We send our thanks and appreciation to Dede Montgomery, Practice Lead and outreach team member who has added immeasurably to the Institute’s outreach program over almost two decades as she helped develop training, education and partnerships throughout the community with our stakeholders, and implemented extremely valuable outreach and dissemination activities and programs.
Many of you have interacted with Dede in a class at local, regional and national occupational safety and health conferences and events. At the Institute, Dede has been an anchor for our outreach and educational efforts. We wish Dede the very best as she moves into a new position as “Our Good Health and Well-Being Program Manager” at Legacy Health. Dede will continue her work directly to improve the safety, health and well-being of a whole new population of workers in a major Oregon health care system. We are excited about future collaborations and opportunities, and to see what this next chapter will bring for her.
A note from our Director, Dr. Steven Shea:
“Dede is a Certified Industrial Hygienist and has been an exceedingly valued part of our Institute since 2004. Dede is a Senior Research Associate and our Institute’s Outreach and Education Team Lead. Dede helped to initiate, develop and run many of our outreach activities over the last 2 decades.
Some of her many notable achievements include:
- Teaching occupational health, safety and Total Worker Health® through state-wide, regional and national conferences
- Initiating and organizing speakers and hosting our popular Spring symposia focused on practitioner interests and needs
- Instigating and propelling the Oregon Total Worker Health® Alliance (between our Institute, Oregon OSHA and SAIF Corporation) that leverages these organizations to expand the knowledge and application of Total Worker Health principles across Oregon, etc., etc.
- Developing continuing education opportunities such as the Total Worker Health® 101 course in collaboration with SAIF and the certificate program in partnership with the University of Washington and Portland State University
- Influencing state and national policies on safety and health, and TWH at ASSP
- President of the ASSP Columbia-Willamette Chapter (2021-2022), member of the ASSP Professional Affairs Committee and the ASSP Total Worker Health® Taskforce
- Participating in coalitions and initiatives
- Honored with the 2018 Distinguished Industrial Hygiene Award, 2002 ASSP Regional Safety Professional of the Year Award and 2010-2011 ASSP Columbia-Willamette Chapter Safety Professional of the Year Award.
- Publishing in the ASSP Professional Safety and AIHA Synergist journals
- Chairing our Institute’s Safety Committee and participating on the GOSH planning committee over many years
- Starting and managing our Institute blog, Oregon and the Workplace, monthly newsletter, as well as leading our social media channels and Institute’s resource directory efforts
- Co-leading with Anjali Rameshbabu, Ph.D. the Outreach Core of the Oregon Healthy Workforce Center, one of ten NIOSH Center of Excellence for Total Worker Health®
Dede’s expertise has been regularly sought out by outside entities, including NIOSH and she has represented our Institute and OHSU across Oregon, the USA and Thailand. Our Institute’s reputation and outreach accomplishments have grown substantially based on Dede’s influence and interactions with many stakeholders across Oregon, and beyond.
We thank Dede for her stellar service to our Institute and to workers’ health and safety, and send our best wishes and congratulations to Dede on her new job.”
Read more about Dede’s contributions here:
- Planning Committee member and instructor of Total Worker Health® certificate program in partnership with University of Washington
- With support from Oregon OSHA, Dede helped raise awareness about formaldehyde containing hair straightener in the state of Oregon that led to national action
- CDC NIOSH IPA Appointment
- Oregon COVID-19 construction taskforce and survey
4 responses to “Sending our thanks and appreciation to Dede Montgomery”
Dede will be sorely missed in our Institute and TWH Center (OHWC), but I’m so happy that she will continue in the TWH space with Legacy! I have valued Dede as a colleague and friend for 20 years and look forward to our continued collaborations and partnerships!
Thanks for this tribute to Dede. She is (in my experience) the most influential safety and health practitioner in Oregon over the past 20 years. She’s a tireless advocate for the safety and health of workers, a dynamic leader and influencer in the safety and health community, and someone who truly put Oregon on the national map as a tireless advocate for Total Worker Health. While I know that Dede will continue to be an amazing influencer in her new job, I can’t help but feel a loss as she leaves her position with the Oregon Institute of Occupational Health Sciences at OHSU. She was, in many aspects, the glue that held so many alliances and coalitions together, a trusted communicator of truth, and the dynamic force that moved others into action. She is a rare gem and Oregon is a better place because of her. Best wishes to Dede in her future role with Legacy Healthy.
Hear, hear! I second Leslie’s sentiments. We already miss you dearly Dede…I don’t know an Institute without you. Your good work and impact at the Institute, OHSU, and in Oregon has been tremendous. I am excited for you, and look forward to seeing what you will be doing next in your new role with Legacy!
Dede was the face and representative of the Institute for the past 20 years for many in the Safety and Health field. Her contributions to Occupational Safety and Health have been monumental. It is a great loss for OHSU, but Legacy has gained an amazing new influencer. Good luck on your new endeavor!