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Our center stands on three pillars: Research, Education, and Practice. One of the many ways we work to protect workers is through educating and training future leaders in occupational safety and health (OSH).

As part of our Student Spotlight series highlighting our trainees, we interviewed Emily Sharpe, a student earning a Certificate in Total Worker Health^® from the Colorado School of Public Health. Emily works full time as the Living Well Program Director at TIAA, along with serving as mayor of her town, Elon, North Carolina.

Tell us about your main project

With this being my first term in the certificate program, I am looking forward to gaining a better understanding of the integration of workplace health promotion and worker safety. Having worked in the field of workplace wellness for the last decade, I’m looking forward to taking the experience of the Total Worker Health program and providing an even greater level of expertise as it related to total health and safety in the workplace.

What is one surprising discovery you’ve made or experience you’ve had in your training?

I have truly enjoyed getting to better understand the impact of Total Worker Health in industries that I am not that familiar with. One project I worked on for a course involved consulting with a company in the construction industry which really opened my eyes to the health and safety risks within the industry and the various approaches to overcome those risks in the workplace.

What impact has the MAP ERC had on your training?

I was highly interested in the Total Worker Health certificate. Then, the pandemic hit. With so much uncertainty in 2020, I wasn’t sure that I could take on the costs of the program. The financial support of MAP ERC provided me the ability to further my education and knowledge which will also improve my day-to-day work and the impact on our employees.
   

How do you plan to address climate issues through your work in occupational safety and health?

I’ve looked at health and wellbeing from a holistic standpoint. From air pollution to the weather to biological hazards such as COVID or the flu, the climate has the ability to impact our well-being. By approaching Total Worker Health with climate change in mind, we can seek to collaborate on a broader scale for limiting workplace risk and promoting worker health and safety.