Carolyn Oldham, MSED, PhD

Program focus: Content Developer

Last updated on January 26th, 2022 at 03:32 pm

Director of Continuing Education, Central Appalachian Regional Education and Research Center, University of Kentucky

 

Dr. Carolyn Oldham is the Director of Continuing Education at the Central Appalachian Regional Education and Research Center (CARERC), a NIOSH/CDC funded-university center housed within the College of Agriculture at the University of Kentucky. CARERC focuses on the advancement of occupational safety and health training programs through outreach, education and research. In her work with CARERC and its sister center, the Southeast Center for Agricultural Health and Injury Prevention (SCAHIP), she has worked with fellow researchers, health practitioners and agricultural community members across the state to develop, administer and facilitate the Agricultural Community QPR for Farmers and Farm Families train the trainer program. As of October 2021, the program had trained over 57 trainers and 720 agricultural community members in suicide prevention. This is one of many initiatives the Centers are working on with partners across both the state and southeast region to advance farmer mental health. Carolyn’s work in mental health is informed by not only research and practice but also her lived experiences as a survivor of suicide loss. Her twenty-year career in higher education and academe has focused on evaluation, assessment, accreditation, cultural responsiveness, community partnerships, and teaching.  She is a graduate of Knox College (BA), Northwestern University (MSEd) and University of Kentucky (PhD).

Developed “The Culture of Agriculture”