Guillot-Wright, Davis present research at International Fishing Industry Safety & Health Conference (iFISH) in Rome
HOUSTON (Jan. 23, 2024) – Shannon Guillot-Wright, PhD, an associate professor with the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences and affiliated faculty with the Southwest Center for Occupational and Environmental Health (SWCOEH) and the Center for Health Equity at UTHealth Houston School of Public Health, and Lacy Davis, senior program manager at UTHealth Houston School of Public Health, presented at the International Fishing Industry Safety & Health Conference (IFISH) in Rome in January.
Guillot-Wright and Davis presented their findings from “COVID-19 Prevention among Seafood Processors: Workplace & Social Factors,” a study funded by the CDC/NIOSH and led by Guillot-Wright.
“The IFISH6 conference was an incredible opportunity to hear about all the work from around the world to improve the lives of seafood workers,” Guillot-Wright said. “We met so many people who are working in all different directions, from safety & injury prevention to food access for the people who put food on our tables. We can’t wait for IFISH7!”
Guillot-Wright and Davis met several people to collaborate with on further research.
“We met so many amazing people from around the world and in the States, but the people in Baltimore, especially Dr. Caitlin Ceryes, are going to be great collaborators. We found out that we’re both doing work in the area of H2B migrant workers and focus on CBPR methods. I also had a chance to reconnect with others in the field and we’re already setting up webinars. It’s rare to find so many people in the same place who do this work, so we tried to take advantage of it.”
The results of the study have led to plans for future research on the topic.
“I think what was most disturbing [in the results] was the lack of paid sick leave for the workers. We heard so many stories about working while sick or not being able to work and having no money for essential items. We’re going to continue looking into paid sick leave policies, not only for H2B workers, but also many hourly or low socioeconomic status workers.”
The SWCOEH provides graduate-level training opportunities for occupational and environmental health professionals through our industrial hygiene, occupational and environmental medicine, occupational epidemiology, and Total Worker Health® programs.
The Southwest Center for Occupational and Environmental Health is part of the UTHealth Houston School of Public Health
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