Summer Institute in Occupational Health Psychology and Total Worker Health®

Speaker giving a talk in conference hall at business meeting event.

The Oregon Institute of Occupational Health Sciences and Portland State University’s Occupational Health Psychology graduate program work with Saint Mary's University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, to host the NIOSH-supported Occupational Health Psychology Summer Institute in alternating years. It is an interactive, intensive multi-day conference where international experts in occupational health and safety present research on issues that face our workplaces today. Local and international researchers and practitioners gather to discuss actions to improve the health and functioning of workers and organizations. The Summer Institute is on hiatus in 2024.

Total Worker Health® approaches in industry and academia: key elements and implementation

Tuesday, July 19, 2022; Recordings and handouts posted below.

Download our flyer and speaker bios. 

  • Morning session
    Understanding the Total Worker Health® Approach
    Dede Montgomery (Oregon Institute of Occupational Health Sciences), Jean Orchard (Health and Safety Consultant), Liz Hill (SAIF)
    This session introduced key concepts related to the TWH approach using a modified course developed by the Oregon Total Worker Health Alliance, a first-of-its-kind state-wide partnership. This Alliance has led the development and delivery of the Total Worker Health curriculum, the goal of which is to create and provide consistent and reproducible training that is research-based and supports current practice.  Learn from the “Fundamentals of Total Worker Health®  Approaches: Essential elements for advancing worker safety, health, and well-being.” (CDC/NIOSH Dec. 2016). Graduates of this course are invited to virtual quarterly meet-ups. 
    Learning objectives included:
  • Afternoon session
    Implementing a Total Worker Health® Approach 
    Facilitated by Leslie Hammer (Oregon Institute of Occupational Health Sciences) & Nichole Guilfoy (Providence Health & Services)
    The second part of the day was designed to offer an opportunity to work with others to practice integrating TWH concepts with an organizational partner. The session built on the concepts presented earlier in the day with tips and case studies to demonstrate strategies for identifying workforce needs and operationalizing supportive policies, practices, and procedures to meet those needs.
    Learning objectives included: 
    • Gain insights into strategies for program integration, evaluation, and creating and sustaining a culture of safety, health, and well-being.
    • Hear from a panel of speakers from organizations engaged in various stages of implementing a TWH approach.
      • Shamai Larsen (Legacy Health Services; healthcare industry): example of kick-off -  why, how and next steps
      • Mike Ellis (Apollo Mechanical Contractors; construction industry): example of mid-journey - the path to beginning and narrowing focus based on highest priority (suicide prevention) and how that further develops other concepts/culture
      • ​​Deborah Roy (LL Bean; retail): example of sustained implementation - specific examples and lessons learned and tips

Watch Recordings: Leslie Hammer
Presentations by panelists + discussion
Download Slides: Leslie Hammer slides, Nichole Guilfoy slides,Shamai Larsen slides,Mike Ellis slides, Deborah Roy slides

Learn more about our speakers (p.2 of flyer).

Building a culture of health, safety, and well-being

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

The OHP 2019 Summer Institute took place in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The theme this year was "Where do we go from here? Creating an agenda for safe and healthy work." Visit the St. Mary's University Occupational Health Psychology website for more details. 

Translation of workplace interventions: dissemination and implementation

How can researchers best share their evidence-based tools with the community? How can practitioners effectively implement these tools within their organization? What are some strategies to making a successful business case for best practices with organizational leaders? Our Summer Institute this year featured experts in academia and industry who helped answer some of these questions. Scroll for links to individual presentations and talk slides.

July 10-12, 2018, Portland State University, Portland, OR

Day 1

  • Ken Matos, Ph.D., Lead People Scientist, CultureAmp
    From Research to Action: Using Data to Drive Leadership Decisions (keynote)
    View Ken Matos abstract 
    Webinar Recording not available

Day 2

Day 3

The OHP 2017 Summer Institute took place in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Visit the St. Mary's University Occupational Health Psychology website for more details. 

Innovation and creative strategies leading to Total Worker Health

July 12-14, 2016
Portland State University, Portland, OR
Co-sponsored by the Oregon State Association of Occupational Health Nurses. 
 

Day 1

  • Arnold Bakker, PhD, Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands
    Keynote: Creative Approaches to Employee Work Engagement
    View presentation abstract
    Webinar Recording not available
     

Day 2

Day 3

The OHP 2015 Summer Institute took place in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Download the OHP 2015 Announcement. Visit the St. Mary's University Occupational Health Psychology website for more details.

Advancing theory and practice in the context of Total Worker Health

July 16-18, 2014, Portland State University, Portland, Oregon

This 3-day institute featured regional, national, and international researchers and practitioners in occupational health psychology, total worker health, and safety research and practice.
Download Final Program

Institute Program

Day 1: Occupational Health Psychology - Scholarly Work Advancing Theory

Welcome and Introduction of OHP Summer Institute
Leslie Hammer, Ph.D., Director, Occupational Health Psychology Program, Portland State University; Co-Director, Oregon Healthy Workforce Center (OHWC)*
Bio & Summary

Featured Speaker:

OHP in the Aging Workforce: Theoretical and Empirical Advancements
Mo Wang, Ph.D., University of Florida, National Science Foundation
President, Society for Occupational Health Psychology
Want Bio & Summary 
Slides Unavailable

