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Center for Work, Health, and Well-being

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The Center for Work, Health, and Well-being is a multidisciplinary center advancing worker safety, health, and well-being through research and dissemination of evidence-based practices, programs, and policies.

Location

Kresge Building, 7th floor
677 Huntington Avenue
Boston, MA 02115

Publications

An integral component of the Center’s work is the dissemination of research findings and evidence-based policy recommendations through papers in peer-reviewed journals, book chapters, and viewpoint pieces. Below is a collection of the Center’s key publications across numerous topics focusing on an array of working populations. Our publications are also listed on the Center for Work, Health, & Well-being Google Scholar page.

The authors presented case studies from five occupational studies to identify common barriers to surveying low-wage workers and highlight strategies that improve response rates and support the collection of reliable, representative data.

Peters SE, Dennerlein JT, Wagner GR, Sorensen G. Work and worker health in the post-pandemic world: A public health perspective. Lancet Public Health 2022, 7(2):e188-e194. 

A Viewpoint publication on pandemic-related shifts in the social-political-economic environment, examining how changes in labor patterns and organizational policies have reshaped work, and the ways in which the COVID-19 pandemic has affected and will continue to affect work, as well as worker safety, health and well-being.

Lovejoy M, Kelly EL, Kubzansky LD, Berkman LF. Work Redesign for the 21st Century: Promising Strategies for Enhancing Worker Well-Being. Am J Public Health 2021, 111, 1787_1795. 

The authors build on existing frameworks and work redesign research to propose a model of work redesign that identifies strategies to reshape working conditions that are a root cause of stress-related health problems, including increasing worker schedule control and voice, moderating job demands, and providing training and employer support aimed at enhancing social relations at work.

Sorensen G, Dennerlein JT, Peters SE, Sabbath EL, Kelly EL, Wagner GR. The Future of Research on Work, Safety, Health and Wellbeing: A Guiding Conceptual Framework. Soc Sci Med 2021 Jan, 269:113593. 

A discussion of the Center’s updated and expanded conceptual model for research, exploring worker safety, health, and well-being. This model places the workplace and conditions of work within the broader context of socio-political-economic environments and trends in employment and labor force patterns.

 Sorensen G, McLellan DL, Dennerlein, JT, Nagler EM, Sabbath EL, Pronk NP, Wagner GR. A Conceptual Model for Guiding Integrated Interventions and Research: Pathways through the Conditions of Work. In: Hudson HL, Nigam JS, Sauter SL, Chosewood LC, Schill AL, Howard J. Total Worker Health. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association, 2019. 

Based on the Center’s previous research and to guide future research, the authors developed, used, and updated a conceptual model to specify the causal pathways through which integrated policies, programs, and practices are expected to influence working conditions that support worker safety, health, and well-being outcomes.

Sorensen G, McLellan DL, Sabbath EL, Dennerlein JT, Nagler EM, Hurtado DA, Pronk NP, Wagner GR. Integrating worksite health protection and health promotion: A conceptual model for intervention and research. Prev Med 2016, 91, 188–196. 

This paper presents the Center’s conceptual framework for research and intervention related to integrated approaches to worker health, offering opportunities for improvements in conditions of work and multiple worker health outcomes.

Nielsen N, Sorensen G, El-Salanti N, & Munch-Hansen M. Designing, Implementing, and Evaluating Sustainable Interventions in Organizations: The How-To of Improving Worker Health and Well-being. 2025. Oxford University Press: New York, NY.

A book presenting the Nielsen Intervention Model, offering researchers, practitioners, and organizational stakeholders a practical six-phase framework for planning, implementing, and evaluating participatory organizational interventions to improve working conditions and worker well-being.

Lovejoy M, Berkman L, Kelly E, Kubzansky L, Winter A,  Bolin, J. Implementing a Work Design for Health Approach: A Step-By-Step Guide to Creating a Healthier Workplace. Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies: Boston, MA, USA, 2024. 

The authors present a five-step participatory approach to improving worker health and well-being using a Work Design for Health framework. This toolkit provides evidence-based guidance for engaging stakeholders at all levels when implementing organizational change to improve worker well-being.

Pronk NP. Work, the Workplace, and the Mental Health of Workers. ACSM’s Health & Fitness J 27(3):p 50-52, 5/6 2023.

This publication on workplace health promotion highlights that both work itself and the workplace environment influence worker physical and mental health.

Pronk NP. A Call to Action for Dissemination and Implementation: Response from the Workplace. ACSM’s Health & Fitness J 2022, 26(1):55-58. 

A commentary on dissemination and implementation (D&I) science emphasizes the importance of explanatory, process, and outcome models while outlining the shared systems-based focus of D&I science and evidence-based public health, with the goal of motivating more public health researchers and practitioners to engage in D&I research.

Kelly KM, Newman LS, Cherniack M, Punnett L, Hammer LB, Sorensen G. Critical Points in Lemke’s Total Worker Health Calculus. J Occup Environ Med 2021 Nov 1, 63(11):e821-e822. 

A commentary highlighting key critiques and considerations in response to Lemke’s analysis of Total Worker Health.

Pronk NP, McLellan DL, Dennerlein JT, Anderson P, Nagler EM, Schmidt D, Spoonheim J, Karapanos M, Wallace LM, Sorensen G. Building Capacity for Implementation of Integrated Occupational Safety, Health, and Well-Being Initiatives Using Guidelines for Total Worker Health®. J Occup Environ Med 2021 May 1, 63(5):411-421.

An evaluation of the feasibility, acceptability, and practical use of a Total Worker Health Capacity Building suite, using academic-vendor partnership case studies to illustrate and assess how organizations translate Total Worker Health research findings into practice.

Newman LS, Scott JG, Childress A, Linnan L, Newhall WJ, McLellan DL, Campo S, Freewynn S, Hammer LB, Leff M, Macy G, Maples EH, Rogers B, Rohlman DS, Tenney L, Watkins C. Education and Training to Build Capacity in Total Worker Health®: Proposed Competencies for an Emerging Field. J Occup Environ Med 2020 Aug, 62(8):e384-e391. 

The authors proposed core competencies to help standardize education and training of professionals entering the Total Worker Health field.

Pronk NP. Total Worker Health®: An emerging innovation in workplace health and well-being. ACSM’s Health & Fitness J 2020, 24(1):42-44.

This publication describes Total Worker Health as an integrated approach to improving working conditions, moving beyond siloed programs to advance worker safety, health, and well-being, benefitting both workers and employers.

Pronk NP. Public health, business, and the shared value of workforce health and wellbeing. Lancet Public Health 2019 Jul, 4(7):e323. 

A commentary on why public health research is essential for guiding and persuading business leaders to invest in programs that promote workplace health and well-being.

López Gómez MA, Sparer-Fine E, Sorensen G, Wagner GR. Literature Review of Policy Implications from Findings of the Center for Work, Health and Well-being. J Occup Environ Med 2019 Nov, 61(11):868-876. 

Center researchers conducted a review of Center publications between 2011-2019 to identify cross-cutting themes from our research findings relevant to working conditions or related health outcomes and their organizational and public policy implications. 

Katz AS, Pronk NP, McLellan DL, Dennerlein JT, Katz JN. Perceived Workplace Health and Safety Climates: Associations with Worker Outcomes and Productivity. Am J Prev Med 2019 Oct, 57(4):487-494.

