WV Workplace Wellness Conference and Awards

The 2023 Workplace Wellness and Awards promises to be an energetic and informative event for all who seek to improve employee wellness. With a focus on physical activity, nutrition, data collection, and case studies, the conference will bring together experts in their field to share their knowledge and experiences. This year, we will be meeting at the Resort at Glade Springs from 8:30am to 4:30pm. 

The day will then be filled with presentations and activities to get our blood pumping and our minds turning on how to create lasting policy, system, and environmental changes to create a healthier workforce! Lunch will be provided with plenty of healthy options to enjoy. Please let us know of any dietary restrictions you may have! 

Our cohort of presenters is excited to cover a range of Workplace Wellness topics including program implementation, data collection and dissemination, workplace case studies, mental health, burn out, and workplace safety versus workplace wellness!

2023 Workplace Wellness and Awards Presenters and Topics 

Keynote - We are excited to open with keynote speaker Michael D. Levitt bringing us together to understand the connection between workplaces, their employees, burnout, health, and wellbeing.

Michael D. Levitt is a global thought leader on burnout and workplace culture, a sought-after keynote speaker, and executive coach, a published author of several books, and the host of the popular Breakfast Leadership Show podcast. The show features interviews with top business leaders and experts in a variety of fields, sharing insights and strategies for success in today's fast-paced world. 

Michael will be talking about three connected phenomena that have recently had an effect on the workforce in this keynote address: burnout, quiet quitting, and the great resignation. "I feel that these difficulties are indicative of bigger societal trends and challenges as someone who has worked in corporate and nonprofit organizations for several decades and has also been a loud champion for the well-being of leaders and teams."

Session 1: Data Collection and Implementation – Kathryne Burnham

Kathryn Burnham is an evaluator at the West Virginia Prevention Research Center (WVPRC) and is responsible for co-directing evaluation efforts for the Division of Health Promotion and Chronic Disease’s (HPCD) initiatives and programs, including the Active Southern WV Worksite Wellness grants. She has her Masters in Public Criminology and is currently finishing her PhD in Sociology at West Virginia University. Her education has provided her with many skills that easily translate to different subject matter when it comes to the lived experiences of people. While working for the WVPRC and HPCD, she has focused on incorporating health equity considerations into public health work and genuinely loves helping community-based organizations build capacity to enhance the incredible work they do across the state.

The connection between final outcomes and data collection is crucial to program evaluation and implementation. This data is what helps to pinpoint successes and recognize barriers to future programming. Kathryn (Katie?) will lead us through past years Workplace Wellness data to shed a light on outcomes, data collection techniques, and all things data related!

Session 2: Mental Health at Work – Kayleigh Nolan 

It is estimated that nearly 3 in 5 employees have experienced negative impacts of work on their mental health, with an overwhelming majority indicating a need for employers to implement support towards achieving positive mental health and wellness in the workplace. This presentation will highlight the importance of optimizing mental health and wellness in the workplace, including specific barriers and challenges individuals face in a variety of work settings, as well as how mental health impacts employers in terms of lost productivity and decreased staff retention. The majority of this session will be used to provide key strategies to facilitate and support positive mental health in the workplace. 

At the conclusion of this session, participants will be able to:

•Understand, with regard to mental wellness, the barriers and challenges faced by individuals at the person, workplace, and system levels.

•Analyze how mental health and mental ill-health present in a workplace environment, including the impacts of the client’s timeframe of vocational participation, contexts, and workplace characteristics.

•Identify and implement practical strategies for improving mental wellness in the workplace by facilitating person-centered participation and performance (both short-term and long-term strategies).

Session 3: Managing Stress in the Workplace - Lauren Weatherford

Lauren will walk us through different forms of workplace stressors and different ways to manage that stress. She will be leaving all attendees with the skills and tools to lessen workplace stress for all workers and pieces of the moving puzzle that is work!

Session 4: Tactical Athlete Health and Wellness: An Overlooked Threat to Public Safety  – Dr. Brian K. Leary 

This presentation will explore the current trends in health and wellness within tactical athletes (e.g. firefighters, law enforcement officers, emergency services personnel, etc.) and examine how poor health and wellness of tactical athletes decreases public safety. Additionally, we will review opportunities for improving the health and wellness of tactical athletes.  

Session 5: Health Equity - Dr. Georgiana Logan

Reaching every employee at a workplace can present numerous barriers to participation and enjoyment. By focusing on health equity, we can reach those who are traditionally absent from the conversation. Join Dr. Logan as we discuss barriers, solutions, and trends in creating equitable health programming and initiatives in the workplace!

Session 6: Data Collection - Case Studies: Lakin Davis and Samantha Shawley-Brzoska

Lakin Davis is a Program Coordinator with the West Virginia University Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences Office of Health Services Research in the School of Public Health. She is a two-time graduate from West Virginia University and has her Master of Public Health in Social and Behavioral Sciences. Through her academic career, Lakin has always aspired to find a way to give back to her local West Virginia community that has given her everything she needed to be successful. Her work focuses on WV WISEWOMAN programming as well as supporting clinic and community-based partners in community-based programming within the state of West Virginia. In her spare time, you can find her getting lost in a fantasy book or spending time with friends.

Dr. Samantha Shawley-Brzoska is a Research Assistant Professor with the West Virginia University Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences and Office of Health Services Research (OHSR) in the School of Public Health. Her work focuses on chronic disease programming and database management for primary care and community partners. She serves as a Co-Investigator on numerous grant-funded efforts to improve population health outcomes, in particular, we have a very valuable partnership with the West Virginia Bureau for Public Health - Division of Health Promotion and Chronic Disease which focuses on statewide efforts to address chronic disease prevention and control.

Join Lakin and Samantha as they walk us through the process of partnering with the OHSR to collect data to provide invaluable details to any Workplace Wellness program. 

For more information on the conference and awards,  and what to expect click here and to register for the 2023 Workplace Wellness Awards, you can find the online applications here or you can request a paper copy/emailed copy from Michael@ActiveSWV.com. 

To get more information on the Active SWV Workplace Wellness Program, enjoy our landing page found here!

For those who are planning to stay on site during the conference, reservations can be made by calling Glade Springs at 1-877-814-7316. Let the front desk know that you are registering for the 2023 Workplace Wellness Conference and Awards. Please note, reservations need to be placed by July 24th.