Occupational Health Psychology Training Program
History
of Occupational Health Psychology
Occupational
Health Psychology Training at CSU
History of Occupational
Health Psychology
Occupational
Health Psychology (OHP) concerns the application of psychology to improving the
quality of work life, and to protecting and promoting the safety, health and
well-being of workers. The term
“Occupational Health Psychology” was first mentioned in American Psychologist in 1990 by Raymond, Wood, and Patrick.
Nonetheless, psychologists have taken an active role in promoting workers’
psychological and physical well-being for almost a century (Chen, DeArmond, & Huang, 2007). Its beginning can be traced
to events in the early 1900s in the fields of industrial/organizational and
human factors psychology. For instance, Hugo Münsterberg
(1898 President of the American Psychological Association, APA), researched
accident prevention and safety promotion and published his work in Psychology
and Industrial Efficiency (1913). The author of the first
Industrial/Organizational Psychology textbook (Viteles,
1932) spent almost half of the book focusing on industrial accidents, fatigue,
and safety.
In
the early 1990s, in response to the continuous occupational safety and health
challenges, APA and NIOSH developed a cooperative agreement to initiate a pilot
program for post-doctoral OHP training between 1994 and 1998 at three
universities. In addition, eleven universities, including CSU, received a
one-year small grant to develop OHP graduate courses. More information about
OHP in the
Occupational Health
Psychology Training at CSU
The
OHP graduate training at CSU was established in 2001 when Drs.
Since
2007, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
approved funding for the Mountains and Plains Education and Research
Center (MAPERC), which becomes one of 17 centers throughout the country.
One of the training programs in the Center is Occupational Health Psychology
(OHP), which is hosted by the Department of Psychology at
The
OHP Training Program is currently directed by Drs. Peter Chen (Industrial/Organizational
Psychologist), Lorann
Stallones (Occupational Epidemiologist) and John
Rosecrance (Ergonomist), with collaborations among faculty from the Department of Psychology, Department of Environmental and
Radiological Health Sciences, Department of Construction Management,
Department of Human Development
and Family Studies, Department
of Journalism and Technical Communication, as well as OHP Advisory Board Members.
OHP
students are required to complete three OHP seminars (Occupational Health
Psychology, Epidemiology of occupational illness and injury, and Principles of
Ergonomics) as well as other courses required by students’ main programs (e.g.,
Industrial-Organizational Psychology, Applied Social Psychology). In addition, they coordinate, deliver,
and attend workshops and colloquia.
Each student's OHP program of study is discussed with and agreed upon by
the student's doctoral committee.
A
unique feature of the OHP training program at the CSU is our philosophy of inclusion,
integration, and innovation. OHP at
CSU views occupational safety and health as more than just absence of disease
or injuries at work, but as a complete state of physical, cognitive,
motivational, behavioral, and psychological well-being at work. To build a healthy workplace, and to
promote safer, healthier, and more secure lives at work and in families and
communities, OHP training at CSU embraces a multidisciplinary approach, takes
advantages of diverse perspectives, and develops strategies and theories by
means of system thinking.
All
OHP students receive funding (stipends and tuition) from the NIOSH MAPERC as
well as other funding mechanisms.
OHP trainees are expected to (1) demonstrate academic progress and
complete their Department's requirements as well as core courses in the OHP
Training Program, (2) engage in scholarly activities such as attending
OHP-related colloquia or workshops, and conducting, presenting, and submitting
OHP-related research, (3)
collaborate with stakeholders (scientists and practitioners) to promote safer,
healthier, and more secure lives at work and in families and communities, and
(4) play an active role in sustaining the OHP training program and the MAPERC.
Dr.
Dr.
Dr.
Lori A. Snyder, Department of Psychology,
Monica Rosales (AS) monica.rosales@colostate.edu
OHP
related research and practicum projects can be found in the following
newsletters, SMART 11, SMART 12, SMART 21, and SMART 22.
Howard Arnold
Business Representative in Pipefitters Local Union No. 208
Yvonne Boudreau, MD, MSPH
Hazard Evaluations and
Technical Assistance Branch (HETAB) of the National Institute for
Occupational Safety and
Health
Project Manager and Safety
Director of Braconier Plumbing and Heating Company
Associate Director for Safety
and Health Research at the Center to Protect Workers' Rights
Joseph Hurrell, Ph.D.
Consultant and Adjunct
Professor of Centre for Occupational Health and Safety at St. Mary's University
in
Gordon Smith, MD
Professor,
Students who are interested in pursuing
OHP training may apply for one of the graduate programs (Applied Social, Cognitive, Counseling, Perceptual and Brain Sciences and Industrial/Organizational). Application procedures
for each program can be found in http://www.colostate.edu/Depts/Psychology/gradapply.shtml. In your application package (e.g., letter,
financial aid, etc.), indicate that you would like to be considered as an OHP
trainee candidate.
Contact
Information
OHP
student representative:
Updated
on 01/17/2008