What Should we Actually DO for Older Workers? Identifying the research gaps in organizational practice and interventions
Donald Truxillo, Ph.D., Portland State University
Truxillo Bio & Summary
View Truxillo Slides

Economic Stress: A Primer for Occupational Health Researchers
Robert Sinclair, Ph.D., Clemson University
Sinclair Bio & Summary
View Sinclair Slides

Work-Life Boundary Control and Identity Management: A New Frontier for Occupational Health
Ellen E. Kossek, Ph.D., Purdue University
Kossek Bio & Summary
View Kossek Slides

Letting Go: Research on Recovery from Work Stress and Employee Well-being
Charlotte Fritz, Ph.D., Portland State University
Fritz Bio & Summary
View Fritz Slides

Day 2: Intersection of theory and practice: Total Worker Health

Institute Keynote Speaker:
TWH in the Context of Occupational Health Psychology: Integration of Health Protection and Health Promotion
Laura Punnett, Ph.D., Director, Center for the Promotion of Health in the New England Workplace (CPH-NEW) *
Punnett Bio & Summary
View Punnett Slides

So you want to improve TWH? Critical principles and tactics for creating organizational and behavior change
Ryan Olson, Ph.D., Project Principal Investigator, OHWC*
Olson Bio & Summary
Slides Unavailable

PHLAME: An example of a complete TWH intervention program from conception to ROI
Kerry Kuehl, MD and Diane Elliot, MD - Project Principal Investigator/ISC Chair, OHWC*
Kuehl Bio & Summary
View Kuehl Slides

Panel Discussion: Building a TWH Center: From Nuts and Bolts to Politics
Laura Punnett, Ph.D., Director, CPH-NEW*
Kent Anger, Ph.D., Director, OHWC*
Jack Dennerlein, Ph.D., Associate Director, Harvard School of Public Health Center for Work, Health and Wellbeing *
Diane Rohlman, Ph.D., University of Iowa Healthier Workforce Center for Excellence (HWCE)*
Presenter Bio & Summary

What TWH Means to Early Adopting Organizations: The Practitioners Perspective
Dede Montgomery, MS, CIH, Education co-PI, OHWC*
Montgomery Bio & Summary
View Montgomery Slides

Evidence-Based TWH Programs: What Does the Evidence Tell Us?
Kent Anger, Ph.D., Director, OHWC*
Anger Bio & Summary
Slides Unavailable

*NIOSH-Funded Total Worker Health Center of Excellence (COE)

Day 3: Practical interventions in the workplace

Day 3 will be available soon below as a recorded webinar.

Featured Speaker:
Disseminating and implementing evidence-based prevention in the workplace
Jeffrey Harris, MD, MPH, MBA., University of Washington
Harris Bio & Summary
View Harris Slides
Watch Harris Webinar

Mental Health Awareness Intervention
Kevin Kelloway, Ph.D., Saint Mary's University
Kelloway Bio & Summary
View Kelloway Slides
Watch Kelloway Webinar

Self Monitoring and Self Management
Brad Wipfli, Ph.D., Oregon Institute of Occupational Health Sciences, OHSU *
Wipfli Bio & Summary
View Wiplfi Slides
Watch Wipfli Webinar

Work, Life & Stress - Reflections of an Occupational Medicine Physician
Carol Gunn, MD, CIH, Occupational Medicine, Portland, Oregon
Gunn Bio & Summary
View Gunn Slides

The Aging Workforce: An Ideal Application of TWH. So Why is it so Difficult?
Steven Hecker, MSPH, Co-Director Education Core, OHWC*
Hecker Bio & Summary
View Hecker Slides
Watch  Hecker Webinar

The OHP 2013 Summer Institute took place in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Visit the St. Mary's University Occupational Health Psychology website for more details.

The first annual Occupational Health Psychology Summer Institute: Improving Worker Safety, Health and Well-being, was held on July 16 - 19, 2012. This event was presented by the Occupational Psychology Program at Portland State University, Oregon Institute of Occupational Health Sciences, the Oregon Healthy WorkForce Center, and the Canadian Center for Occupational Health and Safety at St. Mary’s University.

Speakers included:

  • Joseph Hurrell, PhD, NIOSH (ret.), Editor, Journal of Occupational Health Psychology
  • Dr. Yueng-hsiang (Emily) Huang, Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety
  • Nanette Yragui, PhD, Occupational Health Research Psychologist
  • David Cadiz, MBA, PhD, Research Associate, Oregon Nurses Foundation
  • Arla Day, PhD, Saint Mary’s University
  • Deborah Fell-Carlson, SAIF Corporation, Dede Montgomery, CROET
  • Bing Lin, M.S., Doctoral Student Industrial/Organizational and Occupational Health Psychology Training Program, Portland State University
  • Leslie Hammer, PhD, Portland State University, Occupational Health Psychology
  • Dov Zohar, PhD, Technion, Haifa, Israel
  • Natalie Schwatka, M.S., AEP, Doctoral Student, Ergonomics & Human Factors Training Program, Department of Environmental & Radiological Health Services, Colorado State University
  • Krista Hoffmeister, M.S., Doctoral Student Industrial/Organizational Psychology Training Program, Colorado State University
  • Tony Barsotti, Safety Manager, Temp Control Mechanical, Portland

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