Pilot Grant Program

Request for Proposals Now Open

The Healthier Workforce Center encourages the development of new and creative research and research-oriented health promotion, health protection and translation projects with promise to lead to more comprehensive studies addressing Total Worker Health® approaches.

Request for Proposals

The Healthier Workforce Center of the Midwest (HWC) at the University of Iowa and Washington University is pleased to announce the availability of funds for pilot projects.

The HWC is one of ten NIOSH Centers of Excellence for Total Worker Health® funded through the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). The HWC is dedicated to protecting and preserving worker safety and health through knowledge generation and dissemination of evidence-based Total Worker Health (TWH) practices. As a regional Center, the HWC serves the occupational safety and health needs of employees and employers in HHS Federal Region VII (IA, NE, KS, MO). NIOSH defines TWH as “policies, programs and practices that integrate protection from work-related safety and health hazards with promotion of injury and illness prevention efforts to advance worker well-being.” Topics relevant to TWH include improving work organization, assessing the contribution of occupational stressors to the burden of chronic health conditions among employees (e.g., obesity, cardiovascular disease, and depression), optimizing return to work outcomes, and injury/illness prevention strategies among populations particularly at-risk for adverse health outcomes (e.g., older/younger workers, immigrant workers, and those with part time or precarious employment arrangements).

Additional resources and information can be found using the following links:

Applications for academic-track awards should have a specific scientific hypothesis and should aim to advance the state of scientific knowledge relevant to Total Worker Health approaches.

Click to download the complete Academic-Track Pilot Project Request for Proposals, which includes application instructions.

All persons with interest in Total Worker Health research, affiliated with an “eligible institution,” and possessing appropriate knowledge, skills, and resources are invited to prepare an application. Eligible institutions include: for-profit, non-profit, and public or private institutions, units of local or state government and eligible federal agencies, units of local and state tribal government, and faith- or community-based organizations. Questions about eligibility should be directed to Dr. Jon Davis (jonathan-a-davis@uiowa.edu).

The maximum permitted budget is $25,000 (direct costs). Availability of funds for these proposals is conditional on continued funding of the HWC by NIOSH.

Funding is available for organizations serving multiple employers in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, or Nebraska (e.g., Safety/Wellness Councils; Labor Organizations) to support the implementation of Recovery Friendly Workplace (RFW) programs, practices, and policies among small- and medium-sized enterprises.

Must be an organization serving multiple employers in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and/or Nebraska (e.g., Safety/Wellness Councils; Labor Organizations; Chamber of Commerce; HR/Safety/Health Groups; Unions).

Availability of funds for these proposals is conditional on continued funding of the HWC by NIOSH.

The maximum permitted budget is $10,000 for direct costs and up to 10% for indirect costs, depending on the amount needed to achieve the desired aims.

Deadlines and Review Process

With this Request for Proposals, the HWC is adopting a rolling submission and review process. We will accept complete applications at any time (see Application Content in the full Request for Proposals [RFP], for details and submission instructions).

While funds remain available, applications received by the first Monday of each month will be reviewed on or about the first Monday of the subsequent month. The status of funding availability and this RFP will be updated regularly on this website.

Pilot project grant applications will be evaluated by internal and external HWC Advisory Committee members and others with the appropriate scientific expertise. Reviewers follow procedures similar to those used by federal scientific review panels (see http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/not-od-09-024.html) and consider relevance of the proposed project to TWH, originality, scientific quality of the approach, the potential for future funding, and the appropriateness of the budget. A written critique will be provided to the principal investigator of each pilot grant application, regardless of funding decision.

CURRENT PROJECTS

A Study of Rates and Risk Factors of Suicide Among Protective Services Workers Across Sex, Race, Ethnicity, and Age Group
Ethan Rogers, PhD, Public Policy Center, University of Iowa

Stress and Mental Health: A Needs Assessment for Midwestern Veterinarians and Staff
Kayleigh Barnett, MS, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Josie Rudolphi, PhD, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Abigail Wooldridge, PhD, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

System Changes to Support Health Benefit Utilization for New Employees
Claudia Corwin, MD, University of Iowa
Kimberly Dukes, PhD, University of Iowa
Barbara Scheussler, RN, BSN, MSN, MBA, University of Iowa

Community Pilot Grant: Recovery Friendly Workplaces
Kelsey Pruss, MS, Nebraska Safety Council

