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
- Future-focused job accommodation practices for the school-to-work transition. Funded by Accessibility Standards Canada (Government of Canada). Ongoing. (PI on the project)
- Future-proofing young Canadians with disabilities for the changing labour market. Funded by New Frontiers in Research Fund (a Tri-Agency Program—CIHR, NSERC, SSHRC). Ongoing. (PI on the project)
- Inclusive Design for Employment Access (IDEA): A social innovation lab to increase demand-side capacity to employ persons with disabilities in Canada. Funded by New Frontiers in Research Fund (a Tri-Agency Program—CIHR, NSERC, SSHRC). Ongoing.
- Inclusive Design for Employment Access (IDEA): Transition to work and career development. Funded by MLITSD, New Frontiers in Research Fund (a Tri-Council initiative among CIHR, SSHRC and Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council) . Ongoing. (PI on the project)
- Intelligent machines and human worker inequities: examining the implications of AI in the workplace. Funded by Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC); Future Skills Centre. Ongoing. (PI on the project)
Publications
- Jetha A, Besen E, Smith PM. Comparing the relationship between age and length of disability across common chronic conditions. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. 2016;58(5):485-491. doi:10.1097/JOM.0000000000000702.
- Jetha A, Pransky G, Fish J, Hettinger LJ. Return-to-work within a complex and dynamic organizational work disability system. Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation. 2016;26(3):276-285. doi:10.1007/s10926-015-9613-2.
- Jetha A, Badley EM, Beaton DE, Fortin PR, Shiff NJ, Gignac MA. Unpacking early work experiences of young adults with rheumatic disease: an examination of absenteeism, job disruptions and productivity loss. Arthritis Care & Research. 2015;67(9):1246-1254. doi:10.1002/acr.22601.
- Jetha A, Badley EM, Beaton DE, Fortin PR, Shiff NJ, Rosenberg AM, Tucker LB, Mosher DP, Gignac MA. Transitioning to Employment with a Rheumatic Disease: The Role of Independence, Overprotection, and Social Support. Journal of Rheumatology. 2014;41(12):2386-2394. doi:jrheum.140419.
- Gignac MA, Jetha A, Bowring J, Beaton DE, Badley EM. Management of work disability in rheumatic conditions: a review of non-pharmacological interventions. Best Practice & Research Clinical Rheumatology. 2012;26(3):369-386. doi:10.1016/j.berh.2012.05.001.
Speaker Series presentations
- Life course concepts in the work experiences of people with arthritis. IWH Speaker Series. November 22, 2016.
Interviews and articles
- Precarious work a health threat for millennials. Toronto Star. August 26, 2018. Available from: https://www.thestar.com/opinion/contributors/2018/08/26/precarious-work-a-health-threat-for-millennials.html
- Supervisors play key role in return from injury, study finds. Daily Commercial News. August 20, 2018. Available from: https://canada.constructconnect.com/dcn/news/ohs/2018/08/supervisors-play-key-role-return-injury-study-finds
- Supervisors who react with support can help injured workers return to the job. At Work: Institute for Work & Health; No. 93, Summer 2018.
- Young adults with chronic conditions often struggle to access workplace supports . At Work: Institute for Work & Health; No. 90, Fall 2017.
- New study shows that life and career stage do matter when thinking about the impact of arthritis on employment. CAPA Newsletter: Canadian Arthritis Patient Alliance (Toronto, ON). May 1, 2017. Available from: http://www.arthritispatient.ca/news/may-2017/#employment