Pia Markkanen

Pia Markkanen, Sc.D., is a Visiting Lecturer in the Department of Public Health at the Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts Lowell. Her academic background includes a Doctorate in Work Environment from UMass Lowell (2004) and a Master’s in Chemical Engineering from Lappeenranta University of Technology, Finland (1992). Her research focuses on occupational safety and health (OSH), particularly in home care settings, environmental health, and qualitative methods. She has led the NIOSH-funded Safe Home Care Project since 2004, investigating hazards faced by home care workers.

Markkanen’s career includes extensive international OSH experience with the ILO, managing programs in Cambodia, China, Indonesia, and other nations. She has specialized in OSH in informal sectors, including footwear manufacturing and fisheries. Her expertise includes program evaluation, healthy aging, and the social determinants of health.

Her research outputs span over 40 peer-reviewed articles, emphasizing mixed-methods approaches to address workplace hazards in home care and healthcare. Key themes include client safety, verbal abuse prevention, and infection control strategies. She has collaborated on grants such as the 2014 Homecare Work in Social Assistance grant.

Labs/Teams: Core member of the Safe Home Care Project, collaborating with interdisciplinary teams across public health and nursing. Her work integrates clinical, policy, and community perspectives to advance OSH initiatives.