# North Carolina Occupational Safety and Health Education and Research Centers

> **NIH ALLCDC T42** · UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL · 2024 · $1,800,000

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
This is a competing renewal application for the North Carolina Occupational Safety and Health Education and Research
Center (NC OSHERC). Our unique Center builds upon the strengths of the occupational health and safety (OHS) education
and research programs at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Duke University, and North Carolina State
University. Nearly 62% of US adults are employed, and work exerts an independent, powerful influence on their health and
safety. As we conducted needs and strengths assessments in preparation for this Center proposal, we saw how the COVID-
19 pandemic created a massive re-shaping of work, work conditions, and worker health, particularly related to safety, mental
health, and well-being among essential and underserved workers. This observation has strengthened our joint efforts with
both our regional Education and Research Center colleagues and other OHS partners to serve the emerging needs of
occupational health professionals and the diverse workforce. The guiding mission of the NC OSHERC is to provide high-
quality education and research training in the OHS sciences for the protection and promotion of worker health and well-
being and to prevent occupational illness and injury in North Carolina, the southeast region, and the nation. To fulfill this
mission, our goals are to (1) train future leaders to meet the nation’s OHS research needs and NIOSH priority goals and (2)
bridge the gap between the innovative research being conducted in OHS within the regional universities and the needs of
the region’s workforce. We will accomplish these goals through interdisciplinary OHS training, research, and service. The
proposed education and research program’s specific aims are to:
1. Train practitioners, educators, and researchers in the academic disciplines of occupational exposure science and industrial
 hygiene, occupational medicine, safety and ergonomics, occupational epidemiology, and Total Worker Healthâ, with a
 specific focus given to training diverse, underrepresented, and minority practitioners and researchers.
2. Provide interdisciplinary learning experiences through coursework, practice and field projects, research activities, and
 seminars. Academic training and targeted research training programs guide trainees to develop skills in scientific inquiry
 and research to practice (r2p) to mitigate and eliminate hazards and improve working conditions.
3. Provide outreach and continuing education training programs to meet the needs of practitioners and OHS stakeholders.
4. Fund pilot research projects to support the development of young investigators and advance OHS science.
The NC OSHERC is uniquely positioned to increase capacity and address the future challenges of OHS training, research,
and preparedness in the Southeast and the nation by training diverse OHS practitioners and professionals in the challenging
interdisciplinary OHS field and by fostering greater collaboration between a...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10869855
- **Project number:** 5T42OH008673-19
- **Recipient organization:** UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL
- **Principal Investigator:** LEENA A NYLANDER-FRENCH
- **Activity code:** T42 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** ALLCDC
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $1,800,000
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2022-07-01 → 2027-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10869855

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10869855, North Carolina Occupational Safety and Health Education and Research Centers (5T42OH008673-19). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10869855. Licensed CC0.

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