiro, Program Manager for Health Links™, speaks to the Colorado Society of CPAs about actions employers can take to support the health, safety, and well-being of their employees in a time of historic labor shortages and remote work.
Each year, Health Links celebrates Colorado employers committed to workplace health, safety, and well-being. This year’s virtual event aptly honored the award winners and finalists for their achievements in the workplace while providing attendees the opportunity to network and gain inspiration from other employers. With award celebrations sprinkled throughout the day, attendees participated in a variety of workshops ands continuing education sessions held by academic and industry experts.
Public water can have low or undetectable levels of elemental or chemical impurities like metals, pharmaceuticals, household products, disinfectant byproducts, PFAS, and hardness, according to Associate Professor Katherine James.
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Our center stands on three pillars: Research, Education, and Practice. One of the many ways we work to protect workers is through educating and training future leaders in occupational safety and health (OSH). As part of our Student Spotlight series highlighting our trainees, we interviewed Karely Villareal Hernandez, a student earning a Master's in Public Health from the Colorado School of Public Health.
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In the newest installment of our Alumni Spotlight series highlighting our graduated trainees, we interviewed Dr. Kevin Walters, an assistant professor of psychology at Fort Lewis College. Walters is a graduate from the MAP ERC's organizational health psychology program and works to empower others to apply psychology to improve their own lives and communities.
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Encore Electric, a leading electrical contractor in Colorado, Wyoming and Montana, checks all the boxes. Its workforce checks all the boxes for what the CDC considers to be the highest risk individuals for suicide and mental health issues. Males working in construction between the ages of 16-64 years old.
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For many, mental health feels like a private, personal issue. Why bring it up in the workplace? CHWE’s approach to mental health awareness and support is rooted in the understanding that employers have an immense opportunity to impact the mental health of their employees.
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Researchers from the Center for Health, Work & Environment have completed their first year of data collection for two research grants with agricultural workers in rural Guatemala. The research grants entail three research projects that will span across the next three to five years.
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Most of us are familiar with the concept of micro ergonomics – where machines, the environment, software, and work activities interact with humans. But Natalie Schwatka, PhD, prefers to zoom out a bit further. In her research and graduate instruction, she explores macro ergonomics – specifically how leadership impacts the workplace.
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We don’t often talk about return on investment (or ROI) in academics. We focus on expanding the fields of research, making new discoveries, building capacity, actualizing theories, and engaging communities and individuals in programs. But this past week, the Mountain & Plains Education and Research Center and the Environmental and Occupational Health Department of the Colorado School of Public Health, saw a return on the investment it’s made in people – their trainees specifically.
Going back into the office can feel overwhelming. Lili Tenney, assistant professor and associate director for outreach and programs for the Center for Health, Work & Environment, discusses how workers and employers are facing this new normal.
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Trainees from our Mountain & Plains Education and Research Center (MAP ERC) recently took an old-school field trip to Fort Carson Army Base. These types of practical, unique learning opportunities are available in abundance to MAP ERC trainees. Each of the center’s six occupational safety and health graduate programs place great importance on interdisciplinary education and first-hand experiences. Our programs prioritize helping students understand and encounter the roles they could have (or work closely with) after graduation.
With 90% of Coloradans immune to Omicron and the state transitioning to an endemic response plan, COVID-19 restrictions are more relaxed than ever. Despite this positive news, public health experts recommend remaining adaptable due to the ever changing nature of the pandemic.
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The Great Resignation and the pandemic have created historic labor shortages. Everyone is trying to do more with less, in many cases while still working remotely. How can you avoid burnout? Here are some strategies for you and your team.
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Our center stands on three pillars: Research, Education, and Practice. One of the many ways we strive to protect workers is by educating and training future leaders in occupational health and safety. To kick off our Alumni Spotlight series highlighting our graduated trainees, we interviewed Silpa Krefft, a pulmonary and critical care physician and researcher specializing in occupational and environmental lung diseases.
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Occupational photojournalist Earl Dotter walks through his career photographing the faces and working conditions of Americans. We explore its ties to Black History Month and the 2022 theme of Black Health and Well-being.
