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
- lahey P, Kirsh B, Tompa E, MacDermid J, Gewurtz RE. The Ontario Disability Support Program work exit process: parallels to a hostage negotiation. Journal of Disability Policy Studies. 2021;32(3):182-92. doi:10.1177/1044207320944609.
- Tompa E, Mofidi A, van den Heuvel S, van Bree T, Michaelsen F, Jung Y, Porsch L, van Emmerik M. Economic burden of work injuries and diseases: a framework and application in five European Union countries. BMC Public Health. 2021;21(1):49. doi:10.1186/s12889-020-10050-7.
- Mofidi A, Tompa E, Mortazavi SB, Esfahanipour A, Demers P. A probabilistic approach for economic evaluation of occupational health and safety interventions: a case study of silica exposure reduction interventions in the construction sector. BMC Public Health. 2020;20(1):210. doi:10.1186/s12889-020-8307-7.
- Yazdani A, Tompa E. Managing work disability using a new Canadian standard. OOHNA Journal. 2020;39(4):7-10. doi:.
- Lahey PM, Kirsh B, MacDermid JC, Tompa E, Gewurtz R. Active labour market policies for people with disabilities in receipt of public income benefits: a scoping review. Work. 2019;64(2):229-247. doi:10.3233/WOR-192989.
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
- Work-related skin cancer among construction workers set to double by 2060. Daily Commercial News. July 21, 2021. Available from: https://canada.constructconnect.com/dcn/news/ohs/2021/07/work-related-skin-cancer-among-construction-workers-set-to-double-by-2060
- Impact of COVID, and signs of progress, in the spotlight at disabilities and work conference. At Work: Institute for Work & Health; No. 103, Winter 2021.
- Comparing the costs, benefits of silica dust prevention methods for construction workers. At Work: Institute for Work & Health; No. 101, Summer 2020.
- Strategy launched for greater workforce inclusion of people with disabilities. At Work: Institute for Work & Health; No. 99, Winter 2020.
- Estimating the societal costs of work injuries and illnesses in five EU countries. At Work: Institute for Work & Health; No. 99, Winter 2020.