An overview of a study that examined how workers’ perceptions of their workplace health and safety climate relate to a broad range of employee and organizational outcomes, offering insights into the ways working conditions may influence well-being, performance, and overall workplace functioning. 

Tamers SL, Goetzel R, Kelly KM, Luckhaupt S, Nigam J, Pronk NP, Rohlman DS, Baron S, Brosseau LM, Bushnell T, Campo S, Chang CC, Childress A, Chosewood LC, Cunningham T, Goldenhar LM, Huang TT, Hudson H, Linnan L, Newman LS, Olson R, Ozminkowski RJ, Punnett L, Schill A, Scholl J, Sorensen G. Research Methodologies for Total Worker Health®: Proceedings from a Workshop. J Occup Environ Med 2018 Nov, 60(11):968–978.

A report examining methodological and measurement considerations in Total Worker Health, highlighting the advantages and disadvantages of current research approaches while outlining new strategies that can advance intervention research in the field.

McLellan D, Moore W, Nagler E, Sorensen G. Implementing an Integrated Approach: Weaving Worker Health, Safety, and Well-Being into the Fabric of Your Organization. Dana-Farber Cancer Institute: Boston, MA, USA, 2017.

A practical step-by-step guide for implementing, sustaining, and evaluating an integrated approach to worker safety, health, and well-being, with strategies to build organizational support, improve working conditions, and engage stakeholders using real-world examples.

McLellan D, Moore W, Nagler E, Sorensen G. Implementando un enfoque integrado Incorporando la salud, la seguridad y el bienestar de los empleados en el ensamble de su organización. Dana-Farber Cancer Institute: Boston, MA, USA, 2017.

Una guía práctica paso a paso, traducido al español desde el inglés, para implementar, mantener y evaluar un enfoque integrado de la seguridad, la salud y el bienestar de los trabajadores, con estrategias para generar apoyo organizacional, mejorar las condiciones laborales e involucrar a las partes interesadas mediante ejemplos del mundo real.

McLellan D, Williams JA, Katz JN, Pronk NP, Wagner GR, Cabán-Martinez AJ, Nelson CC, Sorensen G. Key organizational characteristics for integrated approaches to protect and promote worker health in smaller enterprises. J Occup Environ Med 2017 Mar, 59(3):289–294.

Findings from a study of cross-sectional survey data from smaller U.S. organizations to understand how specific characteristics are associated with the extent to which an organization has implemented an approach integrating occupational safety and health with worksite health promotion.

Pronk NP, McLellan DL, McGrail MP, Olson SM, McKinney ZJ, Katz JN, Wagner GR, Sorensen G. Measurement Tools for Integrated Worker Health Protection and Promotion: Lessons Learned from the SafeWell Project. J Occup Environ Med 2016 May 18.

The authors described a conceptual approach and set of measurement tools to assess integrated worker health protection and promotion efforts. Using three manufacturing companies, the authors evaluated the approach’s feasibility and usefulness for producing an integrated feedback report and action plan to guide improvements in working conditions over time.

Sorensen G, Nagler EM, Hashimoto D, Dennerlein JT, Theron J, Stoddard AM, Buxton OM, Wallace L, Kenwood C, Nelson CC, Tamers SL, Grant MP, Wagner GR. Implementing an integrated health protection/health promotion intervention in the hospital setting: Lessons learned from the Be Well, Work Well Study. J Occup Environ Med 2016 Feb, 58(2):185-94. 

The authors reported findings from a proof-of-concept trial evaluating the feasibility and estimating the efficacy of the “Be Well, Work Well” integrated workplace intervention in an acute-care hospital setting. The authors found that system-wide initiatives may be needed to strengthen worker health and safety due to the nature of patient care positions.

McLellan DM, Caban-Martinez A, Nelson CC, Pronk NP, Katz JN, Allen JD, Davis K, Wagner G, Sorensen G. Organizational characteristics influence implementation of worksite health protection and promotion programs: Evidence from smaller businesses. J Occup Environ Med 2015 Sep, 57(9):1009-1016.

Nelson CC, Allen J, McLellan D, Pronk N, Davis K. Integrating health promotion & occupational safety and health in manufacturing worksites: Perspectives of leaders from small-to-medium sized businesses. Work 2015, 52(1):169-176.

Pronk NP, Lagerstrom D, Haws J. Lifeworks@TURCK: A Best Practice Case Study Showing How Design of a Workplace Wellbeing Program Drives Success. ACSM’s Health Fit J, Worksite Health Promotion Column 2014 Nov/Dec, 19(3) 2014.

Harris J, Hannon P, Beresford S, Linnan L, McLellan D. Health Promotion in Smaller Workplaces in the United States. Annu Rev Public Health 2014. 35:12.1-12.16. doi: 10.1146/annurev-publhealth-032013-182416.

Pronk NP. Integrated Worker Health Protection and Promotion Programs: Overview and Perspectives on Health and Economic Outcomes. J Occup Environ Med 2013 Dec, 55(12 0): S30–S37.

Sorensen G, McLellan D, Dennerlein J, Pronk N, Allen J, Boden L, Okechukwu C, Hashimoto D, Stoddard A, Wagner G. Integration of Health Protection and Health Promotion: Rationale, Indicators, and Metrics. J Occup Environ Med 2013 Dec, 55 (Suppl):S12-18. 

Sorensen G, Landsbergis P, Hammer L, Amick III B, Linnan L, Yancey A, Welch L, Goetzel R, Flannery K, Pratt C. Preventing Chronic Disease in the Workplace: A Workshop Report and Recommendations. Am J Public Health 2011 Dec, 101(Suppl 1): S196–S207. 

Cherniack M, Henning R, Merchant JA, Punnett L, Sorensen G, Wagner G. Statement on national worklife priorities. Am J Ind Med 2011 Jan, 54(1):10-20. doi:10.1002/ajim.20900.

A description of the Workplace Integrated Safety and Health (WISH) Assessment, a measure of effective workplace policies, programs, and practices that focuses on working conditions as well as organizational facilitators of worker safety, health and well-being.

Williams J, Nelson CC, Caban-Martinez A, Katz JN, Pronk NP, Wagner G, Sorensen G, McLellan DM. Validation of a New Metric for Assessing Approaches Integrating Health Protection and Health Promotion. J Occup Environ Med 2015 Sep, 57(9):1017-1021.

Boden LI, Peters SE, McTernan M, Pan Y, Wagner GR, Hashimoto D, Sabbath EL. Work-related Well-Being, Turnover Intention, and Completed Turnover in a Cohort of U.S. Patient Care Workers. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine 2026 March 23. doi: 10.1097/JOM.0000000000003713. Epub ahead of print.

Using data from the Boston Hospital Workers Health Study, the authors examined how burnout and thriving from work affect turnover intention and actual turnover among hospital nurses and nursing assistants.

Suárez Rojas RD, Hashimoto D, Sabbath, EL. The Mental States of Aggressors: A Biopsychosocial Analysis of Workplace Violence Reports in Hospitals. American Journal of Industrial Medicine 69 (2026): 132-143.

The authors analyzed hospital workplace violence reports to examine patterns in types of violence and safety responses. Study findings indicated that differentiating between these forms of aggression can inform more targeted prevention strategies, de-escalation training, and aftermath support for healthcare workers.

