UML Doc Student Studies Vietnamese Safety Issues

UML doctoral student and Liberty Mutual employee, Helen Wellman, center, recently traveled to Vietnam for her research on workplace injuries. 

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Helen Wellman’s time is tight – she manages a full-time career with a global leader in the insurance industry as she pursues a doctorate in UML’s Dept. of Work Environment.  But Wellman doesn’t just balance these responsibilities, she excels at them.

In fact, Wellman recently received the prestigious Liberty Mutual Chairman’s Award, one of just 15 employees out of nearly 40,000 selected for the honor.  Wellman’s work at Liberty Mutual complements her studies at UMass Lowell.  After earning a master’s degree from UML in 1995, Wellman spent five years in occupational health surveillance with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.

In 2000, Wellman joined the Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety, dedicated to helping people live safer and more secure lives.  The Institute comprises four separate research centers studying safety issues and advancing scientific knowledge in occupational and highway safety. 

Wellman’s expertise at the Institute involves examining workplace injuries in Vietnam.  Prior to Wellman’s involvement, there was no system to monitor or track injuries and their causes.  Wellman has partnered with Liberty Mutual colleagues, UMass Lowell and Vietnam’s National Institute of Environmental Health (NIOEH) to make a comprehensive analysis.  The effort has been so successful, the Liberty Mutual Safe Work Center (LMSWC) at NIOEH was officially opened earlier this year, with funding from Liberty Mutual and a mission to promote the safety of Vietnamese workers and improve the productivity and efficiency of industries to avoid financial and social burdens associated with occupational injuries.

“NIOEH has been a terrific partner due to their enthusiastic, practice-oriented approach, and the close working relationships with doctors and people in the communities,” says Wellman. “Our Vietnamese collaborators truly make the project a success.”

Wellman is currently working to complete her dissertation entitled “Development of a Public Health Model and Reporting of Work-Related Injuries in Vietnam.” Her advisor, Prof. David Kriebel of the Dept. of Work Environment has high praise for Wellman. “Helen is one of the most hard-working and dedicated students I’ve ever met,” he says.  “Her research in Vietnam has not only led to this outstanding achievement award from her employer, but the government of Vietnam has also praised her project and announced its intentions to use the lessons learned through this research to reduce workplace injuries nationwide.”

Wellman credits her UML education and experience for her success.  “In my opinion, what sets the program at UMass Lowell apart from others is the enthusiastic faculty,” she says. “I have been involved with the program practically from its inception. UML professors are great classroom and field leaders, and have a genuine and deep passion for advancing occupational health and safety.”