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
- Inclusive Design for Employment Access (IDEA): Evidence synthesis. Funded by New Frontiers in Research Fund (a Tri-Agency Program—CIHR, NSERC, SSHRC). Ongoing. (PI on the project)
- Ontario Life After Work Injury Study: Understanding the long-term recovery and labour market outcomes of injured workers in Ontario. Funded by Workplace Safety and Insurance Board of Ontario. Ongoing.
- Ontario Life After Work Injury Study: Understanding the long-term recovery and labour market outcomes of injured workers in the shadow of COVID-19. Funded by Workplace Safety and Insurance Board. Ongoing.
- Return to work in policing: synthesizing current practices and implementation guidance. Funded by Workplace Safety and Insurance Board of Ontario. Ongoing.
- Tracking long-term outcomes of injured workers in Ontario to better target supports. Funded by Ontario Workplace Safety and Insurance Board. Ongoing. (PI on the project)
Publications
- Tompa E, Dolinschi R, de Oliveira C. Practice and potential of economic evaluation of workplace-based interventions for occupational health and safety. Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation. 2006;16(3):375-400. doi:10.1007/s10926-006-9035-2.
- Alamgir H, Koehoorn M, Ostry A, Tompa E, Demers P. How many work-related injuries requiring hospitalization in British Columbia are claimed for workers' compensation?. American Journal of Industrial Medicine. 2006;49(6):443-451. doi:10.1002/ajim.20308.
- Alamgir H, Koehoorn M, Ostry A, Tompa E, Demers P. Evaluation of hospital discharge records as a tool for serious work related injury surveillance. Occupational and Environmental Medicine. 2006;63(4):290-296. doi:10.1136/oem.2005.026047.
- Mustard C, Etches J, Tompa E. Effects of deficits in health status in childhood and adolescence on human capital development in early adulthood. Institute for Work & Health; 2006.
- Tompa E, Scott H, Trevithick S, Bhattacharyya S. Precarious employment and people with disabilities. Institute for Work & Health; 2006.
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
- 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.
- 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
- 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.