Dr. Newman is a researcher, physician, public health practitioner, and educator. He is a distinguished university professor in the Departments of Environmental & Occupational Health and Epidemiology at the Colorado School of Public Health. He is founding director of both the Center for Health, Work & Environment and the Mountain & Plains Education and Research Center. He co-founded Health Links™, the ColoradoSPH Certificate in Total Worker Health®, and the University of Colorado Consortium for Climate Change & Health. Dr. Newman is also professor of medicine in the Division of Pulmonary Sciences and Critical Care Medicine at University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. He founded Axion Health, Inc., an occupational health informatics company. Dr. Newman is recognized for his scientific and practical contributions to occupational health and safety, Total Worker Health, immunotoxicology, biomarker development, occupational lung disease prevention and treatment, sarcoidosis, beryllium health effects, chronic kidney disease of unknown cause, health informatics, medical surveillance, and climate change and worker health. He has authored over 200 scientific papers and over 120 books, chapters, and monographs. Dr. Newman consults for government agencies, businesses, labor groups, and community organizations. His favorite life role is as mentor, second only to husband and father. He is irrationally optimistic.
Areas of Expertise
- Total Worker Health, especially applied to small enterprises and internationally
- Prevention of occupational injuries and illnesses
- Workplace health promotion and health protection
- Etiology of occupational and environmental disorders
- Immunotoxicology, especially immune effects of metals (beryllium)
- Granulomatous lung disorders: Chronic beryllium disease and sarcoidosis
- Biomarker development
- Medical surveillance in the workplace
- Health informatics in the healthcare industry
- Etiology and prevention of chronic kidney disease in agricultural workers
Education, Licensure & Certifications
- Fellowship, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, University of Colorado, 1987
- Internship and Residency, Internal Medicine, Emory University, 1983
- MD, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, 1980
- MA, Cornell University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, 1977
- BA, Amherst College, 1975
Awards
- 2019 designation as a University of Colorado Distinguished Professor, the highest honor for faculty at CU
- 2016 Chancellor’s Award for Teaching Excellence, University of Colorado, CU Anschutz
- 2015 Diversity Award, CDC/National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Diversity Steering Council
- 2012 Chancellor’s Award for Teaching Excellence, University of Colorado, CU Anschutz
- 2011 Delta Omega, National Public Health Honorary Society (Alpha Upsilon Chapter President)
- 2004 Fellow, Collegium Ramazzini
- 1990 Fellow, American College of Chest Physicians (FCCP)
Courses
- EHOH 6614 Introduction to Environmental and Occupational Health
- EHOH 6628 Health Protection and Health Promotion in the Workplace
- EHOH 6617 Environmental and Occupational Toxicology
- EHOH 6638 Communication Skills for Public Health Impact
- Certificate in Total Worker Health, Co-Director
Research Interest
- Biomarker Development
- Etiology and Prevention of Chronic Kidney Disease
- Etiology of Occupational and Environmental Disorders
- Ganulomatous Lung Disorders
- Health informatics
- Immunotoxicology
- Medical Surveillance
- Prevention of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses
- Total Worker Health
- Workplace Health Promotion
Research
- CDC/National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). "Center for Health, Work & Environment - Total Worker Health National Center of Excellence." (September 2021-August 2026). Role: Center Director/Prinicipal Investigator; "WeCanWork - Well-being, Cancer and Worker Study." (September 2021-August 2026). Role: Co-Investigator.
- CDC/National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). "Mountain and Plains Education and Research Center". (July 2020-June 2025). Role: Center Director
- National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS). "Particulate Exposure and Kidney Health" (March 2021-December 2026). Role: Co-Principal Investigator
- Department of Energy (DOE)/Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU). "National Supplemental Screening Program." (August 2005-January 2025). Role: Co-Prinicipal Investigator.
- CDC/National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). "Intergovernmental Personnel Act: Associate Service Fellow." (September 2019-August 2023). Role: Contributor to NIOSH COVID response
Publications and Presentations
- Butler-Dawson J, James KA, Krisher L, Jaramillo D, Dally M, Neumann N, Pilloni D, Cruz A, Asensio C, Johnson RJ, Adgate J, Newman LS. Environmental metal exposures and kidney function of Guatemalan sugarcane workers. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol. 2022 May;32(3):461-471. doi: 10.1038/s41370-021-00292-x. Epub 2021 Feb 18. PMID: 33603096; PMCID: PMC8371072.
- Schwatka NV, Jaramillo D, Dally M, Krisher L, Dexter L, Butler-Dawson J, Clancy R, Fisher GG, Newman LS. Latin American Agricultural Workers' Job Demands and Resources and the Association With Health Behaviors at Work and Overall Health. Front Public Health. 2022 Apr 7;10:838417. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.838417. PMID: 35462804; PMCID: PMC9021611.
- Tenney L, Huebschmann AG, Brown CE, Schwatka NV, Newman LS. Leveraging an Implementation Science Framework to Measure the Impact of Efforts to Scale Out a Total Worker Health® Intervention to Employers. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Jan 26;19(3):1372. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19031372. PMID: 35162408; PMCID: PMC8834848.
- Dally M, Sorensen CJ, Butler-Dawson J, Griffin BR, Johnson RJ, Krisher L, Jaramillo D, Asensio C, Newman LS. Sugarcane Workweek Study: Mechanisms Underlying Daily Changes in Creatinine. Kidney Int Rep. 2021 Aug 27;6(12):3083-3086. doi: 10.1016/j.ekir.2021.08.014. PMID: 34901578; PMCID: PMC8640536.
- Butler-Dawson J, Krisher L, Dally M, James KA, Johnson RJ, Jaramillo D, Yoder H, Johnson EC, Pilloni D, Asensio C, Cruz A, Newman LS. Sugarcane Workweek Study: Risk Factors for Daily Changes in Creatinine. Kidney Int Rep. 2021 Jun 22;6(9):2404-2414. doi: 10.1016/j.ekir.2021.06.003. PMID: 34514201; PMCID: PMC8418948.