Occupational and Environmental Health Nurse PhD Training Program Graduates First Student
Dr. Sharon Hunsucker is the first PhD graduate of the Occupational and Environmental Health Nurse (OEHN) PhD Training Program at the UK College of Nursing. The program is funded by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) as one of the core training programs of the Central Appalachian Regional Education and Research Center (CARERC).
Dr. Hunsucker successfully defended her dissertation, “Effects of Obesity on Work Ability in U.S. Farmers: A Pilot Study” on April 7, 2016.
She has lived and practiced as a nurse and nurse practitioner in rural communities for nearly 40 years, providing care to coal miners with Black Lung disease in southeastern Kentucky, farmers and small factory workers in west Tennessee and migrant workers and day laborers in central Kentucky. “Few of these populations have access to occupational health services, and primary care providers often fail to identify the role work plays on their health,” said Dr. Hunsucker.
Her dissertation aimed to examine the current state of the science regarding obesity in central Appalachian farmers; evaluate the psychometric properties of the Work Ability Index in a sample of U.S. farmers; identify the relationship between obesity and work ability in U.S. farmers; and compare central versus general obesity as predictors of decreased work ability in U.S. farmers.
Dr. Hunsucker’s findings support the increasing concern of obesity among U.S. farmers which can result in a decline in their ability to work. It showed waist circumference as a strong predictor of decreasing a farmer’s ability to work rather than using the body mass index (BMI) as a predictor. She identified a tool developed by the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health that had not yet been used in the U.S. and assessed its validity and reliability in assessing a farmer’s work ability over time.
While OEHN provided financial support for Hunsucker throughout her PhD process, Dr. Hunsucker’s dissertation research was funded by the Southeast Agricultural Health and Injury Prevention. Her innovative work will provide new foundational research for clinical practice on a region that carries special meaning to her as she is originally from Hazard, a small town in Eastern Kentucky.
“It is my hope to give a voice to and increase awareness of worker health in rural areas to improve health and quality of life, decreasing disability in rural areas and improving the social and economic well being of communities by identifying ways to ensure a healthier rural workforce,” said Dr. Hunsucker.
College of Nursing professor and founder of the OEHN Program Deborah Reed, PhD, MSPH, RN, FAAOHN, FAAN, served as Dr. Hunsucker’s chair and advisor. Drs. Jenna Hatcher, Debra Anderson, Wayne Sanderson and Jessica Wilson served as committee members for her dissertation. Dr. Anderson, PhD, PHCNS-BC is the director of the OEHN Program and Dr. Sanderson, PhD, MS, is the director of the CARERC.
“The research that Dr. Hunsucker completed sets the stage for improving the health of the agricultural workforce. Very few studies have examined the role of obesity in this high risk occupational group. We hope this seminal work will be the springboard for more study and evolve to meaningful interventions. We are excited to be able to provide financial support for our students along with an outstanding education,” said Dr. Reed.
The CARERC Program in Occupational and Environmental Health Nursing serves to equip nurses to lead occupational research, educational initiatives and practice specifically focused on Central Appalachia’s industries, culture and environment; increase the capacity of schools of nursing in the Central Appalachian region to incorporate occupational/environmental health in their curricula; and enhance opportunities for outreach and education of occupational/environmental health nursing through continuing education.
For more information on the details of the occupational and environmental health nursing program, contact Dr. Anderson. Up to 3 funded PhD students are admitted to the OEHN program annually.
The Central Appalachian Regional Education and Research Center (CARERC) was established on July 1, 2012, and is the newest of only 18 such university-based occupational safety and health training programs in the U.S. Funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and its National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, CARERC exits to train professionals who are well equipped to identify and help resolve threats to our nation’s workforce and reduce the high costs of work-related injuries, illnesses and deaths.
OEHN/CARERC is an ongoing program that is comprised of the following students:
Kacy Allen-Bryant, PhD(c), MSN, MPH, RN
Workplace tobacco use-related policies
Kim Bourne, MSN, RN, SANE, CEN
Sexual workplace violence, female truck drivers
Arica Brandford, PhD(c), JD, MSN, RN
Diverse workers, health disparities, workforce health
Michael Callihan, MSN, RN, EMTP, ACE-PT, CFL1
Biomechanics of back injury
Cheryl D. Witt, MSN, RN
Rural and Appalachian health (with particular focus on the agricultural community)
