Registration now open for the 2018 MRASH conference

Registration is now open for the Midwest Rural Agricultural Safety and Health (MRASH) Conference to be held in Council Bluffs, Iowa, Nov. 27-30. Poster abstracts will be accepted through Nov. 1. Check out the confernce program and registration options online. Published September 19, 2018

Telling the Story Project shares farm safety messages

The Telling the Story Project shares the stories of farmers, agricultural workers, and family and community members who've been impacted by injuries, fatalities, or close calls. "Talking about farm safety makes it normal, and part of farm management, just like the markets or weather or policies are discussed," says Stephanie Leonard, who helped develop the project. "This is just as important, and actually more, when you’re the person who stands to lose time at work from an injury or your life, even." (Multiple sources) Published September 18, 2018

Op-ed: Faith community can help farmers through tough times

Jenna Gibbs, coordinator of the UI Great Plains Center for Agricultural Health, co-authored an editorial about the stressors that farmers face and where they turn for help during tough times. A survey found that many rely on their spiritual community for support. (Des Moines Register) Published September 13, 2018

Lunch and learn: Building dissemination into your research

Learn from our partners at the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children's Hospital (Columbus, OH) about their experience getting injury prevention work out of the journals and into the hands of policymakers, corporations, parents, teachers, and coaches. Attend the lunch and learn session on Tuesday, Sept. 25, from noon to 1:30 p.m. in C217 CPHB. Published September 13, 2018

Telling the Story Project helps protect farmers

Brian Egel, who farms near Nichols, Iowa, has suffered numerous injuries working on the farm. To help tell other farmers to pay attention to what they do, Egel shared his story with the Telling the Story Project, a farm safety initiative developed in part by the Great Plains Center for Agricultural Health located in the UI College of Public Health. (Iowa Now) Published September 12, 2018

Field: Family physicians play a key role in informing patients about radon

University of Iowa professor of occupational and environmental health and leading radon expert Bill Field writes that family physicians can play a key role in informing their patients about the health risks posed by radon exposure and in recommending proactive actions to reduce radon exposure.  Published September 5, 2018

Catch up on Heartland Center news

The Heartland Center for Occupational Health and Safety's latest newsletter takes a look at opioid death rates by occupation, ensuring the safety of temporary workers, the Hawkeye on Safety conference, Fire Prevention Week, and more. Published August 30, 2018

Lack of portable insurance adds health care burden to migrant workers

CPH Professor Charles Lynch and alumna Ashlee Johannes (16MS) are quoted in an article about migrant farm workers' lack of portable insurance. Migrant workers often under-report their illnesses and injuries, partially because of limited or no access to health insurance, said Johannes. (Des Moines Register) Published August 23, 2018

Mikulski appointed to nuclear workers health panel

The U.S. Department of Labor recently announced 12 appointees to the Advisory Board on Toxic Substances and Worker Health for the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act. Alumnus Marek Mikulski (11PhD, 02MPH), an adjunct assistant professor, assistant research scientist, and co-principal investigator for the Burlington Atomic Energy Commission Plant and Ames Lab Former DOE Worker Medical Screening Programs in the CPH Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, is one of four members new to the board. Published August 15, 2018

Gibbs comments on pesticide drift

An article about the health concerns of wind-blown pesticides includes comments from Jenna Gibbs, coordinator of the UI Great Plains Center for Agricultural Health. The University of Iowa is a leader in researching pesticide drift. (KUNC) Published August 15, 2018