An analysis of the relationship between vicarious trauma symptoms and the occurrence of gastrointestinal disorders among hospital workers, leveraging linked survey and health insurance claims data, suggests that vicarious trauma may adversely impact workers’ physical health.

Boden LI, Pan Y, Gregas M, McTernan M, Peters SE, Bhagia D, Wagner GR, Sabbath EL. Who do you ask? Predicting injury rates from survey responses. Work 2024 Jul 3. 

The authors examined whether manager-only or worker-only perceptions of safety policies and practices predict future injury rates compared to surveying both groups, and present a method for testing this question using safety-climate and safety-practice survey scales.

Sabbath EL, Pan Y, McTernan ML, Peters SE, Lovett SM, Stelson EA, Wagner GR, Hopcia K, Boden LI. Adding injury to insult: unfair treatment at work and occupational injury among hospital patient-care workers. Am J Ind Med 2024 May 13, 1-10. 

An analysis of the relationship between occupational injury and exposure to work-related unfair treatment, using data from the Boston Hospital Workers Health Study.

Maglalang DD, Katigbak Carina, López Gómez MA, Sorensen G, Hopcia K, Hashimoto D, Pandey S, Takeuchi DT, Sabbath EL. Workplace Discrimination and Short Sleep among Healthcare Workers. J Occup Environ Med 2021 May 12.

A mixed-methods analysis of healthcare worker data evaluates the relationship between discrimination and short sleep, identifies how and by whom discrimination occurs, and assesses whether a people‑oriented culture can mitigate these effects. The publication also examines how a people-oriented culture is constructed and the extent to which it addresses discrimination in the workplace.

Maglalang DD, Sorensen G, Hopcia K, Hashimoto DM, Katigbak C, Pandey S, Takeuchi D, Sabbath EL. Job and family demands and burnout among healthcare workers: The moderating role of workplace flexibility. SSM Population Health 2021, 14. 

An analysis of how job demands, family demands, and degree of workplace flexibility are associated with burnout among nurses and patient care associates. By examining these factors together, the analysis clarifies the extent to which workplace flexibility may mitigate burnout in healthcare settings.

López Gómez MA, Williams JAR, Boden L, Sorensen G, Hopcia K, Hashimoto D, Sabbath E. The relationship of occupational injury and use of mental health care. J Safety Res 2020 Sep, 74:227-232. 

Based on analysis of injured and uninjured hospital workers and employer-sponsored medical claims, the authors evaluated whether occupational injury is associated with increased mental health care use.

López Gómez MA, Sabbath E, Boden L, Williams JAR, Hopcia K, Hashimoto D, Sorensen G. Organizational and Psychosocial Working Conditions and Their Relationship With Mental Health Outcomes in Patient-Care Workers. J Occup Environ Med 2019 Dec, 61:12. 

Using patient-care worker survey data and medical claims from the Boston Hospital Workers Health Study, the authors examined how organizational and psychosocial work factors relate to perceived mental health and mental health-related expenditures.

Sabbath EL, Yang J, Dennerlein JT, Boden LI, Hashimoto D, Sorensen G. Paradoxical impact of a patient-handling intervention on injury rate disparity among hospital workers. Am J Public Health 2019, 109(4), 618-625. 

An analysis of whether a safe patient-handling intervention, previously shown to reduce overall injury rates among hospital workers, was equally effective for higher wage workers (nurses) and low-wage workers (PCAs). The authors evaluate how occupational roles influence workers’ experiences of health and safety programs and whether these differences may unintentionally widen existing health gaps.

Miller JA, Hopcia K, Wagner GR, Boden LI, Hashimoto D, Sorensen G, Sabbath EL. Job satisfaction and the psychosocial work environment: Does the relationship vary by worker age? J Workplace Behav Health 2019, 33(3-4):221-240. 

The authors used survey data from hospital patient-care workers to identify psychosocial work factors associated with job satisfaction, and test whether these relationships vary by worker age.

Sabbath EL, Hashimoto D, Boden LI, Dennerlein J, Williams JAR, Orechia T, Hopcia K, Tripodis Y, Wagner GR, Sorensen G. Cohort Profile: The Boston Hospital Workers Health Study. Int J Epidemiology 2018 Dec 1, 47(6):1739-1740g. 

A description of the Boston Hospital Workers Health Study, a longitudinal, multidisciplinary database that integrates individual-level employer data on health care spending, workplace injury, staffing, human resources and workload, along with survey data from a subset of workers.

Sabbath EL, Williams JAR, Boden LI, Tempesti T, Wagner GR, Hopcia K, Hashimoto D, Sorensen G. Mental Health Expenditures: Association with Workplace Incivility and Bullying Among Hospital Patient Care Workers. J Occup Environ Med 2018 Aug, 60(8):737-742.

The authors examined associations between types of incivility/bullying and mental health expenditures among hospital workers, using mental health claims data rather than self-reported mental health to address the common-method bias of prior studies.

Sparer EH, Boden LI, Sorensen G, Dennerlein J, Stoddard A, Wagner GR, Nagler E, Hashimoto D, Hopcia K, Sabbath EL. The relationship between organizational policies and practices and work limitations among a group of hospital patient care workers. Am J Ind Med 2018 Aug, 61(8): 691-698.

Using survey data, the authors analyzed the relationship between organizational policies and practices (ergonomic practices, safety practices, and people-oriented culture) and individual perceptions of health-related work limitations among hospital patient care workers.

Sabbath EL, Shaw J, Stidsen A, Hashimoto D. Protecting Mental Health of Hospital Workers After Mass Casualty Events: A Social Work Imperative. Social Work 2018 Jul 1, 63(3):272-275.  

A commentary on how mass casualty events affect hospital workers, outlining the roles of employee assistance programs and medical social workers in supporting staff mental health, and offering recommendations for integrating these supports into hospital and citywide disaster response plans.

Sabbath EL, Sparer EH, Boden LI, Wagner GR, Hashimoto DM, Hopcia K, Sorensen G. Preventive care utilization: Association with individual- and workgroup-level policy and practice perceptions. Prev Med 2018 Jun, 111:235-240. 

By examining workers’ personal and workgroup-level perceptions of four organizational policies and practices, the authors explored how safety practices, ergonomic practices, people-centered culture, and workplace flexibility shape patterns of preventative care utilization among health care workers.

Grant MP, Okechukwu CA, Hopcia K, Sorensen G, Dennerlein JT. An Inspection Tool and Process to Identify Modifiable Aspects of Acute Care Hospital Patient Care Units to Prevent Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders. Workplace Health Saf. 2018 Mar;66(3):144-158.

A description of an inspection tool designed to pinpoint modifiable features of acute-care hospital work environments that contribute to musculoskeletal injury risk, offering a structured way to document hazards and guide ergonomic improvements.

Hurtado DA, Kim SS, Subramanian SV, Dennerlein JT, Christiani DC, Hashimoto DM, Sorensen G. Nurses’ but not supervisors’ safety practices are linked with job satisfaction. J Nurs Manag. 2017 Oct;25(7):491-497. 

The authors used cross-sectional survey data to examine how nurses and their supervisors rate unit-level safety practices, and how these different perceptions relate to nurses’ job satisfaction.

Williams JA, Sorensen G, Hashimoto D, Hopcia K, Wagner GR, Boden LI. Impact of occupational injuries on nonworkers’ compensation medical costs of patient-care workers. J Occup Environ Med 2017, 59(6):e119-24.

