Story by Whitney Pennington
Lorann Stallones, epidemiologist and professor in Colorado State University’s Department of Psychology, has been named director of the High Plains Intermountain Center for Agricultural Health and Safety.
Stallones will draw from the skills and expertise honed during her decades-long career to lead the transdisciplinary center in its efforts to improve the health, safety and wellbeing of workers in the food, fiber and timber production industries.
The center, which has been continuously funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for more than 30 years, was once again renewed in 2022. Stallones takes over the role as center director from Stephen Reynolds, professor in the Department of Environmental and Radiological Health Sciences. Reynolds will remain part of the center’s leadership team, serving as a senior advisor.
Accomplished researcher
Stallones’ career in agricultural health and injury prevention research began in New York in the 1980s, where she was part of a team studying the specific health hazards facing dairy farmers. Moving to the University of Kentucky, she began work on what would become her primary contribution to the field: investigating the role of pesticide exposure in the pathway to suicidal behavior in farmers.
Stallones came to CSU in 1990 and continues this work today. She leads and collaborates on numerous projects building community-level resiliency and expanding the mental health safety net in rural, agricultural and underserved communities. To date, Stallones has over 200 peer-reviewed publications, primarily in the areas of global injury prevention and occupational health. She has been recently honored by the Colorado School of Public Health Center for Global Health, the International Society for Agricultural Safety and Health, and the Society for the Advancement of Violence and Injury Prevention.
“When I began my research, we could get around $5,000 for our projects,” said Stallones. “Now we have numerous centers receiving millions of dollars every year. It’s incredible to see that my work and the work of many dedicated colleagues has convinced funders that the health of agricultural workers is worth significant research investment.”
Experienced leader
Stallones is not new to leadership. In addition to her accomplished research career, Stallones founded and directed the Colorado Injury Control Research Center in 1998. She also served as the founding director of Colorado School of Public Health at CSU, has held leadership positions in the CSU One Health Institute, and has been deputy director of the High Plains Intermountain Center for Agricultural Health and Safety since 2011.
“While there are always emerging issues to investigate, I’m eager to help the center increase our impact,” said Stallones. “There is a lot of stress on agricultural production right now – labor shortages, rising input prices and limited numbers of livestock veterinarians. We need to intentionally integrate with partners across the system to help solve these complex issues and ensure food security.”
