The Certificate in Total Worker Health® at the Colorado School of Public Health has reached a milestone. It now has 50 graduates who are bringing an integrated approach to worker safety, health, and well-being into public health, occupational safety, medicine, nursing, human resources, and beyond.
The certificate is offered through the Department of Environmental & Occupational Health in partnership with the Centers for Health, Work & Environment (CHWE), one of 10 Centers of Excellence for Total Worker Health® in the country. The 15-credit program is fully online and can be completed part time in about a year. Students learn how to assess organizational culture, plan and evaluate workplace health and safety programs, and lead Total Worker Health (TWH) initiatives that protect workers from hazards while promoting their overall well-being.
“It’s so exciting to have a growing community of professionals applying the TWH approach in their various roles,” said Natalie Schwatka, PhD, MS, associate professor and director of the Certificate in Total Worker Health®. She added, “It’s like we’re slowly infiltrating all these different professions that touch worker health with an infusion of the TWH approach!”
The certificate’s graduates come into the program by two paths. Of the 50 alumni, 27 completed it as working professionals and 23 earned it alongside another graduate program. Nine students are currently enrolled: five MPH students, three occupational and environmental medicine residents, and one certificate-only student.
For Schwatka, the range of backgrounds has been one of the most rewarding parts of the program’s growth.
“While we might expect people working in occupational health and safety to be drawn to TWH, we’ve also had people working in HR, organizational wellness, healthcare, public health, and other fields,” she said. “It really speaks to how broadly applicable the TWH approach is and how many different professionals have a role to play in improving worker health, safety, and well-being.”
She sees the milestone as a starting point. “Reaching 50 graduates feels like an exciting milestone, not just because of the number, but because of the potential ripple effect these graduates can have as they bring TWH principles into their organizations and professions.”
Schwatka credits the program’s growth to a shift in how employers and professionals think about worker health.
“I think the growth has been driven by a growing recognition that we need to support the whole worker through more integrated, comprehensive approaches,” she said. “Professionals are increasingly recognizing the value of understanding both occupational safety and health and worker mental health and well-being. There’s also growing interest in approaches that focus on changing work and working conditions, rather than placing the responsibility for health and well-being solely on individual workers.”
Students often arrive looking to fill different gaps. Those with a safety background tend to want to learn more about health promotion, mental health, and well-being. Those coming from HR or workplace wellness often want to better understand occupational safety and how to address mental health at the organizational level.
“Many are accustomed to offering individual-level programs, like stress management, and are excited to explore how they can change the work environment to better support workers,” Schwatka said.
That, she noted, is part of what makes TWH so appealing: it brings together fields that have traditionally operated separately and gives professionals a shared framework for creating healthier, safer workplaces.
For Amy Schamberg, EdS, the certificate put a name to something she had seen throughout her career. As a school psychologist, she grew frustrated watching educators receive wellness perks and reminders to use the employee assistance program while facing high workloads, limited resources, and violent student behavior. “I saw firsthand how working conditions shape educators’ health, safety, and well-being, and TWH gave me a framework for addressing those conditions at their source,” she said.
Schamberg completed the certificate in May 2025 as a mid-career professional and parent, supported by a Mountain & Plains Education and Research Center (MAP ERC) scholarship. It became the first step toward her DrPH in Environmental & Occupational Health and her current role as a professional research assistant and Health Links® advisor at CHWE. “Above all, TWH reinforced my belief that worker well-being is not simply an individual responsibility; it is an organizational responsibility to create the conditions in which people can thrive,” she said.
Nick Williams, a 2025 certificate graduate, said TWH helped him connect “things that too often get treated separately: physical safety, mental health, leadership, workplace culture, and the conditions people work under.” He came to the program from construction, where his work brought him into conversations about suicide, overdose, substance use, and the pressures people carry into work every day. He wanted to understand how workplaces could help address those challenges, including how work itself contributes to them.
Today, Williams leads the American Subcontractors Association of Colorado and focuses on workplace well-being and suicide and overdose prevention. In practice, that means bringing construction employers and workers together through a Health & Safety Summit, offering suicide prevention training, distributing naloxone, and supporting recovery-friendly workplaces. It also shapes everyday conversations with employers about how their decisions affect the people doing the work. “We can hand someone a resource, but we also have to ask what happens when they return to work,” he said.
Both had encouraging words for anyone considering the program:
“Take the leap! Especially if you’re wondering whether it’s the right time,” Schamberg said. “For me, it opened a career path I couldn’t have imagined when I started.”
“You don’t have to be a health professional to have a meaningful impact on worker health,” Williams said. “If you lead people, influence workplace decisions, or care about the people you work alongside, this program has something for you.”
Scholarship support has helped make the certificate accessible to students at every career stage. Of the program’s 50 graduates, 29 received scholarship support from the Mountain & Plains Education and Research Center (MAP ERC), and scholarships remain available for incoming students.
Graduates now also have a new path to continue their studies. The Colorado School of Public Health recently launched an MS in Worker Health, Safety, & Well-Being, and certificate students can apply some of their credits toward the degree.
Apply: The next certificate application deadline is November 1, 2026, for a Spring 2027 start, followed by March 1, 2027, for a Summer 2027 start. The MS application deadline is May 1, 2027.
Learn more on the Certificate in Total Worker Health page and the MS in Worker Health, Safety, & Well-Being page.
The Certificate in Total Worker Health® is supported by the Mountain & Plains Education and Research Center (MAP ERC), funded by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Total Worker Health® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Participation by the Centers for Health, Work & Environment does not imply endorsement by HHS, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or NIOSH.