Using administrative injury records and group health claims for matched hospital patient-care workers, the authors estimated the magnitude of medical expenditures paid by group health insurance in the three and six months following injury, highlighting potential cost spillover outside the workers’ compensation system.

Dennerlein JT, O’Day ET, Mulloy DF, Somerville J, Stoddard AM, Kenwood C, Teeple E, Boden LI, Sorensen G, Hashimoto D. Lifting and exertion injuries decrease after implementation of an integrated hospital-wide safe patient handling and mobilisation programme. J Occup Environ Med 2017, 74:336–343.

A hospital-wide initiative introduced integrated safe patient handling equipment and mobilization practices to reduce injuries among healthcare workers. Evaluation of the program demonstrates improved work practices and a measurable decline in recordable worker injuries following implementation.

Sabbath EL, Boden LI, Williams JAR, Hashimoto D, Hopcia K, Sorensen G. Obscured by administrative data? Racial disparities in occupational injury. Scan J Work Environ Health 2017 Mar 1, 43(2):155-162.

Comparing self-reported and administratively recorded injuries among hospital patient-care workers, racial differences in how often injuries appear across the two data sources are identified. The analysis shows that administrative records undercount injuries more for Black workers than for White workers, masking the true extent of racial disparities in workplace injury.

Arias OE, Umukoro PE, Stoffel SD, Hopcia K, Sorensen G, Dennerlein JT. Associations between trunk flexion and physical activity of patient care workers for a single shift: A pilot study. Work 2017, 56(2):247-255.

The publication measures how often patient-care workers bend forward and how physically active they are during a single work shift, pairing sensor data with workers’ own reports of how physically demanding their shift felt.

Hurtado DA, Glymour MM, Reme SE, Berkman LF, Hashimoto D, Sorensen G. Schedule Control and Mental Health: The Relevance of Coworkers’ Reports. Community Work Fam 2015, 18(4):416-434.

Boden LI, Petrofsky YV, Hopcia K, Wagner GR, Hashimoto D. Understanding the hospital sharps injury reporting pathway. Am J Ind Med 2015 Mar, 58(3):282-9.

Hurtado DA, Nelson CC, Hashimoto D, Sorensen G. Supervisors’ support for nurses’ meal breaks and mental health. Workplace Health Saf. 2015 Mar,63(3):107-15.

Tveito TH, Sembajwe G, Boden LI, Dennerlein JT, Wagner GR, Kenwood C, Stoddard AM, Reme SE, Hopcia K, Hashimoto D, Shaw WS, Sorensen G. Impact of organizational policies and practices on workplace injuries in a hospital setting. J Occup Environ Med 2014 Aug, 56(8):802-8.

Reme SE, Shaw WS, Boden LI, Tveito TH, O’Day ET, Dennerlein JT, Sorensen G. Worker assessments of organizational practices and psychosocial work environment are associated with musculoskeletal injuries in hospital patient care workers. Am J Ind Med 2014 Jul, 57(7):810-8. 

Jacobsen H, Reme SE, Sembajwe G, Hopcia K, Stoddard A, Kenwood C, Stiles T, Sorensen G, Buxton O. Work-family conflict, psychological distress, and sleep deficiency among patient care workers. Workplace Health Saf 2014 Jul, 62(7):282-91.

Kim SS, Okechukwu CA, Dennerlein JT, Boden LI, Hopcia K, Hashimoto DM, Sorensen G. Association between perceived inadequate staffing and musculoskeletal pain among hospital patient care workers. Int Arch Occup Environ Health 2014 Apr, 87(3):323-30.

Nelson CC, Wagner GR, Caban-Martinez AJ, Buxton OM, Kenwood CT, Sabbath EL, Hashimoto DM, Hopcia K, Allen JD, Sorensen G. Physical activity and BMI: the contribution of age and workplace characteristics. Am J Prev Med 2014, 46(3S1):S42-S51.

Sabbath E, Hurtado D, Okechukwu C, Tamers S, Nelson C, Wagner G, Sorensen G. Occupational injury among hospital patient-care workers: What is the association with workplace verbal abuse? Am J Ind Med 2014. Feb,57(2):222-232. 

Jacobsen H, Reme SE, Sembajwe G, Hopcia K, Stiles T, Sorensen G, Porter J, Marino M, Buxton O. Work stress, sleep deficiency and predicted 10-year cardiometabolic risk in a female patient care worker population. Am J Ind Med 2014. 57:940-949. 

Caspi CE, Dennerlein J, Kenwood C, Stoddard A, Hopcia K, Hashimoto D, Sorensen G. Results of a pilot intervention to improve health and safety for healthcare workers. J Occup Environ Med 2013, 55:1449–1455. 

Sembajwe G, Tveito TH, Hopcia K, Kenwood C, O’Day ET, Stoddard A, Dennerlein J, Hashimoto D, Sorensen G. Psychosocial stress and multi-site musculoskeletal pain: a cross-sectional survey of patient care workers. Workplace Health Saf 2013, 61(3):117-125. 

Kim SS, Okechukwu CA, Buxton OM, Dennerlein JT, Boden LI, Hashimoto DM, Sorensen G. Association between work-family conflict and musculoskeletal pain among hospital patient care workers. Am J Ind Med 2013 Apr, 56(4):488-95.

Reme SE, Dennerlein JT, Hashimoto D, Sorensen G. Musculoskeletal pain and psychological distress in hospital patient care workers. J Occup Rehabil 2012 Dec, 22(4):503-10. 

Hopcia K, Dennerlein JT, Hashimoto D, Orechia T, Sorensen G. Occupational injuries for consecutive and cumulative shifts among hospital registered nurses and patient care associates: a case-control study. Workplace Health Saf 2012 Oct, 60(10):437-44. 

Buxton OM, Hopcia K, Sembajwe G, Porter JH, Dennerlein JT, Kenwood C, Stoddard AM, Hashimoto D, Sorensen G. Relationship of sleep deficiency to perceived pain and functional limitations in hospital patient care workers. J Occup Environ Med 2012 Jul, 54(7):851-8.

Dennerlein JT, Hopcia K, Sembajwe G, Kenwood C, Stoddard AM, Tveito TH, Hashimoto DM, Sorensen G. Ergonomic practices within patient care units are associated with musculoskeletal pain and limitations. Am J Ind Med 2012 Feb, 55(2):107-16.

Boden LI, Sembajwe G, Tveito TH, Hashimoto D, Hopcia K, Kenwood C, Stoddard AM, Sorensen G. Occupational injuries among nurses and aides in a hospital setting. Am J Ind Med 2012 Feb, 55(2):117-26.

Sorensen G, Stoddard AM, Stoffel S, Buxton O, Sembajwe G, Hashimoto D, Dennerlein JT, Hopcia K. The role of the work context in multiple wellness outcomes for hospital patient care workers. J Occup Environ Med 2011 Aug, 53(8):899-910.

Roy S, Collins JE, Boden LI, Katz JN, Wagner GR, Sorensen G, Williams J. Predicting COVID-19 Cases in Nursing Homes of California and Ohio: Does the Work Environment Matter? J Occup Environ Med 66(10):p e460-e466, October 2024. 

Using pre-pandemic survey data, the authors examined whether work environment factors measured by the Workplace Integrated Safety and Health (WISH) Assessment predict COVID-19 case counts among workers at skilled nursing facilities.

