R3 Speaks: Work as a Health Behavior

Les Kertay
June 19, 2017

The mental and physical health benefits of working are well documented, as are the health risks of being out of work. In fact, the negative health consequences of worklessness are substantially worse than a number of other well-recognized health risks. Why, then, does there remain an epidemic of needless worklessness in this country, and why is so little public attention directed at it? This talk will describe the disability epidemic as a health crisis, outline the systemic causes for that crisis, and propose a simple health-risk model for combatting it.

Les Kertay

Guest Author

Les Kertay is a licensed and board-certified clinical psychologist. He has extensive experience and expertise in the arena of mind-body health including disability medicine, chronic pain, health behaviors, crisis response, and managing workplace absence. With over 15 years in executive leadership positions in the medical and vocational areas of the disability insurance industry, Dr. Kertay has presented at national and international conferences on topics related to the psychological aspects of work and disability, practical approaches to managing psychosocial issues in medical practice, pain management, somatoform and personality disorders, and professional ethics. Also, in addition to other publications, he is a contributor to three books on psychosocial aspects of complex disability claims and is lead editor for the AMA Guides to Navigating Disability Benefit Systems. Dr. Kertay is also a practicing clinician and industry consultant.