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
- Tompa E, Dolinschi R, Laing AC. An economic evaluation of a participatory ergonomics process in an auto parts manufacturer. Journal of Safety Research. 2009;40(1):41-47.
- Tompa E, Scott-Marshall H, Fang M. Impact of temporary employment and job tenure on work-related sickness absence. Occupational and Environmental Medicine. 2008;65(12):801-807. doi:10.1136/oem.2007.037259.
- Tompa E, de Oliveira C, Dolinschi R, Irvin E. Systematic review of disability management interventions with economic evaluations. Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation. 2008;18(1):16-26. doi:10.1007/s10926-007-9116-x.
- Tompa E, Polanyi M, Foley J. Labour market flexibility and worker insecurity. Institute for Work & Health; 2008.
- Breslin FC, Tompa E, Zhao R, Pole JD, Amick B, Smith PM, Hogg-Johnson S. Relationship between job tenure and work disability absence among adults: a prospective study. Accident Analysis and Prevention. 2008;40(1):368-375. doi:10.1016/j.aap.2007.07.007.
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 team examines the relationship between business and OHS outcomes. At Work: Institute for Work & Health; No. 54, Fall 2008.
- Community-based research explores impact of job injuries on workers’ lives. At Work: Institute for Work & Health; No. 57, Summer 2009.
- Is it worth it? Determining the costs and benefits of workplace interventions. At Work: Institute for Work & Health; No. 45, Summer 2006.
- Scientist-worker alliance to study work injury. At Work: Institute for Work & Health; No. 45, Summer 2006.