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Miranda Dally is neither a doctor nor a lawyer. As a first-generation college graduate, she was raised with the expectation that she would go to college but was not entirely sure what college could offer. She never anticipated that her journey in academics would lead her down the path of becoming a biostatistician, research instructor, and DrPH candidate working in international occupational and environmental health.
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Researchers from the Center for Health, Work & Environment have published a paper in Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine studying the impact of 1-on-1 advising on Total Worker Health. The study is one of the first to examine how Total Worker Health framework consultation impacts the way organizations adopt and improve workplace policies and practices for worker health and safety.
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Each year, Health Links celebrates Colorado employers committed to workplace health, safety, and well-being. This year’s virtual event aptly honored the award winners and finalists for their achievements in the workplace while providing attendees the opportunity to network and gain inspiration from other employers. With award celebrations sprinkled throughout the day, attendees participated in a variety of workshops ands continuing education sessions held by academic and industry experts.
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Through our research, education, and practice, we work hard to represent workers from all backgrounds and in all industries. But who are the people behind the work? Human Side of Work is a project dedicated to capturing the faces, stories, and day-to-day lives of a diverse workforce.
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Children’s Hospital Colorado has been part of the Health Links Healthy Workplace Network™ since 2016 and is one of our tenured customers and partners. Over the last seven years, Children’s Colorado has shown unwavering dedication to putting its people first. At our annual event on October 28, Children’s Colorado will be presented with the first-ever Health Links™ Continued Excellence Award.
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Dr. Alisa Koval, associate program director of the Occupational Medicine Program from the Center for Health, Work & Environment, was on the straight and narrow path as far as medicine is concerned. She ended up finding her clinical identity and passion in helping workers through occupational medicine.
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How do we navigate decision-making around COVID-19 as we proceed with work gatherings, events, and travel? Lili Tenney weighs in on what workplace managers and leaders should be doing to protect their employees from the COVID-19 delta variant. Read our article for public health advice you can understand and trust.
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CHWE first received designation as a CDC/NIOSH Center of Excellence in 2016. With this renewal, it will be one of 10 centers nationwide. The Centers of Excellence represent the extramural portfolio of TWH research to further its mission of protecting and advancing the safety, health, and well-being of the diverse population of workers in our nation.
In an article in the Denver Post, Liliana Tenney, associate director for outreach at the Center for Health, Work & Environment, explains, "there’s science that shows that employers who support mental wellbeing can improve job satisfaction, retention and recruit high talent."
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Our center stands on three pillars: Research, Education, and Practice. One of the many ways we strive to protect workers is by educating and training future leaders in occupational health and safety. To kick off our Alumni Spotlight series highlighting our graduated trainees, we interviewed Mwangi Ndonga, an industrial hygiene graduate working as the Senior Health and Safety Hygienist at Ball Corporation in Broomfield, CO.
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Researchers from the Center for Health, Work & Environment have published a paper in Kidney International Reports studying the daily changes in creatinine among sugarcane workers in Guatemala. The study examined the effects of repeated kidney stress from the simultaneous strain of work and other factors experienced by workers during a typical workweek.
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There is no denying it—climate change is bringing the heat. If you are one of the many workers in the U.S. or around the world who work outdoors, extreme heat is not just uncomfortable; it can pose a significant risk to your health. For researchers at the Center for Health, Work and Environment at the Colorado School of Public Health, the connection between climate, work, and health is hitting especially close to home.
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34 regional managers from Region VIII of the US Department of Labor’s Office of Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) participated in a workplace mental health training. Learn what staff and faculty from the Center for Health, Work & Environment and the Department of Family Medicine at the Colorado School of Medicine had to say to them.
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There is a box full of hats in the corner of Dr. Tom Johnson's office. There is a shimmering yellow fish, a horned Viking helmet, a foam moose head with antlers, a giant taco, and many more.
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On July 2, the Center for Health, Work & Environment hosted its second annual partner awards ceremony to honor the commitment and achievements of some of its key partners.
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The Center for Health, Work & Environment wants to make sure small businesses are not left out of the conversation when it comes to return to work. The Center invited John Dony, senior director of Thought Leadership from the National Safety Council (NSC), to speak to small employers specifically about returning to work after COVID-19.