Williams J, Collins JE, Gandhi A, Yu H, Boden L, Katz J, Wagner G, Sorensen G. Can Better Leadership Reduce Nursing Home Staff Turnover? J Am Med Dir Assoc 2024 March, ISSN 1525 8610. 

Leveraging multistate nursing home payroll and survey data, the authors evaluated whether leadership practices grounded in worker safety, health, and well-being are associated with reduced turnover. Analyses revealed lower turnover rates among organizations with higher leadership scores, as measured by the Workplace Integrated Safety and Health (WISH) Assessment.

Collins JE, Boden LI, Gundersen DA, Katz JN, Wagner GR, Sorensen G, Williams JAR. Workplace Integrated Safety and Health Program Uptake in Nursing Homes: Associations with Ownership. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2021, 18(21), 11313.

Researchers analyzed data collected from nursing homes using the Workplace Integrated Safety and Health (WISH) Assessment. They found that nursing home ownership (for-profit vs. not-for-profit and corporate vs. non-corporate) does not predict the likelihood of policies consistent with a Total Worker Health approach that supports worker safety, health, and well-being.

López Gómez MA, Gundersen DA, Boden LI, Sorensen G, Katz JN, Collins JE, Wagner G, Vriniotis MG, Williams JA. Validation of the Workplace Integrated Safety and Health (WISH) assessment in a sample of nursing homes using Item Response Theory (IRT) methods. BMJ Open 2021 Jun 18, 11(6):e045656.

The authors validated the Workplace Integrated Safety and Health (WISH) Assessment by testing whether its six domains accurately measure how nursing homes implement integrated approaches to worker health, safety, and well‑being. Using survey data from directors of nursing, the authors confirmed that most domains function reliably and identify items that should be further studied.

Williams JAR, Vriniotis MG, Gundersen DA, Boden LI, Collins JE, Katz JN, Wagner GR, Sorensen G. How to ask: Surveying nursing directors of nursing homes. Health Science Reports 2021, 4:e304. 

The authors examined how to effectively survey directors of nursing in nursing homes by comparing response rates, survey modes, and facility characteristics across three states, identifying the factors that most influence participation to inform more effective future survey design.

Stelson, E. A., Sabbath, E. L., Chen, L., Sorensen, G., Berkman, L., Moallef, S., & Kubzansky, L. D. (2026). The Vicarious Occupational Trauma Exposure (VOTE) Index: Development and validation with a substance use disorder workforce. Traumatology. Advance online publication. https://dx.doi.org/10.1037/trm0000647

The development and validation of the Vicarious Occupational Trauma Exposure (VOTE) Index indicates the tool’s ability to measure workers’ exposure to vicarious trauma by capturing its sources, frequency, and impact. The VOTE Index may help develop organizational interventions to protect workers from vicarious trauma.

Stelson EA, Sabbath-Clayton LL, Sorensen G, Kubzansky LD, Berkman LF, Sabbath EL. Residential addiction treatment providers: Identifying the role of social context in worker health and turnover. Soc Sci Med 2022 Dec, 314:115462. 

A description of how external forces shape downstream working conditions in nonprofit residential addiction treatment centers, driving provider health challenges and turnover, and underscoring the need for interventions that address the broader socio-contextual factors influencing these organizations.

Stelson, EA, Sabbath-Clayton, L.L., Sorensen, G., & Sabbath, E.L. (2022). Working conditions, worker health and wellbeing & turnover of residential addiction treatment providers in Massachusetts. Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Center for Work, Health, & Well-being.

This study aimed to understand how working conditions and larger socio-political influences impact the health and well-being of Massachusetts residential addiction treatment providers working in state-funded facilities. This study also sought to identify how the health and well-being of providers impacted the organizations at which they worked and client care.

Veterans Affairs Medical Centers 

Schult TM, Nagler EM, Sorensen G, Sullivan JL, Gendreau N, Seibert RG, Mohr DC. Employee Perceptions of Safety, Health, and Well-Being: Focus Group Findings from One Veterans Affairs Medical Center. J Occup Environ Med 2018 Nov, 60(11):e582-e588. 

The authors examined employee perspectives at a VA medical center, identifying key organizational and structural factors that shape worker safety, health, and well-being, and demonstrating a need for system‑level improvements guided by a Total Worker Health framework.

Williams J, Schult T, Nelson C, Caban-Martinez A, Katz J, Wagner G, Pronk N, Sorensen G, McLellan D. Validation and Dimensionality of the Integration of Health Protection and Health Promotion Score: Evidence from the PULSE small business and VA Medical Center Surveys. J Occup Environ Med 2016 May, 58(5)499-504.

The authors validated an existing measure of how well organizations integrate health protection and health promotion through analyses of small business and VA medical center surveys.

Buchbinder M, Arora KS, McKetchnie SM, Sabbath EL. Medical uncertainty in the shadow of Dobbs: Treating obstetric complications in a new reproductive frontier. Soc Sci Med 2025; 369,117856.

An analysis of how laws enacted after the Dobbs Supreme Court decision create overlapping uncertainty for OB-GYNs caring for patients with pregnancy complications, and may disrupt evidence-based clinical decision-making.

Buchbinder M, & Sabbath EL. Reproductive Healthcare After Dobbs: Rethinking Obstetric Harm in the United States. Med Anthropol 2024, 44(1), 6-21.

Analysis of data from interviews with OB-GYNs in abortion-restrictive states indicate ways in which post-Dobbs state laws extend obstetric harm beyond clinician-patient interactions by producing legal fear and mistrust that undermines patient care and clinical relationships.

Buchbinder M, Arora KS, McKetchnie SM, Sabbath EL. Sources of moral distress among obstetrician-gynecologists after Dobbs: A qualitative, multi-state study. SSM – Qualitative Research in Health, Volume 6, 2024.

Analysis of interviews with OB-GYNs indicated that clinicians experience moral distress primarily from delaying treatment for obstetric complications, navigating conflicts with other clinicians over legal risk, and being forced to deny or limit care and counseling they would have routinely provided before the Dobbs decision, due to abortion-restrictive laws.

Sabbath EL, McKetchnie SM, Arora KS, & Buchbinder M. Are state abortion bans an occupational health hazard for obstetrician-gynecologists? Findings from a multistate qualitative study. Occup Environ Med 2024; 81:493-497.

The authors found that OB‑GYNs practicing in states with near‑total abortion bans report wide‑ranging declines in occupational health and well‑being since the Dobbs Supreme Court decision, including increased anxiety and depression, burnout, disrupted sleep, maladaptive coping behaviors, strained personal relationships, and emotional exhaustion tied to work‑related stress.

Sabbath EL, Arora KS, Buchbinder M. Supporting OB-GYNs in Abortion-Restrictive States—A Playbook for Institutions. JAMA. June 24, 2024. 

A Viewpoint describing the actions of organizations to support and retain OB-GYNs in abortion-restrictive states after the Dobbs Supreme Court decision, drawing on interviews with 54 OB-GYNs and offering practical recommendations.

The authors analyzed interviews with OB-GYNs practicing in states with near-total abortion bans to understand the perceived impact of abortion restrictions on clinical practice, moral distress, mental health, and turnover intention.

Peters SE, Neidlinger SM, Alahmad B, Wagner GR. Healthy Work, Healthy Heart? The role of job characteristics in promoting heart health. Cardiology Clinics. 2026; 44, 179-191.