Past Projects

COVID-19 employer guide addressing employer & employee health & wellness during a pandemic
Chris Blum & Lisa Henning, Nebraska Safety Council
Lauren Remspecher, St. Louis Business Health Coalition
Elizabeth Ablah, University of Kansas-Wichita School of Medicine

Work and workplace characteristics associated with suicide
Corinne Peek-Asa, PhD, University of Iowa
Carri Casteel, PhD, University of Iowa
Laura Schwab-Reese, PhD, Purdue University

Agricultural production practices and stress: a pilot study of women farmers in Iowa
Carly Nichols, University of Iowa
Silvia Secchi, University of Iowa

Work after breast cancer: a mixed-methods study of African-American survivors
Christine Ekenga, MPH, PhD, Washington University in St. Louis, George Warren Brown School of Public Health

Examining Health, Safety, and Retention Among Truck Drivers
Ashamsa Aryal, University of Iowa

Feasibility study for assessing nurses’ occupational fatigue using the Sleep, Activity, Fatigue, and Task Effectiveness (SAFTE) biomathematical model
Amany Farag, PhD, RN, University of Iowa, College of Nursing

Detection of environmental hazards by senior farmers using a simulated tractor environment
Kayla Faust, University of Iowa, College of Public Health

Total Worker Health in home-based childcare workers
Matt Nonnenmann, PhD, University of Iowa, College of Public Health, Occupational and Environmental Health

A comparative effectiveness study of Response, Resiliency & Resources (RRR) and Critical Incident Stress Debriefing: two programs designed to reduce occupational stress among hospital clinic workers
Jeremy Hudson, MA, Chaplain, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Spiritual Services
Justin Kenardy, PhD, University of Queensland
Marizen Ramirez, PhD, University of Iowa

A protective study of heath among newly hired corrections officers
Lisa Jaegers, PhD, Saint Louis University, College of Health Sciences, Occup. Science & Occup. Therapy

Dissemination of Total Worker Health strategies to Midwest employers: addressing employee health in the 21st century
Melissa Hogan, MPH, St. Louis Area Business Health Coalition

Determining the mental health needs of corrections officers in Missouri for the development of a Total Worker Health program
Lisa Jaegers, PhD, Saint Louis University, College of Health Sciences, Occupational Science & Occupational Therapy

Workforce-centered outcomes research
Steven Rippentrop, MD (Heartland Center trainee, Occupational Medicine), University of Iowa, College of Public Health, Occupational and Environmental Health

Development of a Total Worker Health program in small organizations

Tonya Vyhlidal, Nebraska Safety Council

Integrated health protection and health promotion program for grocery store workers
Ann Marie Dale, PhD, Washington University in St. Louis, School of Medicine

Prevalence and comprehensiveness of intimate partner violence programs, policies and training in mid-sized U.S. businesses
Carri Casteel, PhD, University of Iowa, College of Public Health, Occupational and Environmental Health

Inertial measurement units as a tool for simultaneous worker health protection and promotion
Mark Schall, MS (Heartland Center trainee, Ergonomics), University of Iowa, College of Public Health, Occupational and Environmental Health
Nate Fethke, PhD, University of Iowa

Transitioning from school to work: Total Worker Health in young adults
Sophia Chiu, MD (Heartland Center trainee, Occupational Medicine), University of Iowa, College of Public Health, Occupational and Environmental Health

Worksite physical activity intervention for ambulatory clinic registered nursing staff
Sharon Tucker, PhD, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics

Efficacy of a combined ergonomic health promotion intervention on employee health
Lucas Carr, PhD, University of Iowa, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Health and Human Physiology

Personal noise exposure assessment study of food servers in locally owned restaurants
Deirdre Green (Heartland Center trainee, Industrial Hygiene), University of Iowa, College of Public Health, Occupational and Environmental Health

Evaluating stress resilience: a new worksite intervention to reduce stress and CVD risk factors in Police
Sandra Ramey, PhD, RN, University of Iowa, College of Nursing

Integrating health, wellness and protection using wellness champions at Rockwell Collins in Coralville
Katherine Jones, University of Iowa, College of Public Health, Community and Behavioral Health

Employer wellness and prevention programs in PPACA exchanges and consumer operated and oriented (CO-OP) programs
Arlinda McKeen, State Public Policy Group

A survey of hospital-based employee health services
Perry Meyer, Iowa Hospital Association

Total Worker Health® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Participation by the Healthier Workforce Center of the Midwest does not imply endorsement by HHS, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.