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Patricia W. Gucer, PhD, MA

Academic Title:

Assistant Professor

Primary Appointment:

Medicine

Location:

11 S. Paca Street, 2nd Floor, Suite 200

Phone (Primary):

(410) 328-2637

Fax:

(410) 328-1568

Education and Training

I received my A.B. from Dunbarton College of Holy Cross, Washington, D.C. in Biological Sciences, my M.A. from The Johns Hopkins University in Sociology; and my Ph.D. from The Johns Hopkins University in Sociology.

Teaching interests include resident training in the scope and prevention of work-related MSDs, collective research and survey design.

Biosketch

My research interests centers on work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDSs), which are enormously costly to employers, their insurers, the injured workers and their families. I design surveys to expose and calculate the indirect costs from work-related MSDs and to determine the effectives of preventive interventions. I survey workers’ compensation claimants, among poultry workers and long-term caregivers. MSDs make long-term caregiving more dangerous than construction work. These injuries are largely due to patient transfers. They are preventable with the use of mechanical lifting devices. My research work has included a pilot intervention featuring the use of mechanical-lift equipment as well as a cultural change supporting the use of equipment. I am currently preparing to “scale up” the pilot intervention in partnership with workers’ compensation insurers. Also, along with Workers’ Compensation partners I plan to survey long-term care facilities to determine whether adequate numbers of lift equipment and the cultural climate to support their use are related to workers’ compensation costs and resident well-being.

Another research interest involves a surveillance of depleted uranium (DU) exposed veterans headed by Dr. McDiarmid. I am interested in discovering and documenting any changes over time typical of heavy metal poisoning that are a function of the body burden of DU.

                                                  

Research/Clinical Keywords

Safe lifting, MSDs, survey research

Highlighted Publications

  1. McDiarmid M.A., Gucer, P.W. (2001). The "GRAS" status of women's work. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 43(8), 665-669.
  2. Gucer, PW, Oliver MS, McDiarmid, MA, Workplace Threats to Health and Job Turnover among Women Workers. Journal of Environmental and Occupational Medicine. 45(7) 683-690. 2003.
  3. Gucer, P.W., Gaitens, J., Oliver, M., McDiarmid, M.A. (2013). Sit-stand mechanical lifts in long-term care and resident quality indicators. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 55(1), 36-44.
  4. Restrepo, T.E., Schmid, F.A., Gucer, P.W., Shuford, H. L., Shyong, C.J., McDiarmid, M.A. (2013). Safe lifting programs at long-term care facilities and workers compensation costs. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 55(1), 27-35.