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. Tompa holds 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
- Tracking long-term outcomes of injured workers in Ontario to better target supports. Funded by Ontario Workplace Safety and Insurance Board. Completed. (PI on the project)
Publications
- 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.
- Mofidi A, Tompa E, Williams AM, Yazdani A, Lero DS, Mortazavi SB. Impact of a caregiver-friendly workplace policies intervention: a prospective economic evaluation. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. 2019;61(6):461-468. doi:10.1097/JOM.0000000000001564.
- Mustard C, Tompa E, Landsman V, Lay M. What do employers spend to protect the health of workers?. Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health. 2019;45(3):308-311. doi:10.5271/sjweh.3778.
- Riano-Casallas MI, Tompa E. Cost-benefit analysis of investment in occupational health and safety in Colombian companies. American Journal of Industrial Medicine. 2018;61(11):893-900. doi:10.1002/ajim.22911.
- Scott KA, Fisher GG, Baron AE, Tompa E, Stallones L, DiGuiseppi C. The associations between falls, fall injuries, and labor market outcomes among U.S. workers 65 years and older. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. 2018;60(10):943-953. doi:10.1097/JOM.0000000000001379.
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
- How government funding can best support the employment of persons with disabilities. At Work: Institute for Work & Health; No. 108, Spring 2022.
- 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.