NIOSH Centers of Excellence for Total Worker Health

The six National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Centers of Excellence for Total Worker Health®:

1. University of Colorado Center for Health, Work & Environment  educates future leaders, conducts research, and designs practical solutions to occupational health and safety challenges. The Center uses a TWH approach, by prioritizing safety, first and foremost, while striving to improve overall worker health. The Center’s Health Links™ mentoring program champions health and safety at work. The Center has also developed an online evidence-based Healthy Workplace Certification™ for working professionals to help their organizations and team members achieve TWH.
2. Center for the Promotion of Health in the New England Workplace (CPH-NEW) is a joint interdisciplinary initiative of the University of Massachusetts Lowell and the University of Connecticut. The Center conducts research to evaluate the health benefits, obstacles and cost effectiveness of workplace programs that integrate occupational health and safety with other measures to enhance worker well-being. CPH-NEW's own studies examine musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, and mental health outcomes; the underlying role of work organization; and the importance of worker involvement in program design and implementation. Pilot projects have addressed a wide range of topics, including the interaction of work and non-work risk factors; opportunities, resources, and obstacles to workplace change; and incorporating occupational health into mainstream public health programs at the state and local levels. The Center offers research-based program tools and guidance to employers, unions, health professionals and policy makers to promote a worker-centered approach to safety and well-being. 
   • At the University of Massachusetts research seeks to understand how to help a workplace be health-promoting, what makes an effective TWH program, and the feasibility of delivering a TWH program in different types of settings. We are especially interested in topics such as job stress, musculoskeletal disorders, organization of work, and worker engagement in program design.
   • At the University of Connecticut  the research goal is to evaluate the feasibility, effectiveness and economic benefits of integrating occupational health and safety with health promotion interventions to improve employee health. The Center places a strong emphasis on occupational ergonomic interventions and worker involvement. Areas of particular interest include musculoskeletal health, mental health, and cardiovascular health.
3. Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Center for Work, Health and Well-being conducts groundbreaking research based on the premise that conditions of work are important determinants of individual safety and health outcomes and behaviors, and of outcomes important to enterprises, such as absence and turnover. Integrated policies, programs, and practices simultaneously address multiple conditions of work, including the physical work environment and the organization of work (e.g., psychosocial factors, job tasks, and demands). The Center designs and tests interventions to improve worker safety and health that are meaningful for workers and employers, and is responsive to that setting's conditions of work, sharing workplace and public policy, and building organizational capacity. The Center’s tools and resources empower safety and health professionals to work across disciplines and apply an evidence-based model to support worker health, safety, and well-being.
4. Healthier Workforce Center of the Midwest  serves as a leader in research, translation and dissemination of multidisciplinary Total Worker Health® programs, policies and practices. The Center conducts basic and applied research addressing Total Worker Health® outcomes. The Center partners with researchers, employers, and occupational safety and health practitioners to generate, evaluate, and disseminate best practices in Total Worker Health®. The Center engages in outreach and education activities to disseminate and speed the adoption of best practices in Total Worker Health®
5. Oregon Healthy Workforce Center (OHWC) designs, develops, and evaluates the effectiveness of integrated programs that jointly address work-specific factors such as hazard reduction and work redesign along with employee-specific issues like chronic illness prevention and health improvement. The Center conducts research, disseminates evidence-based programs, and provides active interdisciplinary collaboration with partner organizations. The Center houses and delivers robust tools and comprehensive toolkits at the online resource Center, YourWorkPath.com to lead and help employers find a path towards a healthier and safer workplace.
6. University of Illinois-Chicago Center for Healthy Work  works to remove barriers that impact the health of low wage workers in the increasingly contingent workforce. The Center’s Healthy Communities through Healthy Work team partners with local, regional, and national organizations to: identify and assess policies and initiatives that promote healthy work for those in precarious jobs and build upon and support existing and new strategies, build intersectoral networks to further social change, provide training and capacity building for organizations to identify pathways for healthy communities through healthy work.

Total Worker Health® is a registered trademark of the U.S Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Participation by Madison County Health Department does not imply endorsement by HHS, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.