“Work disability concerns an important personal, economic and social burden that is often preventable. “

1st of June 2017

Course leader presentation: Ute Bültmann

Work Disability Prevention (Year 2), 12th – 16th of June 2017, Uppsala, Sweden

1. What is your background? A short presentation of yourself.

I am full professor of Work and Health, in particular from a life course epidemiological perspective, and Program Leader of Public Health Research at the Department of Health Sciences, Community and Occupational Medicine of the University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, the Netherlands. I graduated in Health Sciences from Maastricht University in 1997 and conducted my PhD research on “Fatigue and Psychological Distress in the Working Population: The Role of Work and Lifestyle” at the Department of Epidemiology at Maastricht University, the Netherlands (2002). My research interests include the epidemiology of work and health and the measurement of health-related functioning at work. From 2003 until 2007, I worked at the National Institute of Occupational Health in Copenhagen, Denmark. I am involved in collaborative research projects on labor market experiences and health in Denmark, Sweden and Canada. I am affiliated with the National Research Centre for the Working Environment in Copenhagen, Denmark and the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden. My current research activities focus on adding a life course perspective to work and health research, and to translate the findings into relevant policy and practice measures to make a difference towards “healthy working lives”. I am 2016 VICI laureate of the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) for my research on “Today’s youth is tomorrow’s workforce: Generation Y at work”.

2. Why do you think that work disability prevention is an important and current issue to discuss in 2017?

Work disability prevention (WDP) has evolved to a separate and growing discipline. This is due to the recognition that work outcomes are often not related with health outcomes, that the causes of work disability are multiple, complex, and often distinct from associated health conditions or treatments. WDP is an important and current issue to discuss in 2017, because work disability concerns an important personal, economic and social burden that is often preventable.

3. Your greetings to the participants of the course.

I am looking forward to meeting you all in Uppsala!

More information: Course web page
Last registration date: 16th of April 2017