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
- Accommodating and Communicating about Episodic Disabilities (ACED): A partnership to deliver workplace resources to sustain employment of people with chronic, episodic conditions. Funded by Canadian Institutes of Health Research and Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council of Canada Signature Initiative. Ongoing.
- Artificial intelligence and occupational injury and illness in Ontario: implications for prevention and recovery. Funded by Workplace Safety and Insurance Board. Ongoing. (PI on the project)
- Centre for Research on Work Disability Policy: Envisioning the future of disability policy in Canada. Funded by Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. Ongoing.
- Champions as social agents of change: what can we learn from worker well-being initiatives?. Funded by Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). Ongoing.
- Conceal or reveal? Facilitators and barriers to older workers' communication of accommodation needs. Funded by Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council of Canada. Ongoing.
Publications
- Hapsari AP, Ho JW, Meaney C, Avery L, Hassen N, Jetha A, Lay AM, Rotondi M, Zuberi D, Pinto A. The working conditions for personal support workers in the Greater Toronto Area during the COVID-19 pandemic: a mixed-methods study. Canadian Journal of Public Health. 2022;113(6):817-833. doi:10.17269/s41997-022-00643-7.
- Pinto AD, Hapsari AP, Ho J, Meaney C, Avery L, Hassen N, Jetha A, Lay AM, Rotondi M, Zuberi D. Precarious work among personal support workers in the Greater Toronto Area: a respondent-driven sampling study. CMAJ Open. 2022;10(2):E527-E538. doi:10.9778/cmajo.20210338.
- Tompa E, Mofidi A, Jetha A, lahey P, Buettgen A. Development and implementation of a framework for estimating the economic benefits of an accessible and inclusive society. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. 2022;41(3):318-339. doi:10.1108/EDI-07-2020-0186.
- Jetha A, Tucker L, Backman C, Kristman VL, Bowring J, Hazel EM, Perlin L, Proulx L, Chen C, Gignac MA. Rheumatic disease disclosure at the early career phase and its impact on the relationship between workplace supports and presenteeism. Arthritis Care & Research. 2022;74(10):1751-1760. doi:10.1002/acr.24620.
- Hitzig SL, Jeyathevan G, Farahani F, Noonan VK, Linassi G, Routhier F, Jetha A, McCauley D, Alavinia SM, Omidvar M, Craven BC. Development of community participation indicators to advance the quality of spinal cord injury rehabilitation: SCI-High Project. Journal of Spinal Cord Medicine. 2021;44(1):S79-S93. doi:10.1080/10790268.2021.1955204.
Speaker Series presentations
- Life course concepts in the work experiences of people with arthritis. IWH Speaker Series. November 22, 2016.
Interviews and articles
- Young adults with arthritis more likely to be workers, not students. AJMC.com: American Journal of Managed Care (Cranbury, NJ). January 4, 2017. Available from: http://www.ajmc.com/newsroom/young-adults-with-arthritis-more-likely-to-be-workers-not-students
- Disability leave duration rises with age, chronic conditions. At Work: Institute for Work & Health; No. 85, Summer 2016.
- IWH Updates - Summer 2016. At Work: Institute for Work & Health; No. 85, Summer 2016.
- Age and length of disability for eight chronic conditions. LexisNexis Legal Newsroom/Workers' Compensation Law: LexisNexis (Irvine, Calif.). April 27, 2016. Available from: https://www.lexisnexis.com/legalnewsroom/workers-compensation/b/recent-cases-news-trends-developments/archive/2016/04/27/age-and-length-of-disability-for-eight-chronic-conditions.aspx