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
- Cost to Canadians of excluding people with disabilities from the labour market . Funded by Centre for Research on Work Disability Policy. Completed. (PI on the project)
- Estimating the financial benefits of OHS prevention expenditures: a study of Ontario employers. Funded by Workplace Safety and Insurance Board of Ontario. Completed.
- Evaluating prevention strategies to reduce the risk of work-related cancers in Ontario’s construction sector. Funded by European Agency for Safety and Health at Work. Completed. (PI on the project)
- Assessing the human and economic burden of workplace cancer in Canada. Funded by Canadian Cancer Society. Completed. (PI on the project)
- Best practices for work disability prevention management systems: a scoping review in support of new Canadian standard. Completed. (PI on the project)
Publications
- Tompa E, Hogg-Johnson S, Amick B, Wang Y, Shen E, Mustard C, Robson LS, Saunders R. Financial incentives of experience rating in workers' compensation: new evidence from a program change in Ontario, Canada. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. 2013;55(3):292-304. doi:10.1097/JOM.0b013e31827827fa.
- Veltri A, Pagell M, Johnston D, Tompa E, Robson LS, Amick B, Hogg-Johnson S, Macdonald S. Understanding safety in the context of business operations: an exploratory study using case studies. Safety Science. 2013;55:119-134. doi:10.1016/j.ssci.2012.12.008.
- van Dongen JM, Tompa E, Clune L, Sarnocinska-Hart A, Bongers PM, van Tulder MW, van der Beek AJ, van Wier MF. Bridging the gap between the economic evaluation literature and daily practice in occupational health: a qualitative study among decision-makers in the healthcare sector. Implementation Science. 2013;8:57-. doi:10.1186/1748-5908-8-57.
- Scott-Marshall H, Tompa E, Liao Q, Fang M. Marital formation in individuals with work-related permanent impairment. Disability and Health Journal. 2013;6(1):43-51. doi:10.1016/j.dhjo.2012.10.001.
- Miller PSJ, Biddle EA, van Dongen JM, van Tulder MW, Tompa E, Shemilt I. Economic incentives to enhance safety behaviour in workers for preventing occupational injuries (Protocol). Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2013 CD010474-. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD010474.
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
- New social innovation lab launched to build employer disability confidence. At Work: Institute for Work & Health; No. 112, Spring 2023.
- New federal initiative aiming to increase employment rate of persons with disabilities. Benefits Canada. May 19, 2023. Available from: https://www.benefitscanada.com/news/bencan/new-federal-initiative-aiming-to-increase-employment-rate-of-persons-with-disabilities/
- New initiative ‘skills up’ employers to hire, promote, support workers with disabilities. At Work: Institute for Work & Health; No. 109, Summer 2022.
- It’s time for a culture shift where disability inclusion is concerned. The Globe and Mail. June 12, 2022. Available from: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/commentary/article-its-time-for-a-culture-shift-where-disability-inclusion-is-concerned/
- How government funding can best support the employment of persons with disabilities. At Work: Institute for Work & Health; No. 108, Spring 2022.