Dr. Natalie Schwatka’s primary research focus is on the how the working environment – business strategies, leadership practices, and organizational climate – can be used to protect and promote workers’ health, safety, and well-being, called a Total Worker Heath® (TWH) approach. She is primarily interested in intervention, dissemination, and implementation research on this topic. However, she also has interest in using multiple sources of health data to conduct occupational health and safety surveillance and predictive modeling to understand workplace health and safety. Dr. Schwatka is an Assistant Professor within the Department of Environmental & Occupational Health where she teaches TWH courses. She is the Director of the NIOSH Mountain and Plains Education and Research Center (MAP ERC) Certificate in TWH program. She also serves as the Research Core Director of the Center for Health, Work & Environment's TWH Center of Excellence where she directs the TWH Pilot Project Program.
Areas of Expertise
- Total Worker Health
- Leadership
- Organizational culture/climate
- Intervention, dissemination and implementation research
- Health & safety surveillance research
Education, Licensure & Certifications
- PhD, Environmental Health - Occupational ergonomics specialization, Colorado State University, 2014
- MS, Environmental Health - Occupational ergonomics specialization, Colorado State University, 2011
- BA, Psychology, University of Portland, 2008
Resumes/CV:
Awards
- Delta Omega National Honorary Society in Public Health, 2019
- Outstanding Graduate Student Researcher of the Year, Colorado State University, Environmental Health Sciences, 2011
Affiliations
- Society for Total Worker Health, Advisory Board Member
- Society for Occupational Health Psychology
- American Public Health Association
- American Society of Safety Professionals
- NIOSH National Occupational Research Agenda – Traumatic Injury Prevention Council Member
Courses
- EHOH 6629/6636: Introduction to Occupational Safety & Ergonomics
- EHOH 6639: Occupational Health Psychology
Research
- NIOSH, Longitudinal study of Total Worker Health among small enterprises. 07/07/2019 – 06/30/2022. Role: PI
- NIOSH, Center for Health, Work & Environment, 09/01/21 – 08/31/26. Role: CO-I
- NIOSH, Mountain and Plains Education and Research Center, 07/01/2020 – 06/30/2025. Role: Director of the Certificate in Total Worker Health Training Program
- NIOSH, Enhancing safety climate through leadership, 09/01/14–08/31/19. Role: CO-I.
Publications and Presentations
- Schwatka, NV, Burden, M, Dyrbye, L. (2024). An organizational leadership development approach to support health worker mental health. AJPH. 114(S2): 142-147
- Schwatka, NV, Dally, M, Shore, E, Tenney, L, Brown, CE, Scott, JG, Dexter, L, Newman, LS. (2022). Small+Safe+Well: Lessons learned from a Total Worker Health® randomized intervention to promote organizational change in small business. BMC Public Health. 22, 1039. PMCID: PMC9128251
- Schwatka, NV, Brown, C, Tenney, L, Scott, JG, Shore, E, Dally, M, Newman, LS. (2021). Evaluation of a Total Worker Health Leadership Development Program for Small Business. Occupational Health Science. 5: 163-188. PMC Journal – in Process
- Schwatka, NV, Goldenhar, LM, Johnson, S, Beldon, M, Tessler, J, Dennerlein, J, Fullen, M, Treu, H. (2019). A training intervention to improve frontline construction leaders’ safety leadership practices and overall jobsite safety climate. Journal of Safety Research. 70: 253-262. PMCID: PMC7076738
- Jinnett, K, Schwatka, NV, Tenney, L, vS Brockbank, C, Newman, L. (2017). Chronic Conditions, Workplace Safety, And Job Demands Contribute To Absenteeism And Job Performance. Health Affairs (Millwood). 36(2): 237-244.