The authors explored the ways in which work has the potential to promote heart health through integrated health protection and health promotion approaches. Their findings emphasize the importance of incorporating occupational risk factors into cardiovascular care and call for coordinated clinical and workplace strategies to support long-term heart health and thriving workers.

Voss MW, Halvorsen CJ, Yadav K, Neidlinger SM, Wagner GR, Peters SE. Thriving from Work Questionnaire: Validation of a Measure of Worker Wellbeing Among Older U.S. Workers. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2025; 22(9):1428.

The research described in this paper validates the long- and short-forms of the Thriving from Work Questionnaire in older U.S. workers, using item response theory, model-fit testing, and correlational analyses, supporting the measure’s reliability, validity, and sensitivity to age-related differences in thriving.

The authors translated the Thriving from Work Questionnaire from English to German and validated the German translation of the long and short forms in a sample of German employees. The findings support that the German language version of the questionnaire is both a reliable and valid measure of employee well-being.

Peters SE, Gundersen DA, Neidlinger SM, Ritchie‐Dunham JL, Wagner GR. Thriving from Work Questionnaire: Spanish translation and validation. BMC Public Health 2024 April 27, 1187. 

The authors translated the Thriving from Work Questionnaire from English to Spanish and validated the translated questionnaire in a sample of finance workers in Peru and Mexico, demonstrating that the Spanish (Peru/Mexico) version of the questionnaire is a reliable and valid measure of worker well-being.

Peters SE, Gundersen DA, Katz JN, Sorensen G, Wagner GR. Thriving from Work Questionnaire: Dimensionality, reliability, and validity of the long and short form questionnaires. Am J Ind Med 2023 Feb 7, 1-16. 

The purpose of this study was to develop a psychometrically-sound questionnaire measuring the positive contribution that work can have on one’s well-being both at, and outside of, their work. The research suggests that the Thriving from Work Questionnaire appears to be a valid and reliable measure of work-related well-being in U.S. workers.

Peters SE, Sorensen G, Katz JN, Gundersen DA, Wagner GR. Thriving from Work: Conceptualization and Measurement. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2021, 18(13):7196. 

The authors used a qualitative, multi-step process to develop and cognitively test items for the Thriving from Work Questionnaire, establishing an evidence-based approach to assess and promote thriving across diverse occupations and industries.

Siebach KF, Díaz-Linhart Y, Kubzansky LD, Berkman L, Wang M, Ge L, Kowalski AM, Rahmandad H, Kelly EL. Effectiveness of a Participatory Voice Intervention on Psychological Well-Being Among Warehouse Workers: Results From the Fulfillment Center Intervention Study, United States, 2021‒2023. Am J Public Health. 2026;116(4):522-532. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2025.308352

The authors examined whether a novel workplace intervention designed to increase worker voice, implemented through structured peer-led Health and Well-Being Committees in U.S. fulfillment centers, reduced psychological distress and improved worker mental health at 6- and 12-month follow-up.

A summary and implementation guide for a participatory workplace program designed to empower workers and improve working conditions and well-being.

Kowalski A, Kelly E, Rahmandad H, Siebach KF. Can a Voice Channel Reduce Turnover? Evidence on Employee Voice and Exit from a Cluster-randomized Trial in U.S. Fulfillment Centers. SSRN. Preprint posted online February 14, 2025. Doi:10.2139/ssrn.5193024

The authors evaluated whether introducing a participatory employee voice channel (Health and Well-Being Committees) in fulfillment centers reduces turnover. They found a lower probability of turnover in intervention sites, demonstrating the feasibility of addressing turnover with employee voice.

Kelly EL, Siebach KF, DeHorn G, Lovejoy M. The Fulfillment Center Intervention Study: Protocol for a Group-Randomized Control Trial of a Participatory Workplace Intervention. PLoS ONE 2024 July 19(7): e0305334.

The design and protocol for a cluster randomized trial evaluating a participatory intervention in e-commerce fulfillment centers that enables workers to raise concerns, implement solutions, and monitor workplace changes to improve psychological distress and well-being.

Using data from the nationally representative Health and Retirement Study (HRS), this report estimates the proportion of American workers between the ages of 50 and 64 who have access to employer-provided health insurance and retirement savings programs, and who are able to reduce their work hours, overall and by gender, race, and ethnicity.

Halvorsen C, Lai PHL. Documenting the health, well-being, and experiences of older workers in the Senior Community Service Employment Program: Topline results of SCSEP respondents in Massachusetts. Boston College School of Social Work. January 2023. http://hdl.handle.net/2345/bc-ir:109608

The authors surveyed Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) participants to understand their experiences in the program, as well as six dimensions of health and well-being: physical, cognitive, psychological, social, financial, and interpersonal.

Halvorsen C, Lai PHL. Documenting the health, well-being, and experiences of older Asian workers in the Senior Community Service Employment Program: Topline Massachusetts results. Boston College School of Social Work. August 2022. https://dlib.bc.edu/islandora/object/bc-ir:109549

The authors shared results of a survey that asked participants about their experiences in Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) as well as six dimensions of health and well-being: physical, cognitive, psychological, social, financial, and interpersonal. This report focuses data from older Asian workers participating in SCSEP in Massachusetts.

Halvorsen CJ, Werner K, McColloch E, Yulikova O. How the Senior Community Service Employment Program influences participant well-being: A participatory research approach with program recommendations. Research on Aging. 2023 Jan;45(1):77-91. doi: 10.1177/01640275221098613.

This study examined the processes by which the Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) may influence participant financial, physical, and mental well-being. Respondents identified how individual, organizational, and program and policy factors relate to participant well-being and suggested program and policy recommendations to strengthen SCSEP.

Data collected through interviews, focus groups, and a survey of construction workers suggest that their psychological distress is primarily driven by high job demands and work-to-family conflict.

Eyllon M, Vallas SP, Dennerlein JT, Garverich S, Weinstein D, Owens K, Lincoln AK. Mental health stigma and wellbeing among commercial construction workers: a mixed methods study. J Occup Environ Med 2020 Aug 1;62(8):e423-30.

The aim of this study was to understand the relationship between mental health stigma and well-being in a sample of commercial construction workers. Data collected in surveys, interviews and focus groups indicated that stigma was significantly associated with psychological distress and impaired sleep, but not with substance abuse.

Peters SE, Trieu HD, Manjourides J, Katz JN, Dennerlein JT. Designing a Participatory Total Worker Health® Organizational Intervention for Commercial Construction Subcontractors to Improve Worker Safety, Health, and Well-being: The “ARM for Subs” Trial. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2020, 17,5093. 

The authors developed and piloted a participatory organizational intervention for commercial construction subcontractors that integrates worker input, communication infrastructure, and continuous improvement to support worker safety, health, and well-being.

Manjourides J, Dennerlein JT. Testing the associations between leading and lagging indicators in a contractor safety pre-qualification database. Am J Ind Med 2019, 62(4): 317-324.

Using safety pre-qualification data from construction contractors, the authors evaluated whether safety management systems and related indicators predict worker injury rates, finding that stronger safety management systems are associated with better injury outcomes.

Peters SE, Grant MP, Rodgers J, Manjourides J, Okechukwu CA, Dennerlein JT. A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial of a Total Worker Health® Intervention on Commercial Construction Sites. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2018, 15(11):2354.

