Departmental Affiliations
Center & Institute Affiliations
Contact Info
615 N. Wolfe Street, Room 7503D
Baltimore
Maryland
21205
US
410-614-4986
Research Interests
environmental health sciences;occupational health; aging workers;occupational health;occupational stress;musculoskeletal disorders; ergonomics;neurotoxins
Additional Links
Experiences & Accomplishments
Education
PhD
Johns Hopkins University
1992
MPH
Johns Hopkins University
Overview
The goal of my research is to better understand the relationship between workplace exposures, worker characteristics, and musculoskeletal disorders so that these debilitating and expensive conditions can be prevented. Risk factors of particular interest to me are age and occupational stress. I have studied psychosocial work stressors, and ergonomic factors on musculoskeletal symptoms in garment workers, a group that is a typical example of aging American workers in physically demanding and stressful manufacturing jobs.
A secondary but related area of research is the development of more specific measures of occupational stress. This work has included a study of Army reservists to develop an occupation-specific stress inventory to be used in studies of musculoskeletal disorders, injuries, and other health outcomes. It is hoped that this work will serve as the prototype for an approach to the development and validation of occupation-specific stress measures, thus allowing us to advance current occupational stress models now used to examine outcomes such as musculoskeletal disorders. A prospective study of this important worker group is now beginning.
A secondary but related area of research is the development of more specific measures of occupational stress. This work has included a study of Army reservists to develop an occupation-specific stress inventory to be used in studies of musculoskeletal disorders, injuries, and other health outcomes. It is hoped that this work will serve as the prototype for an approach to the development and validation of occupation-specific stress measures, thus allowing us to advance current occupational stress models now used to examine outcomes such as musculoskeletal disorders. A prospective study of this important worker group is now beginning.
Honors & Awards
Ernest Lyman Stebbins Medal, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (highest level award for contributions to teaching programs at JHSPH), 2014
Advising, Mentoring & Teaching Recognition Award, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, 1997
Fellow, American Academy of Nursing, 1990
Delta Omega (Public Health Honor Society), 1985
Cornelius Kruse Award for Excellence in Environmental Health Doctoral Research, 1985
The Johns Hopkins Alumni Association Scholarship Award, 1980
Phi Beta Kappa Sigma Theta Tau (Nursing Honor Society) 1974
Advising, Mentoring & Teaching Recognition Award, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, 1997
Fellow, American Academy of Nursing, 1990
Delta Omega (Public Health Honor Society), 1985
Cornelius Kruse Award for Excellence in Environmental Health Doctoral Research, 1985
The Johns Hopkins Alumni Association Scholarship Award, 1980
Phi Beta Kappa Sigma Theta Tau (Nursing Honor Society) 1974
Select Publications
Publications selected from the last five years:
- Dong L, Eaton WW, Spira AP, Agnew J, Surkan PJ, Mojtabai R. Job strain and cognitive change: The Baltimore Epidemiologic Catchment Area follow-up study. Occup Environ Med. 2018 Oct; 75:856-862.PMID: 30323011.
- Cadorette M, Agnew J. Mental health in the workplace. Workplace Health Saf. 2017 Sep; 65(9): 448.28703037.
- Dong L, Agnew J, Mojtabai R, Surkan PJ, Spira AP. Insomnia as a predictor of job exit among middle-aged and older adults: Results from the health and retirement study. J Epidemiol Community Health. 2017 Aug; 71(8): 750-757.28298414.
- Goetzel RZ, Roemer EC, Holingue C, Fallin MD, McCleary K, Eaton W, Agnew J, Azocar F, Ballard D, Bartlett J, Braga M, Conway H, Crighton KA, Frank R, Jinnett K, Keller-Greene D, Rauch SM, Safeer R, Saporito D, Schill A, Shern D, Strecher V, Wald P, Wang P, Mattingly CR. Mental health in the workplace: A call to action proceedings from the mental health in the workplace: Public health summit. J Occup Environ Med. 2017 Dec 2629280775.
Projects
Johns Hopkins Occupational Safety and Health Education and Research Center