Julianne Payne, PhD, studies workplace and labor market conditions, job characteristics, and workforce development, all with a goal of improving worker well-being. With an academic background in sociology, Dr. Payne uses both qualitative and quantitative methodologies to understand how workplace experiences enhance and detract from worker outcomes.
Currently, Dr. Payne leads the quantitative component of an evaluation of New Skills for Youth, a career training program funded by JP Morgan Chase to support states’ innovations in the expansion and development of career pathways. She also recently led qualitative research for a National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)-sponsored study of attitudes, resources, information needs, and communication preferences regarding motor vehicle safety in occupational settings. Other workforce issues she has studied include workplace health promotion programs, the safety climate in hospitals, training programs for retail workers, and the integration of nonclinicians into healthcare teams.
Dr. Payne came to RTI in 2014 from Social & Scientific Systems, where she was a research data analyst examining chemical exposures and stressors among clean-up workers who responded to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.