Dr. Chris McLeod
Dr. Chris McLeod is a scientist at the Institute for Work & Health and is the co-research lead of the Partnership for Work, Health and Safety at the School of Population and Public Health at the University of British Columbia (UBC) in Vancouver, where he is an associate professor and the head of the occupational and environmental health division.
McLeod holds a PhD in population and public health from UBC and a master's in economics from McMaster University. He is the recipient of a five-year (2013-2018) Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) New Investigator Award and of a five-year (2016-2021) Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Scholar Award
McLeod’s research focuses on the program and policy evaluation of occupational health policies and practices, and on the causes and consequences of work-related injury and disease. He is also a content data expert for Population Data BC, working on developing and extending the occupational health data available to researchers through Population Data BC.

"Because the Institute for Work & Health supported me in a variety of ways, I decided to pursue a career as a researcher in work and health. That wouldn't have happened without the Institute introducing me to the field and maintaining an ongoing supportive relationship." – Dr. Chris McLeod
Research areas
Projects
- Inter-jurisdictional comparison of OHS and workers’ compensation system performance. Funded by Manitoba Workers Compensation Board. Ongoing.
- Central nervous system agents and the risk of workplace injury and death: a systematic review. Funded by WorkSafeBC. Completed.
- Identifying relevant OHS leading indicators in Manitoba's construction sector. Funded by Workers Compensation Board of Manitoba. Completed.
- Strengthening disability management in Ontario’s municipal sector. Funded by Canadian Institutes of Health Research and Social Sciences Humanities Research Council Signature Initiative. Completed.
Publications
- Minh A, Bultmann U, Rejineveld SA, Van Zon SKR, McLeod CB. Childhood socioeconomic status and depressive symptom trajectories in the transition to adulthood in the United States and Canada. Journal of Adolescent Health. 2021;68(1):161-168. doi:https://doi.org/50812.
- Jones AM, Koehoorn M, Bultmann U, McLeod CB. Prevalence and risk factors for anxiety and depression disorders in workers with work-related musculoskeletal strain or sprain in British Columbia, Canada: a comparison of men and women using administrative health data. Occupational and Environmental Medicine. 2021 [epub ahead of print]. doi:10.1136/oemed-2020-106661.
- Macpherson RA, Amick B, Collie A, Hogg-Johnson S, Koehoorn M, Smith PM, McLeod CB. Urban-rural differences in the duration of injury-related work disability in six Canadian provinces. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. 2020;62(5):e200-e207. doi:10.1097/JOM.0000000000001850.
- Choi K, Maas E, Koehoorn M, McLeod CB. Time to return to work following workplace violence among direct healthcare and social workers. Occupational and Environmental Medicine. 2020;77(3):160-167. doi:10.1136/oemed-2019-106211.
- Gignac MA, Irvin E, Cullen KL, Van Eerd D, Beaton DE, Mahood Q, McLeod CB, Backman CL. Men and women's occupational activities and the risk of developing osteoarthritis of the knee, hip, or hands: a systematic review and recommendations for future research. Arthritis Care and Research. 2020;72(3):378-396. doi:10.1002/acr.23855.
Speaker Series presentations
- The effectiveness of COR in preventing work injury: lessons from Alberta and B.C.. IWH Speaker Series. November 5, 2019.
- Return to work not a single event: applying new methods and data to understand RTW. IWH Speaker Series. November 15, 2016.
Interviews and articles
- Employers certified by COR programs have greater reduction in injury rates: studies. At Work: Institute for Work & Health; No. 98, Fall 2019.
- Can data help prevent workplace injuries and death?. Journal of Commerce: ConstructConnect (Burnaby, BC). January 29, 2018. Available from: https://canada.constructconnect.com/joc/news/technology/2018/01/can-data-help-prevent-workplace-injuries-death
- Study finds COR employers have lower rates of serious injuries than those not in program. At Work: Institute for Work & Health; No. 84, Spring 2016.
- IWH eight-item questionnaire may predict future claims rates. At Work: Institute for Work & Health; No. 77, Summer 2014.
- Are those who work shifts more at risk of work injury?. At Work: Institute for Work & Health; No. 63, Winter 2011.