NIOSH to Host Webinars on Epidemiology, "Strategic Foresight"

Two new NIOSH webinars taking place this month will focus on epidemiologic and surveillance activities conducted by agency researchers and how to leverage “strategic foresight” to advance the health, safety, and well-being of workers.

The first webinar, “Quantifying and Understanding Impact: NIOSH Epidemiologic and Surveillance Activities,” is among the activities planned to recognize NIOSH’s 50th anniversary. The webinar will be held at 3 p.m. ET on Oct. 12 and cover topics such as mortality studies of chronic disease, the NIOSH Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation Program, the Coal Workers’ Health Surveillance Program, and indoor environmental quality investigations. NIOSH presenters are scheduled to speak about the agency’s international collaborations, the history of state-based surveillance, and current, emerging, and re-emerging issues in occupational health and safety. Individuals interested in attending the event can register for free via Zoom.

Another webinar to be held on Oct. 29 will address strategic foresight, which NIOSH describes as “a practice rooted in futures studies that includes the development and analysis of plausible alternative futures as inputs to strategic plans and actions.” Presenter Jessica MK Streit, deputy director of NIOSH’s Office of Research Integration, will discuss how strategic foresight can be used as a tool to enhance participants’ capacity to anticipate and shape the future of work to advance worker health, safety, and well-being. This webinar will also be held via Zoom.

Information about additional NIOSH-related events can be found on the agency’s website.