The Role of Work in Health Disparities in the United States Workshop

Virtual workshop conducted September 28-29, 2020

Workshop Presentations and Resources

Access Day 1 via NIH Videocast

Workshop Overview
Rada Dagher, Ph.D., NIMHD

NIH Welcome Remarks
Eliseo Pérez-Stable, M.D., NIMHD Director, NHLBI Intramural Sr. Investigator

Keynote: State of the Science for Research on Work and Health Disparities
Sarah Burgard, Ph.D., University of Michigan

The Importance of Work in Fundamental Cause Theory
Bruce Link, Ph.D., University of California, Riverside

Work as a Social Determinant of Health: Theoretical and Practical Considerations
Rada Dagher, Ph.D., NIMHD

How Work Contributes to Health Disparities
Mark Cullen, M.D., Stanford University

Typological Measurement of Complex, Multidimensional Constructs: The Example of Employment Quality
Trevor Peckham, Ph.D., University of Washington

Conceptual and Methodological Considerations in Identifying the Contribution of Work to Health Disparities
Ana Diez Roux, M.D., Ph.D., Drexel University

Causal Models for Work and Health Disparities
Bryan Dowd, Ph.D., University of Minnesota

Options for Modern Mediation Analyses of Occupational Contributions to Racial/Ethnic Health Disparities
Jay Kaufman, Ph.D., McGill University

Overview of Data Availability for Studying Work and Health Disparities and Unmet Needs
Jeff Hayes, Ph.D., Institute for Women’s Policy Research

Access Day 2 via NIH Videocast

Occupational Segregation and Worker Health
Katherine Chung-Bridges, M.D., Health Choice Network

Native-Immigrant Occupational Segregation and Worker Health in the United States
Wen Fan, Ph.D., Boston College

Allostatic Load: A Possible Link Between Work and Health Disparities
Erik Rodriquez, Ph.D., National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

Racism in the Workplace and Beyond: In Search of Mechanisms
Gilbert Gee, Ph.D., University of California, Los Angeles

Research on Within-Job Health Disparities
Jeff Hayes, Ph.D., Institute for Women’s Policy Research

Disparities and Dynamics: A Life Course Approach to Work and Health in Later Adulthood
Phyllis Moen, Ph.D., University of Minnesota

Race, Place, and Social Mobility
Sonya R. Porter, Ph.D., U.S. Census Bureau

Parents’ Jobs and Children’s Health: Differences by Race/Ethnicity and Nativity
Pamela Joshi, Ph.D., Brandeis University

Policies Influencing Work and Health Disparities: Gaps and Opportunities
Patricia McGovern, Ph.D., University of Minnesota

System-Level Trends in Working Conditions, and Interventions to Reduce Health Inequities
Presentation | Research Recommendations
Paul Landsbergis, Ph.D., SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University

Workshop Synopsis

Speaker biographies | Agenda

Work is a social determinant that may explain a considerable amount of health disparities for race/ethnic minority and low socioeconomic status populations.

The goal of this two-day workshop is to identify priority research areas to understand and address the role of work as a social determinant that contributes to health disparities. The workshop will promote multidisciplinary health disparities research by convening experts from the research fields of health disparities, population sciences, labor economics, occupational health, epidemiology, and organizational sociology and psychology to consider work as a social determinant and identify potential mechanisms and interventions to address health disparities.

Discussion topics:

1. Theoretical and conceptual foundations
2. Measures/indicators and analytical approaches
3. Key mechanisms (occupational segregation, worksite segregation, intergenerational transmission)
4. Upstream and systemic pathways

Individuals with disabilities who need Sign Language Interpreters and/or reasonable accommodation to participate in this event should contact Edgar Dews at Edgar.Dews@nih.gov, 301-402-1366, and/or the Federal Relay (1-800-877-8339).

Page updated November 22, 2021