Colorado School of Public Health is preparing to occupy a singular position in efforts to improve the health and safety of workers.
The school’s Department of Environmental and Occupational Health (EOH) will launch the fully online Master of Science in Worker Health, Safety & Well-Being in fall 2027. The program is the first in the nation to prepare professionals to address worker health through a comprehensive, systems-based approach that extends beyond occupational safety models.
“In the past, there have been programs to train people to think about worker safety and how to prevent physical injuries,” said Elizabeth Carlton, PhD, MS, chair of the department. “We built this program to meet a need for professionals who can promote the health of workers by taking into account physical and emotional health.”
Employers increasingly need professionals trained to solve workforce health challenges that traditional programs were not designed to address. The threats to health that workers face cover a broad spectrum, including burnout, physical violence, isolation, substance use, chronic disease, and more, Carlton said.
A commitment to Total Worker Health®
The new program’s approach builds on the concept of Total Worker Health, which focuses on integrating strategies to protect and promote worker health, safety, and well-being instead of treating them independently, said Natalie Schwatka, PhD, MS, the program’s founder and director and associate professor in the EOH and the Centers for Health, Work and Environment (CHWE). Schwatka also directs CHWE’s Certificate in Total Worker Health Program.
“A lot of workplace practices focus on individual behavior change,” Schwatka said. She noted, for example, an employee who feels undue stress levels on the job might get help from an employee assistance program. Too often, however, such a program is a reaction to a problem, not a proactive solution, she said.
“This program is designed to focus on how we can design work so that people aren’t stressed in the first place,” Schwatka said.
Addressing the physical and mental health needs of workers
In addition, she noted, organizations may rely on individuals who are highly skilled in one area of worker safety, but lack the training and expertise to address other problems.
She said, for example, that some health and safety professionals are trained to prevent on-the-job injuries, but are not equipped to address suicide and other mental health issues that are common challenges in construction and other industries.
“There are many degree programs that focus on physical, acute-injury prevention,” Schwatka said. “But very few layers in the [mental health] piece. That’s critical because employers are starting to realize mental health matters in the workplace, either altruistically or they are literally experiencing people dying on the job.”
Schwatka said the Master of Science in Worker Health, Safety & Well-Being curriculum aims to train a workforce that will collaborate with organizations to make worker health a priority. That requires a strong partnership with industry and applied training focused on assessing risks, designing for prevention, and implementing solutions that are effective and sustainable, building systems that protect them in all phases of their jobs.
“We’re thinking about workplace design, rather than individual health protection and promotion,” Schwatka said.
A comprehensive and applied curriculum
Students will draw from a broad swath of public health disciplines in the coursework covered by the new program, all of them emphasizing the importance of bringing research to practice.
Coursework spans occupational health and safety, epidemiology, occupational health psychology, workplace health promotion, data analysis, and communication, with an emphasis on translating research into practical workforce solutions.
In addition, students select an elective that concentrates on an area of interest and will also complete a final project. They may choose an internship, with a scholarly paper, or a research project that applies classroom theories to addressing real-world issues businesses and employees face, Schwatka said.
Training students to address practical problems
Both Carlton and Schwatka emphasized that they and their colleagues put considerable emphasis on developing a program that produces graduates equipped with skills that meet the current and future needs of workers.
“We were very intentional when designing this program, because I think that if you are going to develop especially a graduate degree program, you need to align your training with the needs of the workforce,” Carlton said.
She pointed to the medical profession, which faces a broad range of health risks, such as burnout, workplace violence, and needlestick injuries, as just one example that could benefit from a Total Worker Health approach.
Leading the future of occupational health
The program reflects a broader evolution in occupational health, one that recognizes worker well-being is shaped not only by physical hazards, but also by organizational systems, mental health, work design, and emerging workforce pressures.
The program will open doors to new opportunities for professionals committed to protecting and improving worker health with an integrated approach, Schwatka added.
“We know there are a lot of people who are doing this work in their jobs, but don’t have formal training, and they want that master’s degree to advance in their careers,” she said. She cited occupational nurses and physicians, workplace safety managers, and human resources professionals as examples.
In addition, Schwatka sees the program offering promising employment paths to undergraduates.
“This program provides early career professionals with new marketability,” she said. Employers, non-profits, and government agencies are looking for expertise and hiring for positions that can cross occupational health and safety, worksite wellness programs, risk management, environmental health, and positions responsible for employee and organizational health.
This training is necessary, not only to address current workplace challenges, but also to consider new ones, like the rise of artificial intelligence, that lie ahead, Carlton said.
“We don’t yet fully understand what work is going to look like 10 years from now,” Carlton said. “But we do know that workforce challenges are becoming more complex, interconnected, and rapidly changing. We need professionals who can look at the whole picture of work and design systems that protect and support worker health. This is not the time for silos.”