After 12 years, Dr. John Adgate is stepping down as chair of the Department of Environmental & Occupational Health. He will remain a faculty member for the department and focus on research, teaching and mentoring students.
Lee Newman, MD, MA, Distinguished Professor and director of the Center for Health, Work & Environment, discusses what employers should consider as they move to bring staff back in-person.
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Researchers from the Center for Health, Work & Environment have published a paper in BMC Public Health studying the profiles of Total Worker Health (TWH) in small businesses. The study, led by a team at CHWE, is one of the first to examine how small businesses operationalize the TWH approach through a business strategy and leadership commitment as well as how organizational climate supports its daily use.
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Our center stands on three pillars: Research, Education, and Practice. One of the many ways we strive to protect workers is by educating and training future leaders in occupational health and safety. As part of our Student Spotlight series highlighting our trainees, we interviewed Elizabeth Watts, a Total Worker Health® Certificate Program student earning an MPH from the Colorado School of Public Health.
Researchers from the Center for Health, Work & Environment are studying the effects of multiple occupational and environmental factors, such as heat stress and exposure to heavy metals and agrochemicals, on chronic kidney disease of unknown origin among agricultural workers in Guatemala.
Dr. Jaime Butler-Dawson, from the Center for Health, Work, & Environment, has received a Career Development Award from the NIH. The three-year K01 grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences will provides support to examine the environmental determinants of kidney injury in female sugarcane workers and female community members in Guatemala.
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The Center for Health, Work & Environment, in partnership with the Helen and Arthur E. Johnson Depression Center, has launched the Workplace Mental Health Module—an online toolkit that helps employers support employees and their mental health.
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The Center for Health, Work & Environment and the Colorado Consortium on Climate Change and Human Health have launched the Climate, Work & Health Initiative (CWHI). CWHI is an interdisciplinary team of expert researchers, scientists, doctors, and public health professionals dedicated to combating the effects of climate change on vulnerable populations.
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The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is celebrating its 50th anniversary this month. Our center has been a proud NIOSH-funded center since 2007. Explore the diverse group of students and workers that have benefited from NIOSH's support through our Center.
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A team from the Center for Health, Work & Environment completed a multi-year research project with practical applications for small businesses. Small business leaders learned how to promote healthy workplace practices and culture with a Total Worker Health approach.
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Our center stands on three pillars: Research, Education, and Practice. One of the many ways we strive to protect workers is by educating and training future leaders in occupational health and safety. As part of our Student Spotlight series highlighting our trainees, we interviewed Jillian Moore, a Master's candidate in our Industrial Hygiene program based at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, CO.
In a study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, researchers from the Center for Health, Work & Environment examine the effectiveness of Total Worker Health interventions in an international context.
Three groups from the Colorado School of Public Health have been awarded a $3 million 5-year grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to study the effects of air pollution and climate on the kidney health of sugarcane workers in Guatemala.
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If you are in academia, you already understand the value of a person like Carol Brown. Research and educational programs are only as good as their design. You may have an intriguing hypothesis, quality instructors, strong syllabi, proper funding, and high enrollment, but without proper design and evaluation, your initiatives will not be successful.
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Occupational safety and health (OSH) professionals can help small construction firms build safety into their worksites, even during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Agua, suero, descanso y sombra. These words hang on the wall of the sugarcane company clinic in Santa Lucia Cotzumalguapa, Guatemala. The sign translates to water, electrolytes, rest, and shade. Lyndsay Krisher, however, is not in the clinic. She is out in the field coordinating a team before they begin their field research with sugarcane workers.
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COVID-19 has highlighted something Dr. Gwen Fisher has always known to be true; worker health and well-being is important. Gwen has been the program director for the Occupational Health Psychology program at the MAP ERC, housed at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, CO, for over six years.
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Getting workers back is important to reviving the economy, but most important is keeping them safe.
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A study to better understand the impact of COVID-19 on workers in Colorado found that workers who perceive their workplace as strong health and safety climates, reported better wellbeing.
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Employers have an important role to play in helping their team members identify and manage end-of-year stress. And even though traditional routines such as holiday parties, gift exchanges, and company bonuses may not be possible this year, there are several things organizations can do to continue to put their employees first.
© 2018 Health Links