The authors evaluated a construction worksite-based Total Worker Health intervention that integrates injury prevention with health promotion to address both working conditions and worker behaviors within complex, multiemployer settings.

Manjourides J, Sparer EH, Okechukwu CA, Dennerlein JT. The Effect of Workforce Mobility on Intervention Effectiveness Estimates. Ann Work Expo Health 2018 Mar 12, 62(3):259-268.

The authors examined how high worker mobility affects the evaluation of organizational interventions implemented at worksites. Findings included that failing to account for workers’ time on site can bias results.

Sparer EH, Okechukwu CA, Manjourides J, Herrick RF, Katz JN, Dennerlein JT. Length of time spent working on a commercial construction site and the associations with worker characteristics. Am J Ind Med 2015 Jun 29.

Sparer EH, Herrick R, Dennerlein JT. Development of a Safety Communication and Recognition Program for Construction. New Solutions 2015 May, 25(1):42-58.

Zhang M, Sparer EH, Murphy LA, Dennerlein JT, Fang D, Katz JN, Caban-Martinez AJ. Development and validation of a fatigue assessment scale for U.S. construction workers. Am J Ind Med 2015 Feb, 58(2):220-8.

Arias OE, Caban-Martinez AJ, Umukoro PE, Okechukwu CA, Dennerlein JT. Physical activity levels at work and outside of work among Commercial Construction Workers. J Occup Environ Med 2015 Jan, 57(1):73-8.

Caban-Martinez AJ, Lowe K, Herrick R, Kenwood C, Gagne JJ, Becker JF, Schneider S, Dennerlein JT, Sorensen G. Construction workers working in musculoskeletal pain and engaging in leisure-time physical activity: Findings from a mixed-methods pilot study. Am J Ind Med 2014 Jul, 57(7):819-25.  

A book presenting the Nielsen Intervention Model, offering researchers, practitioners, and organizational stakeholders a practical six-phase framework for planning, implementing, and evaluating participatory organizational interventions to improve working conditions and worker well-being.

Roodbari H, Nielsen K, Axtell C, Peters S, Sorensen G. Testing Middle Range Theories in Realist Evaluation: A Case of an Organisational Intervention. Int J Workplace Health Manag 2022 Jul 19. 

The authors used a realist evaluation to test how context, mechanisms, and outcomes interact in a participatory organizational intervention. They found that high workload and limited managerial engagement hindered the success of the intervention, while existing participatory practices facilitated it.

Sorensen G, Peters SE, Nielsen K, Stelson E, Wallace LM, Burke L, Nagler EM, Roodbari H, Karapanos M, Wagner GR. Implementation of an organizational intervention to improve low-wage food service workers’ safety, health and wellbeing: Findings from the Workplace Organizational Health Study. BMC Public Health 2021, 21:1869. 

This paper examined the extent to which a workplace health and safety intervention was implemented as planned, the dose of intervention implemented, and ways the organizational context hindered or facilitated the implementation of the intervention.

Nagler EM, Stelson EA, Karapanos M, Burke L, Wallace L M, Peters SE, Nielsen K, Sorensen G. Using Total Worker Health® Implementation Guidelines to Design an Organizational Intervention for Low-Wage Food Service Workers: The Workplace Organizational Health Study. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2021, 18(17), 9383. 

This paper illustrates how the authors used the Center for Work, Health, & Well-being’s Total Worker Health Implementation Guidelines to develop and implement an organizational intervention to decrease pain and injury, and support well-being among low-wage food service workers.

Roodbari H, Axtell C, Nielsen K, Sorensen G. Organisational interventions to improve employees’ health and wellbeing: A realist synthesis. J Appl Psychol 2021 Aug 23, 71(3).

The authors presented a realist synthesis of the literature on organizational interventions, examining why their effects on employee health and well-being vary across settings. The authors developed six explanatory theories describing how specific implementation and support mechanisms influence outcomes for different groups of workers in different contexts.

Roodbari H, Nielsen K, Axtell C, Peters SE, Sorensen G. Developing initial middle range theories in realist evaluation: a case of an organizational intervention. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2021, 18(16): 8360. 

The authors used realist evaluation to develop four initial middle range theories based on qualitative data from an organizational intervention in a multinational food service organization, identifying mechanisms that explain how interventions may work for different groups in specific circumstances.

Markkanen P, Peters SE, Grant M, Dennerlein JT, Wagner GR, Burke L, Wallace L, Sorensen G. Development and application of an innovative instrument to assess work environment factors for injury prevention in the food service industry. Work 2021, 68(3):pp.641-651. 

The authors describe the development, application, and utility of a new instrument to evaluate ergonomics and safety for food service workers. The instrument identified factors related to both the physical work environment and organizational and contextual environment.

Peters SE, Nielsen KM, Nagler EM, Revette AC, Madden J, Sorensen G. Ensuring organization-intervention fit for a participatory organizational intervention to improve food service workers’ health and wellbeing: Workplace Organizational Health Study. J Occup Environ Med 2020 Feb, 62(2):e33-e45. 

The authors identify and prioritize working conditions affecting food service workers’ health to inform a tailored organizational intervention and highlight mechanisms that enhance intervention fit within the organization.

Sorensen G, Peters S, Nielsen K, Nagler E, Karapanos M, Wallace L, Burke L, Dennerlein JT, Wagner GR. Improving Working Conditions to Promote Worker Safety, Health, and Wellbeing for Low-Wage Workers: The Workplace Organizational Health Study. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2019, 16(8), 1449. 

A description of the Workplace Organizational Health Study, a proof-of-concept trial evaluating the feasibility and potential efficacy of a participatory, systems-based organizational intervention to improve working conditions, safety, and well-being among low-wage food service workers.

Non-Uniformed World Trade Center Responders

Voss, M. W., Potla, S., Sabbath, E. L., Wagner, G. R., & Peters, S. E. (2026). Overlooked responders: Addressing the overlooked role of nonuniformed responders in emergency management. Journal of Emergency Management, 24(2), 137–143. https://doi.org/10.5055/jem.0965

An analysis of the experiences of nonuniformed responders involved in the World Trade Center 9/11 recovery highlights their long-term mental health challenges and feelings of being overlooked in disaster response systems. The authors offered insights for strengthening training, support, and policies to better protect nonuniformed personnel in future crises.

Fire Fighters

A study of whether fire stations themselves may contribute to firefighters’ cancer risk, focusing on exposures that occur inside fire stations.

Sparer EH, Prendergast D, Apell JN, Bartzak MR, Wagner GR, Adamkiewicz G, Hart JE, Sorensen G. Assessment of ambient exposures firefighters encounter while at the fire station: An exploratory study. J Occup Environ Med 2017 Oct: 59(10):1017-1023. 

The researchers conducted a pilot study of air quality in four Boston-area fire stations, examining how physical and organizational factors may influence firefighters’ exposure to cancer-related contaminants.

The authors explored how organizational capacity was developed to support the implementation of a participatory intervention aimed at improving worker safety and well-being in the Chilean transportation industry, including an assessment of how the approach was adapted during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Peters SE, Grogan H, Henderson GM, López Gómez MA, Martínez Maldonado M, Silva Sanhueza I, Dennerlein JT. Working Conditions Influencing Drivers’ Safety and Well-Being in the Transportation Industry: “On Board” Program. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2021, 18(19):10173.

