Occupational Health Services Research and Policy

Background

Two important trends are generating increased demand for researchers trained in both occupational health and health services research and policy:

· The scope of occupational health is expanding. Health and safety issues in the workplace include access to care, evaluation of the cost and quality of care, and utilization patterns in occupational and non-occupational health services.
· A need for more detailed and rigorous policy and program evaluations. Policy-makers are demanding more detailed and rigorous evaluation of proposed workplace regulations and existing health and safety services. Increasingly, proposed policies and programs must be supported by cost-benefit and cost-effectiveness analyses.

These issues all are within the realm of health services research, but require a thorough understanding of the substantive context of occupational health and safety. Currently, the best way to address these concerns is through collaborative research between experts in occupational health and safety and health services research and policy. In the future research and training efforts in this area will be conducted by investigators who have expertise in both areas.

To facilitate this training effort the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health is providing grant support to the University of Minnesota to provide tuition and stipend support to doctoral students accepted into the program (contingent upon annual funding awards). Graduates of this doctoral program will assume leadership roles that enable them to contribute to the scientific knowledge base and policy evaluation efforts identified in the National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA).

The Midwest Center for Occupational Health and SafetyContact MCOHS