Quarterly News and Updates September 2021 |
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NIOSH approves $7 million over 5 years
to CPH-NEW!
The Center for the Promotion of Health in the New England Workplace (CPH-NEW) has been approved for a five-year, $7 million grant by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), a federal agency located within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
This grant will be the fourth cycle of support for CPH-NEW as a NIOSH Total Worker Health® (TWH) Center of Excellence, continuing the Center's 15 years of participatory action research in workplace health and safety.
The funding will continue support for three research projects, and an outreach/dissemination Core. Projects include:
- Safety and health of health care workers: "Embedding Employee Participation in Safety and Health through Integrated, Facilitated Teams II (SHIFT II)" is a multi-phase intervention study.
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Well-being of K-12 teachers in the public education system: "Total Teacher Health (TTH)" is a multi-phase intervention study.
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"Total Worker Health Employer Crisis Preparedness (TWH-ECP)" will develop and evaluate new training for human resources professionals.
- The "Total Worker Health Research-to-Practice Hub (TWH r2p Hub)" disseminates TWH knowledge, and offers education, training, and tools for professionals, unions, and others.
We are very pleased that the HITEC Correctional Health study will continue with funding from the State of Connecticut. It will be an affiliated Center project under the continued leadership of Martin Cherniack, MD, MPH, a founding CPH-NEW Co-Director.
Warm thanks to our External Advisory Committee members (EAC) who supported us during proposal development. We welcome two new EAC members: Amy Bahruth, Associate Director of the American Federation of Teachers, and Thomas St. Louis, M.S.P.H, Occupational Health Program Director, Connecticut Department of Public Health. We also welcome three new Research Affiliates: Dr. Kasper Edwards, at the Technical University of Denmark, and Drs. Jennifer Garza and Insoo Kim, both at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine.
Read the NIOSH announcement about the ten funded TWH Centers here.
CPH-NEW is a cross-disciplinary and multi-site Total Worker Health Center of Excellence, initially funded in 2006. The Center is a joint initiative of the University of Massachusetts Lowell (UML) and the University of Connecticut - UConn Health, and UConn Storrs. For more information about the Center, visit our website.
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CPH-NEW Co-Directors
William Shaw, Ph.D., CPH-NEW Principal Investigator and Co-Director
William S. Shaw, Ph.D. joins CPH-NEW as Center PI and Co-Director. He is an Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Connecticut Health Center, and has been the CPH-NEW Associate Director since 2019. The University of Connecticut will be the primary institution for the CPH-NEW 2021-2026 NIOSH grant cycle.
“We're very pleased and looking forward to continuing this important work to improve the health and well-being of teachers, health care workers, correctional workers, and other occupational groups," Dr. Shaw said. "The many disciplines represented in the CPH-NEW Investigator Team are a clear indication of the complexity of this challenge. With this Center grant, we'll provide important resources to workers, employers, and other stakeholders in the region. Congratulations to all of our investigators, project teams, affiliates, and external advisors who have supported the continuing success of the Center!”
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Laura Punnett, Sc.D., CPH-NEW Co-Director
Laura Punnett, Sc.D., continues as CPH-NEW Co-Director at the University of Massachusetts Lowell campus. She is Professor of Biomedical Engineering and has been the Center Co-Director since 2006.
"The Total Worker Health program is visionary in its attempt to integrate all types of workplace programs that address workforce well-being and safety, either directly or indirectly," Dr. Punnett said. "CPH-NEW began with a unique focus on full-scale worker participation in those programs; we have succeeded in developing feasible methods for achieving that goal in a range of workplaces, while adding to the evidence for why it is needed."
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Training and Continuing Education
TWH FACILITATOR TRAINING: We're now accepting registrations for our Fall Total Worker Health Facilitator Training! You can become more skillful when leading team discussions to improve safety, health and well-being. The course consists of three sessions, held virtually, with a total commitment of ten hours. Cohorts are limited to eight participants each, and registrations are on a first-come, first served basis. Those who register are expected to commit to all three sessions. There is no fee for this dynamic course, led by our team of engagement experts! Register by completing the survey, here, for either the October or November course. The dates are:
October 6, 13 and 20, 2021
November 3, 10, and 17, 2021
All sessions are held from 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM, EST.
NEW ONLINE COURSE FOR OSH PROFESSIONALS: We've launched a free, online professional education course that introduces Total Worker Health (TWH) and its application in occupational safety and health (OSH) professional practice. The content is appropriate for industrial hygienists, environmental safety and health managers, safety specialists, occupational health nurses, and union health and safety stewards. The program consists of three self-paced online modules and five hours of instruction. Participants can earn a Certificate of Completion, which can be used to apply for credit from professional accrediting boards. More information here.
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September 28, 2021, 10-11 AM - Free webinar: Age-Friendly Checklist: Engage & Retain Your Skilled Workforce. Hosted by UConn Health and NIOSH. The webinar is designed to promote the concept of an age-friendly application (iAge e-tool) and to create stakeholders who can be part of its development. More information here.
September 30, 2021, 7:00 PM (ET) - Teachers and Community Organizing in Times of COVID-19/Delta, hosted by the National Council for Occupational Safety & Health (National COSH). A panel of teacher activists and organizers will discuss how teachers and staff have advocated for their safety during the ongoing pandemic and the start of a new school year. Zoom or Facebook Live. Register here.
September 30, 2021 - Deadline extended to submit abstracts for the 33rd International Congress on Occupational Health (ICOH), to be held February 5-10, 2022 (digital). Accepted abstracts will be published in an online supplement of “Safety and Health at Work” (SH@W). More information here.
October 15, 2021 - Deadline to apply for an online program leading to a Certificate in Total Worker Health at the Center for Health, Work & Environment at the Colorado School of Public Health, starting in spring 2022.
November 15-16, 2021 - American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) Professional Development Conference & EXPO, Region VIII (New England Area) at Equinox Golf Resort & Spa, Manchester, VT. Suzanne Nobrega, MS, CPH-NEW Associate Director, will present a session on "Broaden Your Safety Program with Total Worker Health." Conference information here. Schedule of programs here.
December 9-11, 2021 - Expanded Focus for Occupational Safety and Health (Ex4OSH) International Conference in Houston, Texas. CPH-NEW Co-Director, Laura Punnett, Sc.D. will present as a Keynote Speaker, discussing the paradigm shift of well-being at work. Information and registration here.
March 7-10, 2022 - Association of Safe Patient Handling Professionals (SPHP), Safe Patient Handling and Mobility (SPHM) Education Event in Glendale, Arizona. Innovate. Integrate. Motivate. Call for abstracts.
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We're celebrating the birth of Oscar Soriano, son of CPH-NEW alumni research affiliate Sara Namazi, PhD and Richard Perez Soriano. Sara is assistant professor in the Department of Health Sciences at Springfield College. Congratulations to the parents and welcome to the world, Oscar! |
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CPH-NEW is a NIOSH TWH Center of Excellence |
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