History of OHP

Milestones in the History of Occupational Health Psychology

1966 – U.S. Public Health Service recognizes work organization and stress as developing occupational safety and health concerns.

1970 – The Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) Act of 1970 charges NIOSH with the responsibility for investigating behavioral factors and stress as etiologic agents for occupational disease and injury.

1977 – A report on “Work in America ” is commissioned by Elliot Richardson, Secretary of Health Education and Welfare.

1988 – NIOSH recognizes psychological disorders as leading occupational health risk.

1990 – APA and NIOSH begin partnership to promote the new area of occupational health psychology.

1990 – APA/NIOSH international conference on Work and Well-Being is held in Washington , DC .

1991 – OHP field is formally acknowledged in the American Psychologist.

1992 – APA/NIOSH international conference on Stress in the ’90s is held in Washington , DC .

1993 – APA and NIOSH enter into a cooperative agreement to fund post/doctoral training in OHP.

1994 -1997 APA and NIOSH fund seven postdocs in occupational health psychology.

1994 – The Journal of Occupational Health Psychology is founded.

1995 – APA/NIOSH international conference on Work, Stress, and Health is held in Washington , DC .

1996 – NIOSH places work organization among its highest research priorities.

1997 – APA and NIOSH enter into a cooperative agreement to fund the development of graduate-level-curricula in OHP.

1998-2001 – APA and NIOSH fund 11 universities to develop and implement OHP graduate curricula.

1999 – APA/NIOSH international conference on Work, Stress, and Health is held in Baltimore, MD.

2000 – International Coordinating Group for Occupational Health Psychology is established.

2001 – Twenty-eight OHP stakeholders convene to discuss the future of training efforts in OHP

Source: Science Directorate of the American Psychological Association. (2002). Psychological Science Agenda, 15 (1), 5.

2003 – APA/NIOSH international conference on Work, Stress, and Health is held in Toronto, ONT.

2004 – Society for Occupational Health Psychology formed

2006 – APA/NIOSH international conference on Work, Stress, and Health is held in Miami, FL.

2006 – Irvin Schonfeld founded the SOHP Newsletter. The first issue was published in 2007.

2008 – APA/NIOSH/SOHP international conference on Work, Stress, and Health is held in Washington, DC.

2008 – Occupational Health Psychology Wikipedia entry was started.

2009 – APA/NIOSH/SOHP international conference on Work, Stress, and Health is held in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

2011 – APA/NIOSH/SOHP international conference on Work, Stress, and Health is held in Orlando, FL

2012 – First Summer Institute for Occupational Health Psychology is held in Portland, OR

2013 – APA/NIOSH/SOHP international conference on Work, Stress, and Health is held in Los Angeles, CA

2014 – Occupational Health Psychology Summer Institute is held in Portland, OR

2015 – APA/NIOSH/SOHP international conference on Work, Stress, and Health is held in Atlanta, GA; Occupational Health Psychology Summer Institute is held in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

2016 – Occupational Health Psychology Summer Institute is held in Portland, OR


Background literature