Dr. Arif Jetha
Dr. Arif Jetha is associate scientific director and scientist at the Institute for Work & Health. He is also an associate professor (status-only) at the University of Toronto’s Dalla Lana School of Public Health.
Jetha earned his PhD in behavioural sciences and public health at the University of Toronto, and an MSc in health community and development from the London School of Economics and Political Science. He also held post-doctoral fellowships at the Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety and the Institute for Work & Health.
Jetha’s program of research aims at understanding how sociopolitical, technological, environmental and economic changes that characterize the future of work affect the health and employment participation of vulnerable workers. He is specifically interested in the implications of artificial intelligence (AI) on the health, safety and well-being of workers. Also, Jetha leads research on how changing working conditions can shape the labour market experiences of young workers and persons living with disabilities at the early career phase and across the life course.
To pursue his research program, Jetha takes a systems perspective and uses a mixed-methods research approach. He collaborates closely with diverse research partners to produce findings that can inform policy and practice. Jetha is currently the recipient of the Stars Career Development Salary Award from the Arthritis Society.
“The world of work is changing at a rapid rate. Studying the future of work allows me to understand the emerging challenges facing workers and create an evidence base that can be used to inform the design of policies and programs that are resilient to change and protect the most vulnerable.”
— Dr. Arif Jetha
Projects
- Job quality and wellbeing in Canada: generating insights on the new world of work. Funded by Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). Ongoing.
- Preventing work disability among millennial young adults with rheumatic disease. Funded by Arthritis Society Operating Grant. Ongoing. (PI on the project)
- Return to work in policing: synthesizing current practices and implementation guidance. Funded by Workplace Safety and Insurance Board of Ontario. Ongoing.
- Transitioning to the future of work: an intersectional study of vulnerable youth and young adults. Funded by Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. Ongoing. (PI on the project)
- What are the long-term health and labour market outcomes of workers who experienced work-related COVID-19 transmission?. Funded by Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). Ongoing.
Publications
- Jetha A. Soutenir les jeunes personnes handicapées dans l’avenir du travail. Institute for Work & Health; 2024.
- Ponzano M, Buren R, Adams NT, Jun J, Jetha A, Mack DE, Martin KA. Effect of exercise on mental health and health-related quality of life in adults with spinal cord injury: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Archives of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation. 2024 epub ahead of print. doi:10.1016/j.apmr.2024.02.737.
- Martin Ginis KA, Sinden AR, Bonaccio S, Labbe D, Guertin C, Gellatly IR, Koch L, Ben Mortenson W, Routhier F, Basham CA, Jetha A. Experiential aspects of participation in employment and mobility for adults with physical disabilities: testing cross-sectional models of contextual influences and well-being outcomes. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. 2024;105(2):303-313. doi:10.1016/j.apmr.2023.08.004.
- Gignac MA, Bowring J, Shahidi FV, Kristman VL, Cameron JI, Jetha A. Workplace disclosure decisions of older workers wanting to remain employed: a qualitative study of factors considered when contemplating revealing or concealing support needs. Work, Aging and Retirement. 2024;10(2):174–187. doi:10.1093/workar/waac029.
- Jetha A, Navaratnerajah L, Kondratowski S, Parmassar M, Tucker LB, Gignac MA. Impact of employment and income support interventions on the health of young adults with episodic disability: findings from a systematic review. Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health. 2024;50(2):122-128. 10.5271/sjweh.4133.
Speaker Series presentations
- Life course concepts in the work experiences of people with arthritis. IWH Speaker Series. November 22, 2016.
Interviews and articles
- Coronavirus: The risks to essential workers with hidden health conditions. The Conversation. April 15, 2020. Available from: https://theconversation.com/coronavirus-the-risks-to-essential-workers-with-hidden-health-conditions-135819
- Despite social distancing, many front-line public workers feel the strain. The Globe and Mail. March 20, 2020. Available from: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/careers/article-despite-social-distancing-many-front-line-public-workers-feel-the/
- The future of work will hit vulnerable people the hardest. The Conversation. March 2, 2020.
- What’s causing the bottleneck in disability management?. Canadian HR Reporter. February 24, 2020. Available from: https://www.hrreporter.com/focus-areas/wellness-mental-health/whats-causing-the-bottleneck-in-disability-management/326532
- Grant round-up: Anticipating future risks among externally funded projects under way at IWH. At Work: Institute for Work & Health; No. 99, Winter 2020.