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
- 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
- New social innovation lab launched to build employer disability confidence. At Work: Institute for Work & Health; No. 112, Spring 2023.
- New federal initiative aiming to increase employment rate of persons with disabilities. Benefits Canada. May 19, 2023. Available from: https://www.benefitscanada.com/news/bencan/new-federal-initiative-aiming-to-increase-employment-rate-of-persons-with-disabilities/
- New initiative ‘skills up’ employers to hire, promote, support workers with disabilities. At Work: Institute for Work & Health; No. 109, Summer 2022.
- It’s time for a culture shift where disability inclusion is concerned. The Globe and Mail. June 12, 2022. Available from: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/commentary/article-its-time-for-a-culture-shift-where-disability-inclusion-is-concerned/
- How government funding can best support the employment of persons with disabilities. At Work: Institute for Work & Health; No. 108, Spring 2022.