The University Record, October 16, 1995
OBITUARY
University of Michigan researcher Andrea Foote, a leading expert in the area of health promotion in the work place, died from Krukenberg’s syndrome, a form of cancer, Oct. 6. She was 54.
Foote, who was honored with a Distinguished Research Scientist Award in 1994, was director of the Worker Health Program at the Institute of Labor and Industrial Relations (ILIR), and was an adjunct professor in the School of Social Work.
She was best known for developing and testing health care delivery systems in industrial settings, with a special emphasis on chronic disease control (hypertension, alcoholism, substance abuse, and mental and emotional disorders).
“Andrea was a wonderful colleague,” says Larry Root, ILIR director and professor of social work. “Her research, particularly her pioneering use of large-scale field experiments, made her a national leader in work-site wellness.
“She was an extraordinary person—intelligent, honest and without a shred of artifice. We shall all miss her good humor, wise counsel and friendship.”
Foote published nearly 50 articles, chapters and monographs on topics ranging from controlling high blood pressure to cost-containment of health screening in the work place. Two books published by her team of researchers on employee assistance programs were among the first to address the topic and fast became standard texts in the field.
She also helped develop health screening programs for Ford Motor Co., General Motors Corp., Detroit Edison and the United AutoWorkers; wrote the manual for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ work-site cardiovascular programs; and guided the U-M’s efforts in confronting student and employee substance abuse.
In addition, she was a member of the Employee Assistance Professionals Association and served on the board of the Health Promotion and Wellness Council of Michigan and on the Michigan Department of Public Health’s Cardiovascular Disease Subcommittee.
Born March 23, 1941, in Roosevelt, Utah, Foote received a bachelor’s degree in German from the University of Utah in 1963, and two degrees in sociology from the U-M—a master’s in 1969 and a doctorate in 1973.
She is survived by a son, Brett Miner of Ann Arbor; mother, Norma Foote of Boulder, Colo.; brother, G. Brant Foote of Boulder; three sisters, Brangwyn Foote of Boulder, Ariel (Michael) Barfield of Tucson, Ariz., and Adrien (Samuel) Taylor of Moab, Utah; and nine nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband, John Erfurt, and father, Ellis Foote.
Memorial contributions can be made to the Andrea Foote Memorial Research Fund, ILIR, 325 Victor Vaughn, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2054.
