Work stress and healthy aging: A conceptual framework for the Semmelweis study and the Semmelweis-EUniWell workplace health promotion model program

Abstract

Chronic occupational stress is increasingly recognized as a modifiable accelerator of biological aging, yet it remains underappreciated as a target of geroscience-informed public health intervention. This review reframes workplace stress as a life-course determinant of aging trajectories and introduces a translational framework that positions occupational environments as platforms for promoting healthy aging. Drawing on insights from the Semmelweis Study, a large longitudinal occupational cohort, and the Semmelweis-EUniWell Workplace Health Promotion Model Program, we examine how sustained work-related stress influences biological, psychological, and social mechanisms that shape healthspan. Integrating perspectives from geroscience, psychosocial epidemiology, and global longevity research, we propose a multidimensional model in which the workplace functions both as a source of cumulative stress exposure and as a scalable intervention setting. We describe pathways linking occupational stress to inflammation, neuroendocrine dysregulation, epigenetic aging, and functional decline, and outline institution-level and individual-level strategies designed to foster resilience and adaptive capacity across the life course. Supported by implementation experience from EUniWell partner universities, this framework demonstrates how universities can operate as living laboratories for stress mitigation and healthy aging promotion. We argue that occupational stress prevention should be integrated into national healthy aging strategies as a cornerstone of preventive care and workforce sustainability. By treating workplace stress as a modifiable driver of aging, institutions can simultaneously enhance employee well-being, extend functional longevity, and generate population-level benefits. This approach positions the workplace not only as a site of risk, but as a powerful engine for resilience, purpose, and healthy aging.