October 29, 2012 Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH 4Comment

Workers employed at call centers in Bangalore, India often work in the middle of the night because their callers are largely from the U.S. and 11 time zones away. Their health may be adversely affected by their sleep-interrupting schedule, but also by the job requirements that strip them of their identity.

December 21, 2011 Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH 5Comment

Ms. Madeline Loftus, 24, was just one of the 50 individuals who lost their lives on February 12, 2009 when Continental Flight 3407 crashed in a neighborhood near Buffalo, NY. The NTSB investigation and a frightening PBS Frontline investigation called “Flying Cheap” identified airline industry practices that compromise pilots’ fitness for duty, including severe fatigue, […]

November 14, 2011 Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH 8Comment

She’s a hospice nurse. When I tell people her occupation, I typically receive a response like this: “She must be a very special person. I could never work in a place where people go to die.” Hospice is a “place,” and equating hospice to death, are just two of the misperceptions that hospice care providers […]

September 27, 2011 Liz Borkowski, MPH

DC’s Capital Bikeshare program has had a fantastic first year. Stations full of sturdy red bikes have been popping up all over the city, and the system logged its one millionth ride one the eve of its first anniversary. Members can take a bike from any of the more than 100 stations, and the ride […]

May 30, 2011 Liz Borkowski, MPH

This Memorial Day, I haven’t just been thinking of those who died in combat, but also of those who’ve died because of combat. This morning’s NPR story about 23-year-old Ivan Lopez, who struggled with PTSD after returning home and then became the 14th Pennsylvania Guardsman since 2003 to die by his own hand, is just […]

September 3, 2010 Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH 8Comment

Public Citizen, the American Medical Student Association (AMSA) and other worker advocates petitioned the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to issue a regulation limiting the number of hours worked by medical residents. The petitioners argue that the excessive hours expected by the employers (hospitals) of these physicians-in-training cause chronic sleep deprivation and stress, which […]