The Surprising Impact of Vaping in the Workplace: Treatment and Policy Implications

August 13, 2020 12:00 pm Central | Register

Guest Panelists:

As the nation navigates the COVID-19 pandemic, protecting employee health is a top concern. However, one factor may not be on the radar for many organizations yet, though it should be: vaping in the workplace. Vaping isn’t harmless, either for e-cigarette users or for those exposed to secondhand aerosol (i.e., vapor). New Truth Initiative research shows that vaping in the workplace is a bigger issue than many think, with 63% of employees saying that vaping at work bothers them.

Join this webinar to hear findings from the research about how workplace vaping affects productivity, even when just a few employees vape; the impact of workplace vaping on different industries; gaps in employer policies for vape- and smoke-free workplaces; and the impact on working parents when their child vapes.

Plus, to react to the growing body of evidence that vaping is harmful to self and others, the University of Iowa will share how their own data from students, faculty and staff sparked a full academic year of focus on the topic. “Vaping: The New Look of Nicotine Addiction” provided campus and community the opportunity to learn from public health and policy experts as well as the researcher and student experience on campus.

Speakers

Amanda Graham, PhD, Chief of Innovations, Truth Initiative

Amanda leads the Innovations Center within Truth Initiative, a national public health organization that is inspiring tobacco-free lives. She is internationally recognized as a thought leader in web and mobile quit-smoking interventions and online social networks and has been awarded over $15 million in NIH research funding. She has published over 90 peer-reviewed manuscripts and serves on National Institutes of Health study sections and numerous journal editorial boards. Amanda is also professor of medicine (adjunct) at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science.

Megan Hammes, MS, Director of Wellness, University of Iowa

Megan provides leadership for work-life and well-being initiatives for approximately 20,000 employees. Highlights from Megan’s 15-year career at UI include co-developing an academic course on health coaching; opening an integrated wellness space for faculty, staff and students; and launching a Tobacco-Free Campus Policy. Megan has a background in athletic training with an undergraduate degree from the University of Iowa, and her master’s degree is in health promotion management from American University. She is certified through Wellcoaches(R) and is a Master Certified Health Education Specialist (MCHES).

Vickie Miene, MS, MA, LMHC, Interim Director, Iowa Institute of Public Health Research and Policy; Director, Iowa Healthy LifeStars, University of Iowa College of Public Health.

Vickie has over 25 years of experience building, implementing and evaluating effective community-based population health models. She has led numerous statewide training and technical-assistance initiatives focused on emerging topics, integrated health, understanding public health data and national child health and quality improvement initiatives.

Moderator

Sara Johnson, PhD, Co-president & CEO of Pro-Change Behavior Systems, Inc.

Sara Johnson, PhD, received HERO’s Mark Dundon Research Award and was named the Health Care Services Woman to Watch by Providence Business News in 2018. In 2015, she was selected as a Top 10 Health Promotion Professional by WELCOA. Most recently, she was named one of the 2019 50 on Fire by Rhode Island Inno. She has been the principal investigator on over $6 million in NIH grants to examine the effectiveness of evidence-based health and well-being interventions and has more than 40 publications. Sara received her PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Rhode Island and is currently an adjunct faculty member to the Psychology Department. She is also the co-editor of The Art of Health Promotion.