Southwest Center for Occupational and Environmental Health (SWCOEH) &
Southwest Center for Agricultural Health, Injury Prevention and Education (SW Ag Center)
3rd Annual Southwest Centers Occupational Health Research Symposium via Webex
Friday, June 16, 2023 - 8:30 AM - 12:00 PM CT
Keynote Speaker: Paul Henneberger, MPH, ScD
'Making the case for occupation as an essential demographic characteristic”
Keynote Speaker
Paul Henneberger, MPH, ScD
Research Epidemiologist
Center for Disease Control and Prevention
Dr. Paul Henneberger's formal training includes a Master of Public Health (MPH) in Epidemiology from Columbia University and Doctor of Science (ScD) in Epidemiology and Occupational Health from the Harvard School of Public Health. He has worked the past 29 years at the Respiratory Health Division (RHD) of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, primarily as a Research Epidemiologist, and for the past eight years as the Senior Science Advisor. His research has addressed the respiratory health of various worker populations, including farmers, employees in the primary beryllium industry, and healthcare workers. He is the author or co-author of over a 130 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters. He has written several publications about work-exacerbated asthma, including as lead author of the Official American Thoracic Society Statement on Work-Exacerbated Asthma. He contributed to the CDC Pandemic Response, including serving as the Deputy Director of the Essential Worker Team (EWT), Vaccine Task Force (VTF) in March and April 2021. He looks forward to taking part in the SWCOEH Pilot Projects Research Training Program Symposium.
Presentations by Pilot Projects Research Training Awardees:
Shelbie Lambert, MPH
University of Texas at Tyler Health Science Center
Using ROPS Rebate Program Waitlist Data to Garner Support for Funding in Texas.
Devin Wright, MPH
SPROUT NOLA
An Agricultural Navigator Program for Crisis Response in Southeast Louisiana.
Rachel Hale, MA
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
Assessing the Health and Climate Change Risk Perceptions of Small Farmers through Application of the Health Belief Mode.
Priyadarshini Dasgupta, ScD
Southeastern Louisiana University
Importance of Targeted Stretch Exercises for Preventing Work-Related Low Pain and Discomfort in Construction Workers.
Andrea Gonzalez Melinger, MPH
The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
School of Public Health
Measuring the Effectiveness of a Personal Cooling Vest for the Prevention of Heat.
Omobola Oluwafemi, MPH
The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
School of Public Health
The Association Between Maternal Occupational Exposures and Adverse Birth Outcomes Among Infants with Birth Defects.
Laura Shay, PhD
The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
School of Public Health - San Antonio
Chronic and Infectious Disease Risk Perceptions and Use of Preventive Care Among Household Cleaners in San Antonio, Texas.
Oshin Tyagi, MS
Texas A&M University
Task-Based Evaluation of Exoskeleton Fit, Use, and Associated Neurophysiological Costs.
SWCOEH
The goal of the Pilot Projects Research Training Program is to enhance Southwest Center for Occupational and Environmental Health (SWCOEH) regional outreach efforts in research training and to foster stronger inter-institutional ties in occupational health research within Public Health Region 6 (PHR 6) (Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas). The Program is directed by Jenil Patel, MBBS, MPH, PhD.
The objective of the program is to provide a support mechanism for pilot research projects initiated by:
- Junior faculty exploring the feasibility of new research approaches that may allow investigators to collect preliminary data to subsequently develop larger grant applications
- Graduate research trainees that need partial or supplementary funding to complete or enhance short term studies (e.g., doctoral dissertation research); and/or
- Faculty in areas other than occupational health research who wish to transition or expand their research interest to workers' health issues (“new faculty investigators”).
SW Ag Center
The Feasibility Studies Program within the Southwest Center for Agricultural Health, Injury Prevention and Education (SW Ag Center) offers funding for R21 type projects focused on agriculture, forestry, and/or commercial fishing (AFF) occupational safety and health in Public Health Region 6. The program incorporates mentoring opportunities for AFF researchers and provides critical data for future research. The Program is directed by Kevin Moore, PhD.
The goals of the feasibility studies program are:
- Identify and mentor new/junior researchers to conduct innovative research, intervention, and translation projects in AFF worker safety/health.
- Support projects that provide data for innovative approaches to improve AFF occupational safety and health that justify further research.
- Promote mentoring relationships between junior and established scientists to build capacity for AFF occupational safety and health careers
Target Audience: Occupational and Environmental Health Professionals and Students
Continuing Education Units: Determination of credit is pending for CEUs and CME
At the conclusion of the symposium, participants will be able to:
- Explain the primary challenges found in the field of occupational health and safety
- Outline the key concepts in the innovative research presented during the symposium
- Hypothesize how the results of one or more of these projects potentially impacts clinical practice
- Propose novel approaches for enhancing knowledge, skills and clinical applications
Your Best Response to a Changing World!
The Southwest Center for Occupational and Environmental Health (SWCOEH) supports research, education and outreach in occupational and environmental health. The SWCOEH is housed within the Department of Epidemiology, Human Genetics and Environmental Sciences of the UTHealth Houston School of Public Health. The SWCOEH was established in 1977 as a NIOSH-funded Education and Research Center (ERC), now one of 18 ERCs in the nation. In 1985, the SWCOEH became a World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Occupational Health and in 2019 a NIOSH Total Worker Health Affiliate. Visit www.SWCOEH.org to learn more about our graduate-level education in environmental and occupational health, research, and continuing education and outreach programs, designed to promote and improve health, safety, and well-being in the workplace and the community.
The Southwest Center for Agricultural Health, Injury Prevention and Education (SW Ag Center) was created in late 1995 at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler to serve Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas as part of a program initiative of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). The initiative established a network of centers, funded on a competitive basis, to conduct programs of research, prevention, intervention, education and outreach designed to reduce occupational injuries and diseases among agricultural workers and their families. Vanessa Casanova, PhD, currently serves as the Center Director.
For additional symposium information contact:
Silvia P. Santiago, MAHS
Pilot Project Coordinator
Continuing Education Coordinator