Occupational Injury Prevention Research Training Program

Institute of Medicine publications have identified serious deficiencies in graduate preparation in injury prevention within Occupational Safety and Health education and training; yet, such preparation is considered essential in reducing the burden of occupational injury which accounts for a major proportion of lost work days and overall costs to employers as well as significant consequences to the injured employees. Numbers of personnel trained to conduct research and serve as academic faculty in the occupational injury prevention area are totally inadequate to meet existing needs at the regional and national levels.

The Occupational Injury Prevention Research Training Program (OIPRTP) addresses these deficiencies and builds on extensive high quality training and research experiences dating back to 1980 that have achieved national and international recognition. This program incorporates advanced training through curriculum and trainee research opportunities that involve multidisciplinary collaborations with experts in occupational injury epidemiology, engineering and human factors/ergonomics, safety, medicine, and the social sciences including occupational psychology. Integration of public health/epidemiology and engineering approaches, in concert with educational and legislative approaches, enables students to interact with all of the disciplines represented in public health and occupational health and safety, thereby encouraging them to use resources beyond their own area of interest and to apply their knowledge across a broad range of situations. Graduates are prepared to assume academic and research positions in various institutions including academic institutions, corporate and industrial settings, health agencies, and health care facilities.

For more comprehensive information, go to: http://enhs.umn.edu/oiprtp/

Contacts:

Susan Goodwin Gerberich, Ph.D., Co-Director, OIPRTP

Telephone:         612-625-5934

E-mail:      gerbe001@umn.edu

Bruce H. Alexander, Ph.D., Co-Director, OIPRTP

Telephone:         612-625-7934

E-mail:      balex@umn.edu