Photo: thepumphandle.org

Look up the latest and most compelling research on occupational safety and health among the most unprotected and neglected workers in this country -- migrant farmworkers, or poultry processing plant workers, or construction workers -- and two names will crop up immediately: Thomas Arcury, PhD, and Sara Quandt, PhD. Last weekend at the American Public Health Association’s annual conference, both social scientists were recognized for their decades-long push to expose the occupational health risks of highly vulnerable immigrant workers in the US. They received the 2017 Alice Hamilton Award from the Occupational Health and Safety section of APHA.

“This dynamic academic duo, Thomas Arcury and Sara Quandt, have produced an amazing body of research that examines the occupational health and safety of immigrant workers,” said Amy Liebman, MPA, Director of Environmental and Occupational Health at MCN, as she introduced the two to accept the award.





Dr. Quandt, a member of MCN’s Institutional Review Board, and Dr. Arcury have published over 200 papers on a wide range of research which continues to direct advocacy efforts to improve the lives of workers. Liebman described her own career push for a strengthened Worker Protection Standard, in which she relied on Dr. Arcury and Dr. Quandt’s work to demonstrate the need for better protections. The two have often partnered with on-the-ground worker organizations including health centers to ensure their research conclusions result in actionable improvements for workers.

Alice Hamilton, for whom the award was named, is considered the pioneer of occupational health in the US, working as a physician and activist to improve the health of workers and lessen the risks they encounter on the job. She’s also a founding member of the OHS section of APHA. The award celebrates the work of those who have focused their careers on meaningful change in occupational health risks for US workers.

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