OBJECTIVE: To spotlight the challenges, gaps, and opportunities to improve workforce mental health and well-being in higher education institutions (HEIs). METHODS: We convened a full-day summit of subject matter experts from academia, business, government, and practice to share research and best practices on workplace mental health. RESULTS: Highlights from the summit are presented in this paper covering the importance of leadership and culture; the mental health costs associated with being a Black STEM scholar; the role of the environment; case studies of three university mental health and well-being programs; and the future of work. CONCLUSIONS: Establishing a culture of caring requires leadership commitment; strategic planning; accountability and shared responsibility; and measurement and evaluation. HEI leaders are called to lead by example; foster community partnerships; adopt a Total Worker Health framework; and regularly evaluate progress.

Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to either reduce or exacerbate occupational safety and health (OSH) inequities in the workplace, and its impact will be mediated by numerous factors. This paper anticipates challenges to ensuring that the OSH benefits of technological advances are equitably distributed among social groups, industries, job arrangements, and geographical regions. A scoping review was completed to summarize the recent literature on AI's role in promoting OSH equity. The scoping review was designed around three concepts: artificial intelligence, OSH, and health equity. Scoping results revealed 113 articles relevant for inclusion. The ways in which AI presents barriers and facilitators to OSH equity are outlined along with priority focus areas and best practices in reducing OSH disparities and knowledge gaps. The scoping review uncovered priority focus areas. In conclusion, AI's role in OSH equity is vastly understudied. An urgent need exists for multidisciplinary research that addresses where and how AI is being adopted and evaluated and how its use is affecting OSH across industries, wage categories, and sociodemographic groups. OSH professionals can play a significant role in identifying strategies that ensure the benefits of AI in promoting workforce health and wellbeing are equitably distributed.

Workers, particularly outdoor workers, are among the populations most disproportionately affected by climate-related hazards. However, scientific research and control actions to comprehensively address these hazards are notably absent. To assess this absence, a seven-category framework was developed in 2009 to characterize the scientific literature published from 1988 through 2008. Using this framework, a second assessment examined the literature published through 2014, and the current one examines literature from 2014 through 2021. The objectives were to present literature that updates the framework and related topics and increases awareness of the role of climate change in occupational safety and health. In general, there is substantial literature on worker hazards related to ambient temperatures, biological hazards, and extreme weather but less on air pollution, ultraviolet radiation, industrial transitions, and the built environment. There is growing literature on mental health and health equity issues related to climate change, but much more research is needed. The socioeconomic impacts of climate change also require more research. This study illustrates that workers are experiencing increased morbidity and mortality related to climate change. In all areas of climate-related worker risk, including geoengineering, research is needed on the causality and prevalence of hazards, along with surveillance to identify, and interventions for hazard prevention and control.

AI and autonomous systems are already part of everyday life, and the pace of change is only expected to increase. According to Stanford's 2021 AI Index Report, 101,000 AI-related patents were issued in 2019, up from 78,000 in 2018. In 2020, AI startup companies received more than $40 billion in private investment across the globe, including almost $24 billion in the United States, an increase of 9.3 percent since 2019. Furthermore, AI is becoming more affordable due to increases in computer speed and storage space. For example, the cost per entrant for image recognition, which refers to a computer's ability to identify and categorize an image, decreased from $1,100 in 2015 to $7.43 in 2020. AI can improve the efficiency of tasks performed by programming and recognition tools, many of which are integrated seamlessly into everyday life. Can't decide what movie or show to watch? AI technology can suggest one for you. Don't have the time to vacuum the living room? An AI-controlled robotic vacuum can take care of that. The same technology displays advertisements catering to your interests as you use social media, browse the web, or use smartphone apps. While some people welcome and appreciate these applications of technology, others might find targeted advertising and the intrusion of advanced technologies into their lives unnerving, unwelcome, and discomforting. So, why should occupational health and safety (OHS) professionals be aware of this technology? NIOSH and other safety and health organizations recognize that AI is increasingly becoming part of many operations in the workplace. Accordingly, OHS research is beginning to focus on how AI may influence work practices and impact the safety, health, and well-being of workers.