The authors examined how working conditions and health outcomes in a bussing company, as part of a Total Worker Health intervention. The researchers identified three primary areas that the company could then address at the organizational level: lack of trust between drivers and supervisors, the scheduling of shifts and routes, and difficulty performing positive health behaviors.

Peters SE, Wagner GR. Work during and after the Pandemic. In Dustin T. Duncan, Ichiro Kawachi, and Stephen S. Morse (eds), The Social Epidemiology of the COVID-19 Pandemic (New York, 2024, Oxford Academic, 23 May 2024).

The authors examined how the COVID-19 pandemic reshaped work and working conditions in the US, including shifts in workplaces, the workforce, work organization, and the policies and practices that support worker health, safety, and well-being. The publication also includes considerations for employers and policymakers seeking to respond effectively.

Wagner GR, Michaels D. Work Matters: Mainstreaming Worker Health and Safety Is Not Limited to Pandemic Response. Am J Public Health, February 15, 2024. Pp. e1-e5.

 A commentary in which the authors call for integrating occupational safety and health into mainstream public health, outlining how stronger coordination, surveillance, and prevention-focused policies are needed to address both long-standing and emerging workplace risks.

Michaels D, Spieler EA, Wagner GR. US workers during the covid-19 pandemic: uneven risks, inadequate protections, and predictable consequences. BMJ 2024, 384:e076623. 

The authors presented an overview of the factors that increased risks faced by US frontline workers during the covid-19 pandemic, the inadequate protection for these employees, and the consequences for this population The authors also encouraged enactment of policies and programs for the betterment of the low-wage workforce.

Michaels D, Wagner GR, Ryan L. Lessons From COVID-19 for Protecting Workers in the Next Pandemic. JAMA. June 16, 2023,330(1):23-24. 

The authors presented a Viewpoint that examines the successes and failures of public health efforts to protect workers during the COVID-19 pandemic and suggests these present an opportunity to prepare for, and build a more robust response to, future pandemics.

Igoe KJ, Pronk NP, Dennerlein JT. Interview for Harvard School of Public Health. How COVID-19 has changed the standards of worker safety and health – and how organizations can adapt. Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Executive and Continuing Education. March 31, 2021.

An interview examining how COVID-19 exposed preexisting flaws in working conditions and accelerated the need for integrated worker safety and health approaches. The researchers discuss how a Total Worker Health framework helped organizations adapt to the demands of the pandemic and build a more resilient workforce.

Dennerlein JT, Burke L, Sabbath EL, Williams JAR, Peters SE, Wallace L, Karapanos M, Sorensen G. An Integrative Total Worker Health Framework for Keeping Workers Safe and Healthy During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Human Factors 2020. 

The authors recommend an integrated Total Worker Health approach to support worker safety, health, and well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on emerging workplace recommendations and adapting an existing TWH framework, the paper outlines six key characteristics to help managers systematically protect essential workers and foster a supportive work environment.

Jetha A, Bakhtari H, Irvin E, Biswas A, Smith M, Mustard C, Arrandale V, Dennerlein J, Smith P. Do Occupational Health and Safety Tools that Utilize Artificial Intelligence Have a Measurable Impact on Worker Injury or Illness? Findings from a Systematic Review. Syst Rev 2025 Jul 11; 14(1), 146.

A systematic review examining whether AI applications used in occupational health and safety have a measurable impact on worker injury or illness. The authors highlighted the need for more rigorous research on AI-based occupational health and safety tools before conclusions about their effectiveness can be drawn.

Jetha A, Crouch M, Vold K, Peters SE, Vietas J, Sriharan A, Irvin E. Artificial Intelligence in the Workplace: A Living Systematic Review Protocol on Worker Safety, Health, and Well-being Implications. Syst Rev. 2025 Dec 30;14(1):255.

The authors describe a protocol for a living systematic review that will examine the interrelationship between AI systems, employment and working conditions, and worker safety, health, and well-being.

Jetha A, Bakhtari H, Rosella LC, Gignac MAM, Biswas A, Shahidi FV, Smith BT, Smith MJ, Mustard C, Khan N, Arrandale VH, Loewen PJ, Zuberi D, Dennerlein JT, Bonaccio S, Wu N, Irvin E, Smith PM. Artificial intelligence and the work–health interface: a research agenda for a technologically transforming world of work. Am J Ind Med 2023, 66: 815-830. 

The authors presented an agenda to guide research examining the implications of AI on the intersection between work and health, providing a roadmap to build a critical evidence base on the impact of AI on workers and workplaces, ensuring that worker health, safety, well-being, and equity are at the forefront of workplace AI system design and adoption.

Sorensen G, Stoddard A, LaMontagne A, Emmons K, Hunt MK, Youngstrom R, McLellan D, Christiani D. A comprehensive worksite cancer prevention intervention: Behavior change results from a randomized controlled trial (United States). Cancer Causes Control 2002; 13(6): 493-502. Reprinted in J Health Policy 2003; 24(1): 5-25.

Sorensen G, Stoddard A, Hunt MK, Hebert J, Ockene J, Avrunin J, Himmelstein J, Hammond K. The effects of a health promotion/health protection intervention on behavior change: The Wellworks study. Am J Public Health 1998; 88(11): 1685-1690.

Sorensen G, Himmelstein J, Hunt MK, Youngstrom R, Hebert J, Hammond SK, Palombo R, Stoddard A, Ockene JK. A model for worksite cancer prevention: Integration of health protection and health promotion in the WellWorks project. Am J Health Promot 1995; 10(1): 55-62.

Sorensen G, Barbeau E. Steps to a healthier US workforce: Integrating occupational health and safety and worksite health promotion: State of the science. Steps to a Healthier US Workforce Symposium, Washington, DC, October 26-28, 2004; National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health: Washington, DC. 

Sorensen G, Stoddard A, Quintiliani L, Ebbeling C, Nagler E, Yang M, Pereira L, Wallace L. Tobacco use cessation and weight management among motor freight workers: results of the gear up for health study. Cancer Causes Control 2010 Dec; 21(12):2113-22.

Okechukwu CA, Krieger N, Chen J, Sorensen G, Li Y; Barbeau EM. The association of workplace hazards and smoking in a U.S. multiethnic working-class population. Public Health Rep 2010 Mar-Apr; 125(2):225-33.

Okechukwu CA, Krieger N, Sorensen G, Li Y, Barbeau EM. MassBuilt: effectiveness of an apprenticeship site-based smoking cessation intervention for unionized building trades workers. Cancer Causes Control. 2009 Aug;20(6):887-94.

Sorensen G, Barbeau EM, Stoddard AM, Hunt MK, Goldman R, Smith A, Brennan AA, Wallace L. Tools for health: the efficacy of a tailored intervention targeted for construction laborers. Cancer Causes Control. 2007 Feb;18(1):51-9.

Sorensen G, Barbeau E, Stoddard AM, Hunt MK, Kaphingst K, Wallace L. Promoting behavior change among working-class, multiethnic workers: results of the healthy directions – small business study. Am J Public Health. 2005 Aug;95(8):1389-95.  

LaMontagne AD, Barbeau E, Youngstrom RA, Lewiton M, Stoddard AM, McLellan D, Wallace LM, Sorensen G. Assessing and intervening on OSH programmes: effectiveness evaluation of the Wellworks-2 intervention in 15 manufacturing worksites. Occup Environ Med. 2004 Aug;61(8):651-60. 

 

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