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
- Policies and practices on the accommodation of people with visible disabilities in the workplace . Funded by Employment and Social Development Canada. Completed. (PI on the project)
- Breakthrough change: understanding why and how workplaces make large improvements in OHS performance. Funded by Workplace Safety & Insurance Board of Ontario's Research Advisory Committee, Ontario Ministry of Labour. Completed.
- Developing a framework for understanding and measuring OHS vulnerability. Funded by Canadian Institutes of Health Research. Completed.
- Occupational health and safety interventions with economic evaluations: a systematic review. Funded by Workplace Safety and Insurance Board of Ontario. Completed. (PI on the project)
- Factors associated with occupational disease among young people: a systematic review. Funded by Workplace Safety and Insurance Board of Ontario. Completed.
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. Addressing knowledge gaps about skills of persons with disabilities: A literature review and key informant Interviews. Institute for Work & Health; 2023.
- 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.
- 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.
- Irvin E, Tompa E, Johnston H, Padkapayeva K, Mahood Q, Samosh D. Financial incentives to promote employment of persons with disabilities: a scoping review of when and how they work best. Disability and Rehabilitation. 2023;45(21):3595-3609. doi:10.1080/09638288.2022.2133178.
Speaker Series presentations
- Skills development barriers for persons with disabilities and the promising practices to address them. IWH Speaker Series. April 18, 2023.
- Development and implementation of a framework for estimating the economic benefits of an accessible and inclusive society. IWH Speaker Series. February 8, 2022.
- Introducing the new CSA standard for work disability management systems. IWH Speaker Series. February 4, 2020.
- Estimating the economic burden of work injuries and illnesses in the European Union. IWH Speaker Series. November 12, 2019.
- An impact analysis of two silica dust exposure reduction strategies. IWH Speaker Series. November 6, 2018.
Interviews and articles
- Researchers conclude that OSHA citations, penalties reduce workplace injuries. OSHA QuickTakes: Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) (Washington, DC). November 2, 2015. Available from: https://www.osha.gov/as/opa/quicktakes/qt110215.html
- Workers’ comp benefits keep poverty low among permanently impaired workers and their families, study by IWH finds. At Work: Institute for Work & Health; No. 81, Summer 2015.
- Inspections with penalties linked to lower injuries: IWH review. At Work: Institute for Work & Health; No. 81, Summer 2015.
- New research centre to examine work disability policy in Canada. At Work: Institute for Work & Health; No. 75, Winter 2014.
- Lt. Gov. David Onley’s keynote speech at centre launch takes on myths about people with disabilities. At Work: Institute for Work & Health; No. 75, Winter 2014.