2026 Health Links® Annual Event

Embracing Change, Trust, and Adaptability

The Health Links® Annual Event is a dynamic and inspiring gathering dedicated to supporting workplaces through change, fostering trust, and building adaptability. This engaging program offers valuable opportunities to connect with peers and industry experts through collaboration, networking, and interactive activities.

Attendees will gain practical strategies for navigating constant workplace change, enhancing employee well-being, and promoting a culture of safety and resilience. Hear insights from leaders across diverse industries and discover how curiosity, flexibility, and intentional action can help teams thrive amid uncertainty.

Enhance your experience by joining our interactive afternoon workshops, where participants can explore key Total Worker Health^®topics and discover actionable strategies to improve employee health, safety, and well-being in a rapidly evolving workplace.

ANNOUNCING KEYNOTE

Captain Christian B. Rathke

Christian Rathke Headshot CAPT Christian Rathke DMSc, PA-C, DFAAPA was commissioned in December 2011 in the United States Public Health Service (USPHS) following seven years in the U.S. Navy. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Bridgewater College, a Master of Medical Science with a concentration in Physician Associate Studies from Yale University School of Medicine, and a Doctor of Medical Science from the University of Lynchburg, with a focus on administrative medicine and organizational interventions to achieve workforce health outcomes.

CAPT Rathke is a U.S. Public Health Service officer, clinician, healthcare executive, and nationally and internationally recognized leader in Total Worker Health, work design, and workforce resilience. He serves as Director of Total Worker Health for NOAA’s National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS), where he leads one of the first comprehensive, enterprise-scale federal implementations of Total Worker Health.

Prior to his current role, CAPT Rathke served as Director of the NOAA Office of Health Services, providing enterprise medical and public health leadership and leading the Department of Commerce and NOAA COVID-19 response for more than two years during a global crisis. Earlier in his career, he was a National Health Service Corps scholar and held clinical, operational, and aviation medicine roles spanning cardiology, aerospace, and operational physiology, supporting high-risk missions and training operational units, including Navy aviators, NASA astronauts, and the Blue Angels.

His work integrates occupational medicine, organizational psychology, human factors, and systems science to help leaders redesign work in ways that improve health, performance, and organizational sustainability. He has led enterprise burnout research, pioneered real-time workload analytics using the NASA Task Load Index, and developed a first-of-its-kind supervisor change-management curriculum now scaling across federal organizations. CAPT Rathke is frequently consulted by senior executives and federal agencies and has contributed to national suicide prevention policy and international discussions on workforce health and climate risk.

Award highlights include the Department of Commerce Gold Medal, Department of Commerce Bronze Medal, NOAA Corps Meritorious Service Medal, NOAA Administrator’s Award (2), PHS Outstanding Service Medal, PHS Commendation Medal, Navy Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Combat Action Ribbon, and the Humanitarian Service Medal.

Past events

Total Worker Health^® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Participation by the Center for Health, Work & Environment does not imply endorsement by HHS, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.

Centers for Health, Work & Environment

Colorado School of Public Health

CU Anschutz

Fitzsimons Building

13001 East 17th Place

Suite W3111

Mail Stop B119

Aurora, CO 80045

colorado school of public health

coloradoSPH

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Centers for Health, Work & Environment

2026 Health Links® Annual Event

Past events

Centers for Health, Work & Environment

Colorado School of Public Health