Dr. Emile Tompa
Dr. Emile Tompa is a senior scientist at the Institute for Work & Health. He holds appointments as an associate professor in the Department of Economics at McMaster University and as an assistant professor at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto.
Tompa is a labour and health economist with an MBA from the University of British Columbia, an MA in economics from the University of Toronto, and a PhD in economics from McMaster University.
Tompa’s research interests include the consequences of occupational health and safety system design on the health and well-being of individuals and populations, the economic evaluation of workplace interventions for improving the health and well-being of workers, the economic burden of adverse health conditions and disability, and the analysis of disability policy systems. Most recently, Tompa received a six-year funding envelope as the nominated principal applicant from the New Frontiers in Research Fund Transformation Stream for a social innovation laboratory called Inclusive Design for Employment Access (IDEA). The initiative is focused on skilling up employers to advance their abilities to tap into diverse talent pools, with a focus on persons with disabilities.
“How to get the most for the least, that’s the basis for economics. I am interested in analyzing issues related to occupational health and safety and work disability prevention and management from the standpoint of this basic challenge.” – Dr. Emile Tompa
Projects
- 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.
- Implementation of a comprehensive accommodation and reintegration program in a police service. Funded by Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB). Ongoing.
- Implementation of PTSI programs in Alberta first responder organizations. Funded by Government of Alberta. Ongoing.
- Incentives-based approaches to support stay at work/return to work: an environmental scan. Funded by Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development (MLITSD), WorkSafeBC. Ongoing.
- 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. (PI on the project)
Publications
- Jetha A, Bonaccio S, Shamaee A, Banks CG, Bultmann U, Smith PM, Tompa E, Tucker LB, Norman C, Gignac MA. Divided in a digital economy: understanding disability employment inequities stemming from the application of advanced workplace technologies. SSM - Qualitative Research in Health. 2023;3:100293. doi:10.1016/j.ssmqr.2023.100293.
- Tompa E, Imam S, Varickanickal J, Mofidi A, Gewurtz R, Irvin E, Southey B. Combler les lacunes dans les connaissances concernant les compétences des personnes handicapées : Une analyse documentaire et des entrevues avec des informateurs clés. Institute for Work & Health; 2023.
- Tompa E, Imam S, Varickanickal J, Mofidi A, Gewurtz R, Irvin E, Southey B. Addressing knowledge gaps about skills of persons with disabilities: A literature review and key informant Interviews. Institute for Work & Health; 2023.
- Gignac MA, Bowring J, Tonima S, Franche RL, Thompson A, Jetha A, Smith PM, MacDermid JC, Shaw WS, Van Eerd D, Beaton DE, Irvin E, Tompa E, Saunders R. A sensibility assessment of the Job Demands and Accommodation Planning Tool (JDAPT): a tool to help workers with an episodic disability plan workplace support. Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation. 2023;33(1):145-159. doi:10.1007/s10926-022-10057-4.
- Jetha A, Shamaee A, Tompa E, Smith PM, Bultmann U, Bonaccio S, Tucker LB, Norman C, Banks CG, Gignac MA. The future of work in shaping the employment inclusion of young adults with disabilities: a qualitative study. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. 2023;42(9):75-91. doi:10.1108/EDI-06-2022-0154.
Speaker Series presentations
- Systematic review of the effectiveness of OHS regulatory enforcement. IWH Speaker Series. May 5, 2015.
- Income security and labour-market engagement: Envisioning the future of work disability policy in Canada. IWH Speaker Series. February 11, 2014.
- Work disability trajectories under three workers' compensation programs. IWH Speaker Series. April 2, 2013.
- The impact of temporary employment and job tenure on sickness absence. IWH Speaker Series. May 4, 2010.
Interviews and articles
- Work disability research centre supports the development of new standard, and more. At Work: Institute for Work & Health; No. 86, Fall 2016.
- Penalties work: Citations and fines can reduce work injuries. Canadian Safety Reporter: Thomson Reuters Canada (Toronto, ON). November 1, 2016. Available from: http://www.safety-reporter.com/articleview/28081-penalties-work-citations-and-fines-can-reduce-workplace-injuries
- Government inspections and fines lead to safer workplaces, researchers claim. Safety + Health: U.S. National Safety Council (Itasca, IL). September 7, 2016. Available from: http://www.safetyandhealthmagazine.com/articles/14639-government-inspections-and-fines-lead-to-safer-workplaces-researchers-claim
- OHS inspections with penalties effectively reduce work injuries: IWH. Canadian Occupational Safety: Thomson Reuters Canada (Toronto, ON). September 6, 2016. Available from: http://cos-mag.com/legal/legal-stories/5225-ohs-inspections-with-penalties-effectively-reduce-work-injuries-iwh.html
- New cases of mesothelioma and asbestos-related lung cancer in one year cost $1.9B. At Work: Institute for Work & Health; No. 85, Summer 2016.