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
- Costs of work-related injuries, illnesses and deaths in the European Union. Funded by European Agency for Safety and Health at Work. Completed. (PI on the project)
- Extended working life and its interaction with health, wellbeing and quality of life: a multi-country initiative (THRIVE). Funded by Canadian Institutes of Health Research. Completed.
- Evaluating the impact of mandatory awareness training on occupational health and safety vulnerability in Ontario. Funded by Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Ontario Ministry of Labour's Research Opportunities Program. Completed.
- Analyzing the adequacy of benefits among workers’ compensation claimants in Ontario, 1999-2005. Funded by Canadian Institutes of Health Research. Completed. (PI on the project)
- Employer investments in occupational health and safety: establishing benchmarks for Ontario. Funded by Ontario Ministry of Labour Research Opportunities Program. Completed.
Publications
- Breslin FC, Pole JD, Tompa E, Amick B, Smith PM, Hogg-Johnson S. Antecedents of work disability absence among young people: a prospective study. Annals of Epidemiology. 2007;17(10):814-820. doi:10.1016/j.annepidem.2007.04.004.
- Tompa E, Dolinschi R, de Oliveira C, Irvin E. Systematic review of OHS interventions with economic evaluations: appendices. Institute for Work & Health; 2007.
- Tompa E, Dolinschi R, de Oliveira C, Irvin E. Systematic review of OHS interventions with economic evaluations: full report. Institute for Work & Health; 2007.
- Breslin FC, Tompa E, Zhao R, Amick B, Pole JD, Smith PM, Hogg-Johnson S. Work disability absence among young workers with respect to earnings losses in the following year. Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment and Health. 2007;33(3):192-197.
- Alamgir H, Tompa E, Koehoorn M, Ostry A, Demers P. Hospital costs of treating work-related sawmill injuries in British Columbia. Injury. 2007;38(5):631-639. doi:10.1016/j.injury.2006.10.004.
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
- What research can do: IWH researchers help MPs examine episodic disabilities and work issues. At Work: Institute for Work & Health; No. 98, Fall 2019.
- Raising awareness about caregiver supports results in savings for employer: study. At Work: Institute for Work & Health; No. 97, Summer 2019.
- Despite ban, asbestos lingers and takes a toll decades later. Times Colonist. January 27, 2019. Available from: https://www.timescolonist.com/opinion/columnists/monique-keiran-despite-ban-asbestos-lingers-and-takes-a-toll-decades-later-1.23613070
- Research looks at cost-effectiveness in silica dust exposure fight. Daily Commercial News. January 25, 2019. Available from: https://canada.constructconnect.com/dcn/news/ohs/2019/01/research-looks-cost-effectiveness-silica-dust-exposure-fight
- Seeking broad input on a pan-Canadian strategy to improve work choices for people with disabilities . At Work: Institute for Work & Health; No. 95, Winter 2019.