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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Alavinia SM, Jetha A, Hitzig SL, McCauley D, Routhier F, Noonan VK, Linassi G, Farahani F, Omidvar M, Jeyathevan G, Craven BC. Development of employment indicators to advance the quality of spinal cord injury rehabilitation care: SCI-High Project. Journal of Spinal Cord Medicine. 2021;1(44):S118-S133. doi:10.1080/10790268.2021.1955205.
Speaker Series presentations
- Three scenarios of a future working world: Using strategic foresight to imagine and respond to a changing world of work for young adults living with a disability in Canada. IWH Speaker Series. October 17, 2023.
- Racial and ethnic inequities in the return-to-work of workers following an injury or illness: Findings from a systematic review. IWH Speaker Series. January 17, 2023.
- What the future of work looks like to young people with disabilities. IWH Speaker Series. December 14, 2021.
- Fragmentation in the future of work: Exploring the impact of the changing nature of work on vulnerable workers. IWH Speaker Series. February 23, 2021.
- Promoting labour market transitions for young adults with chronic disabling conditions: a systematic review. IWH Speaker Series. November 27, 2018.
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