Dr. Aviroop Biswas
Dr. Aviroop Biswas is a scientist at the Institute for Work & Health. He is also an assistant professor in epidemiology at the University of Toronto's Dalla Lana School of Public Health.
Biswas obtained his PhD in health services research at the University of Toronto’s Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation. During his PhD studies, he received a doctoral research fellowship from the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute and was a past recipient of the University of Toronto’s Ted Goldberg award for academic excellence and promise in health services research. Biswas was previously a Mustard post-doctoral fellow at the Institute for Work & Health (2017-2019).
Biswas’s research at the Institute aspires to improve the sustainability of employment and the prevention of future worker injury and chronic disease by informing health promotion activities related to healthy physical activity and worker wellbeing. His recent research projects include examining how different workers’ daily activity profiles are associated with their risk of chronic disease, understanding how workplace wellbeing champions can support engagement and participation among their colleagues, and how different work arrangements (including telework) shape work-life balance and wellbeing. His studies have primarily involved the analysis of survey and administrative data, machine learning, as well as systematic reviews.

“Worker health goes beyond simply thinking about protecting workers from the hazards of work. Unhealthy living not only increases the risk of preventable disease, but is also a major cause of workplace absence and injury. The challenge is to convince employers that the health and well-being of workers is in the best interests of the workplace to promote.” – Dr. Avi Biswas
Projects
- Exploring where Canadians work and live and their association with active transportation. Funded by Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). 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.
- Occupational injury risks in Ontario. Funded by Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development (MLITSD). Ongoing.
- Partnership on AI and the Quality of work (PAIQ) . Funded by Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council of Canada. Ongoing.
- Trends in the severity of work-related injury in Ontario. Funded by Ontario Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development (MLITSD). Ongoing. (PI on the project)
Publications
- Biswas A. Occupational physical activity as a target for obesity prevention: a lack of effect or a lack of evidence?. Occupational and Environmental Medicine. 2021;78(3):145-146. doi:10.1136/oemed-2020-107266.
- Biswas A, Begum M, Van Eerd D, Smith PM, Gignac MA. Organizational perspectives on how to successfully integrate health promotion activities into occupational health and safety. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. 2021;63(4):270-284. doi:10.1097/JOM.0000000000002087.
- Prince SA, Roberts KC, Reed JL, Biswas A, Colley RC, Thompson W. Daily physical activity and sedentary behaviour across occupational classifications in Canadian adults. Health Reports. 2020;31(9):13-26. doi:10.25318/82-003-x202000900002-eng.
- Biswas A, Smith PM, Gignac MA. Access to showers and change rooms at work associated with active commuting among older workers: findings from a national population survey. Journal of Applied Gerontology. 2020;39(2):214-220. doi:10.1177/0733464818755313.
- Biswas A, Dobson KG , Gignac MA, de Oliveira C, Smith PM. Changes in work factors and concurrent changes in leisure time physical activity: a 12-year longitudinal analysis. Occupational and Environmental Medicine. 2020;77(5):309-315. doi:10.1136/oemed-2019-106158.
Speaker Series presentations
- Do workplace facilities and health promotion programs help workers be physically active?. IWH Speaker Series. November 7, 2017.
Research summaries
- Workers doing vigorous, tiring activity all day no healthier than those who are least active. At Work article: Institute for Work & Health, June 2022.
- Review synthesizes differences between men, women in injury risks and outcomes. At Work article: Institute for Work & Health, May 2022.
- Emerging evidence points to negative health effects of physical work demands . At Work article: Institute for Work & Health, July 2021.
- Workplace facilities and environments can help workers exercise during off-hours. At Work article: Institute for Work & Health, April 2018.
Media coverage
- The physical activity paradox. Rehab & Community Care. February 17, 2022. Available from: https://www.bluetoad.com/publication/?m=1929&i=731841&p=18&ver=html5
- How can workplaces help promote exercise?. The Weekend Morning Show with Dave Trafford. November 21, 2021. Available from: https://www.iheartradio.ca/newstalk-1010/shows/the-weekend-morning-show-with-dave-trafford-1.377616
- Workplaces can help promote exercise, but job conditions remain a major hurdle. The Conversation. November 15, 2021. Available from: https://theconversation.com/workplaces-can-help-promote-exercise-but-job-conditions-remain-a-major-hurdle-170921
- Sitting or standing too much at work? New video addresses ways to lower associated health risks. Safety + Health. December 27, 2018. Available from: https://www.safetyandhealthmagazine.com/articles/17906-sitting-or-standing-too-much-at-work-new-video-addresses-ways-to-lower-associated-health-risks