RAND economist to explore research and public policy reform

September 22, 2011 (Toronto, Ontario) — How can research improve public policy, specifically in the area of workers’ compensation and recovery following a job injury?

This question is at the heart of a talk being given by Dr. Robert T. Reville, a senior economist at the RAND Corporation. Dr. Reville is delivering this year’s Nachemson Memorial Lecture on Thursday, October 27 in Toronto. This free lecture is held annually by the Institute for Work & Health (IWH) to showcase the research of a prominent national or international expert in the field of work and health.

Dr. Reville has conducted a number of important studies examining the performance of California’s workers’ compensation system. He will show how his work helped shape the state’s policy reforms in areas such as improved return-to-work outcomes, adequate benefits for workers with permanent impairment, and fairness in claims adjudication.

More and more attention is being paid to the performance of our workers’ compensation and occupational health and safety systems here in Ontario, so it’s timely to talk about bringing evidence to the policy table, says IWH President Dr. Cameron Mustard. The lessons learned by Dr. Reville in California will no doubt resonate here as well.

Full details are below:

Dr. Robert T. Reville
2011 Nachemson Memorial Lecture: Research informing public policy—Workers' compensation in California
Thursday, October 27, 2011, 5.30 p.m.
Design Exchange, 2nd Floor
234 Bay St., Toronto, Ontario

Please register for this event at www.iwh.on.ca/nachemson-lecture-form.