1. Events

IWH Speaker Series

The IWH Speaker Series is your opportunity to learn about the latest findings from work and health researchers from the Institute for Work & Health (IWH) and beyond. These live-stream webinars, which typically take place on Tuesdays from 11.00 a.m. to noon EST, allow you to hear about new research directly from the scientist(s) involved, and give you a chance to ask questions about the meaning and interpretation of the findings. For those unable to attend, recorded webinars of most IWH Speaker Series presentations are made available on the related web page within a week of the event.

Upcoming webinars

22 Apr 2025

Good jobs, bad jobs, and ‘deaths of despair’

Faraz Vahid Shahidi, Institute for Work & Health

Life expectancy is stalling in Canada and other high-income countries. These trends are partly due to rising “deaths of despair,” a term that some researchers use to describe suicide, drug poisoning, and alcohol-related mortality. In this presentation, Dr. Faraz Vahid Shahidi examines the link between job quality—whether one has a “good” or “bad” job—and deaths of despair in the Canadian workforce. He asks whether people in precarious employment, which is insecure and unrewarding, are more likely to suffer an early death due to suicide, drug poisoning, or alcohol-related causes. He also discusses the role job quality can play in improving population health and stemming the rise of deaths of despair.

Recorded webinars

25 Mar 2025

Surveying the landscape for AI use in occupational health and safety in Ontario and British Columbia

Arif Jetha, Institute for Work & Health

Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming workplaces across Canada, enhancing productivity and efficiency in countless ways. AI also has the potential to transform occupational health and safety practice. Despite its promise, however, we still know very little about how organizations are using AI to protect worker health and what factors influence their decision to adopt these technologies. In this presentation, Dr. Arif Jetha dives into findings from a recent survey of over 800 occupational health and safety professionals in Ontario and British Columbia. He outlines how AI could create safer workplaces and support worker health, sparking a discussion on both the risks and opportunities of AI in occupational health and safety and offering valuable takeaways for future research and practice.

25 Feb 2025

Employer perspectives on supporting public safety personnel’s return to work after post-traumatic stress injuries

Basak Yanar, Institute for Work & Health; Cameron Mustard, Institute for Work & Health

Public safety personnel—i.e., people who work in police, fire, paramedics and corrections services—experience higher rates of post-traumatic stress injuries (PTSI) than the general public. These injuries often take them off the job for long periods as part of their recovery. Employers in public safety can play an important role in supporting the return to work of employees who’ve experienced PTSI, but limited information is available on employer experiences, needs and challenges. In this presentation, Dr. Basak Yanar and Dr. Cameron Mustard share the findings of a qualitative study conducted with representatives of public safety employers, unions and associations in Ontario. The study examines employer experiences supporting the return to work of public safety personnel with PTSI. It also highlights perspectives on best practices and innovations in PTSI prevention and disability management.  

28 Jan 2025

The mental health of injured workers with a physically disabling injury

Kathleen Dobson, Institute for Work & Health

Mental health is often thought of as the presence or absence of a mental health condition such as depression or an anxiety disorder. However, the complete mental health model suggests that mental health is also comprised of one’s level of emotional, psychological and social wellbeing. How does this holistic way of framing mental health help us understand the return-to-work experiences of injured workers? In this presentation, Dr. Kathleen Dobson shares results from a recent study examining various mental health profiles among a group of physically injured workers in Ontario. She discusses why it is important to define “mental health” in occupational research, how this framework helps highlight the diverse mental health experiences that injured workers have and how these experiences may impact their return to work.

19 Nov 2024

Deciding whether to share health information at work: A new evidence-based tool for workers with chronic conditions

Monique Gignac, Institute for Work & Health

Workers with chronic and episodic physical and mental health conditions often struggle when deciding whether to seek support from their workplace. In making decisions, they weigh risks like the loss of privacy or reputation if they disclose their needs, versus concerns about job difficulties and work performance if they don’t receive support. 
In this presentation, Dr. Monique Gignac focuses on the challenges inherent in the decision-making process. She also describes a new decision-support tool called DCIDE that aims to help workers navigate the complexity of disclosure decisions. Developed as part of a large research partnership with input from researchers, people with lived experiences, and health charities, DCIDE is an online, interactive tool that guides users through disclosure decisions and links them with additional resources to support their disclosure and privacy preferences.  

15 Oct 2024

How the physical and social environment shape commuters' choices to bike or walk

Aviroop Biswas, Institute for Work & Health

Research shows that only 20 per cent of full-time workers in Canada meet recommended physical activity levels—likely due to time constraints and inflexible work schedules. As many individuals incorporate walking and biking into their daily commutes, finding ways to support and enhance these practical forms of exercise may help increase overall physical activity among workers. In this presentation, Dr. Avi Biswas shares results from a recent study examining how Canadians' decisions to walk or bike to work may be shaped by both the physical environment (e.g., walkability, cycling infrastructure, air pollution) and social environment (e.g., degree of marginalization and deprivation).

See all past presentations