About Us
The Oregon Healthy Workforce Center (OHWC) was first funded in September 2011 as a National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Centers of Excellence for Total Worker Health®
OHWC is housed within the Oregon Institute of Occupational Health Sciences, a free-standing research institute at Oregon Health & Science University. Faculty and staff come from various backgrounds and expertise in occupational health psychology, industrial-organizational psychology, industrial hygiene, physiology, public health, and communications.
OHWC Faculty and Staff
Our Mission
Our mission at OHWC is to improve the safety, health and well-being of workers through Total Worker Health research, outreach, and education. OHWC is 1 out of 10 NIOSH Centers of Excellence for Total Worker Health®.
We design, develop, and evaluate the effectiveness of integrated programs that address work-specific factors such as hazard reduction, and work redesign along with employee-specific issues like chronic illness prevention and health improvement. We put our mission into action through:
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Intervention effectiveness research
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Dissemination of evidence-based programs
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Collaboration with partner organizations on research, outreach, and educational opportunities
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As a center within the Oregon Institute of Occupational Health Sciences at OHSU, we are dedicated to improving health, safety, and well-being in the workforce. Our goal is to promote health, and prevent disease and disability among working Oregonians and their families during their employment years and through retirement
Our Affiliates
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Oregon Institute of Occupational Health Sciences at OHSU
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Portland State University, Occupational Health Psychology Program
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Johns Hopkins University, School of Nursing
OHWC Leadership
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Leslie B. Hammer, PhD - Center Co-Director
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Ryan Olson, PhD - Center Co-Director
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Anjali Rameshbabu, PhD - Center Manager
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Learn about more staff and faculty by visiting
Our Approach
Each toolkit or tool integrates health protection (i.e., occupational safety and health), employee well-being (health promotion), and takes into account of work and home life. We produce self-guided products for organizations. Our tools are evidence-informed, and our toolkits are evidence-based meaning they were tested in a randomized controlled design, considered the gold standard for research.
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Given our commitment to action-oriented research, all of OHWC's toolkits and tools are focused on improving occupational safety, health, and employee well-being. Each toolkit is evidence-based and designed to include proven methods for positive change, and tested with a diverse set of workers across Oregon. We have tested our toolkit in-home health care workers, public workers (Water Bureau and Department of Transportation, Parks and Recreation), construction workers, corrections officers, and young workers. Projects in our current cycle tackle the Total Worker Health of call center workers and truck drivers. Read more about our current projects here.
Grant: NIOSH U19OH010154