The Center for Social Epidemiology's website (The Job Stress Network: www.workhealth.org) hopes to provide a primary source for relevant information on job stress research, as well as to facilitate communication among researchers and the public interested in the relationship between the work environment, the individual, and health. Our goals include presenting research projects and scientific papers related to these issues, as well as conference information, news, and announcements.We welcome submission of all such information related to this website. Our website creator and administrator is Susan Holcomb. Please fill in our Registration and Questionnaire form to initiate contact with the Center for Social Epidemiology . Or, you can e-mail us at: cse@workhealth.org
The Center for Social Epidemiology is currently involved in creating and implementing a STEP (surveillance, training, and early prevention) program in conjunction with UC Irvine and UCLA. STEP is a comprehensive program needed for the improvement of the psychosocial well-being and cardiovascular health (as well as other illnesses) of working people through 1) surveillance, 2) early detection with referral for evaluation and treatment of individuals with early manifestations of CVD, and 3) interventions at the workplace intended to reduce exposures. This program draws on the resources of the academically based California occupational health centers (COEH) to initiate, coordinate and provide the training, research and services to accomplish these goals. The target population is the employed labor force of several large corporations in Southern California with reasonable access to the COEH and UCLA/UCI medical centers. We are working with several worksites and community organizations on an ongoing basis.
In addition, the CSE also sponsors the California Work & Health Study Group. The CWHSG is an ongoing discussion group composed of researchers from California concerned with occupational stress and its impact on the health of working people. The group meets three times a year to discuss research in progress, provide support to each other, and to encourage active efforts to reduce workplace stressors through research, intervention and education.
The Center for Social Epidemiology recently sponsored "THE WAY WE WORK AND ITS IMPACT ON OUR HEALTH". This conference was held in Los Angeles April 22-23, 2004. In addition, the CSE is co-sponsoring and planning (along with the Southern California COEHS) "The 4th International Conference on Work Environment and Cardiovascular Diseases", under the auspices of the International Congress of Occupational Health (ICOH). This meeting will be held in Newport Beach on March 9-11, 2005.
And finally, The Center for Social Epidemiology continues to be on the forefront of research efforts to identify and analyze the impact of psychosocial factors at the workplace on the health of workers (especially hypertension and CVD). Our research efforts result in the continued publication of papers in journals throughout the world.