Work Safety, Health and Environment Management: A Translational Research Approach from Behavioural Sciences

The SMU Profile of Excellence Lecture Series began its first lecture of the academic year with a talk delivered by Professor David Chan who is Lee Kuan Yew Fellow, Professor of Psychology and Director of the Behavioural Sciences Institute.  The lecture was filled to maximum capacity with a diverse audience of students, academics and civil servants from various public sector agencies. 

In his talk, titled Work Safety, Health and Environment Management: A Translational Research Approach from Behavioural Sciences, Professor Chan explained why and how many issues in work safety, health and environment management could be adequately addressed only if we go beyond engineering, economics and enforcement to focus on education and engagement. Adopting a translational research approach, he showed how behavioural sciences research, which examines how people think, feel and act in various situations and contexts, could be used to understand, predict and influence attitudes, behaviours and outcomes at work.  The lecture was followed by a discussion on how policy makers, practitioners and academics could collaborate in behavioural sciences research that will translate science into practical action in policy design and execution.

Professor Chan is a world renowned researcher in industrial and organisational psychology. He has received numerous international scholarly awards and he is the first non-American to receive the Distinguished Early Career Contributions Award from the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP). His works have been cited in journal articles over 2000 times in various disciplines. He has served as Editor or board member on several journals. He is consultant to several organisations in Singapore; a member of the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG), Public Hygiene Council, Governing Board for the Workplace Safety and Health Institute, Research Advisory Panel for the National Population and Talent Division, and Resource Panel for the National Environment Agency; a director on the Board of the Singapore Corporation of Rehabilitative Enterprises; and Chairman of the International Advisory Panel to the NCPG & National Addictions Management Service. He is an Elected Fellow of the SIOP, the American Psychological Association, the Association for Psychological Science and the International Association of Applied Psychology.