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
- Risk factors for work injury among youth: a systematic review. Funded by Ontario Workplace Safety and Insurance Board. Completed.
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.
- 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.
- 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.
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
- Research on silica exposure controls finds PPE comes at a cost. Workers Health & Safety Centre. December 7, 2018. Available from: https://www.whsc.on.ca/What-s-new/News-Archive/Research-on-silica-exposure-controls-finds-PPE-com
- What research can do: IWH estimate of societal costs helps Ottawa make case for asbestos ban. At Work: Institute for Work & Health; No. 93, Summer 2018.
- Benefits outweigh costs for workplaces that accommodate people with mental illness. At Work: Institute for Work & Health; No. 93, Summer 2018.
- IWH study estimates costs of non-melanoma skin cancers due to sun exposure at work . At Work: Institute for Work & Health; No. 92, Spring 2018.
- Hidden costs of skin cancer caused by workplace sun exposure revealed. Science Daily. April 26, 2018. Available from: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/04/180426085524.htm