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
- Cost to Canadians of excluding people with disabilities from the labour market . Funded by Centre for Research on Work Disability Policy. Completed. (PI on the project)
- Estimating the financial benefits of OHS prevention expenditures: a study of Ontario employers. Funded by Workplace Safety and Insurance Board of Ontario. Completed.
- Evaluating prevention strategies to reduce the risk of work-related cancers in Ontario’s construction sector. Funded by European Agency for Safety and Health at Work. Completed. (PI on the project)
- Assessing the human and economic burden of workplace cancer in Canada. Funded by Canadian Cancer Society. Completed. (PI on the project)
- Best practices for work disability prevention management systems: a scoping review in support of new Canadian standard. Completed. (PI on the project)
Publications
- Oldfield M, Gewurtz R, Tompa E, Harlos K, Kirsh B, Lysaght R, Macdougall A, Moll S, Rueda S, Sultan-Taieb H. Improving workplaces to enable people living with mental illness to stay in their jobs. OOHNA Journal. 2018;37(1):46-49.
- Jung YL, Tompa E, Longo C, Kalcevich C, Kim J, Song C, Demers P. The economic burden of bladder cancer due to occupational exposure. Journal of Occupational & Environmental Medicine. 2018;60(3):217-225. doi:10.1097/JOM.0000000000001242 .
- Scott KA, Liao Q, Fisher GG, Stallones L, DiGuiseppi C, Tompa E. Early labor force exit subsequent to permanently impairing occupational injury or illness among workers 50-64 years of age. American Journal of Industrial Medicine. 2018;61(4):317-325. doi:10.1002/ajim.22817.
- Scott KA, Fisher GG, Baron AE, Tompa E, Stallones L, DiGuiseppi C. Same-level fall injuries in US workplaces by age group, gender, and industry. American Journal of Industrial Medicine. 2018;61(2):111-119. doi:10.1002/ajim.22796.
- Tompa E, Kalcevich C, McLeod CB, Lebeau M, Song C, McLeod K, Kim J, Demers P. The economic burden of lung cancer and mesothelioma due to occupational and para-occupational asbestos exposure. Occupational and Environmental Medicine. 2017;74(11):816-822. doi:10.1136/oemed-2016-104173.
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
- National conference on disability and work offered sweeping overview of complex issues . At Work: Institute for Work & Health; No. 91, Winter 2018.
- Study update: New cases of mesothelioma and asbestos-related lung cancer from one year cost $2.35B. At Work: Institute for Work & Health; No. 90, Fall 2017.
- Developing standards for managing workplace disability. Rehab & Community Care Medicine: BCS Communications Ltd. (Toronto, ON). May 1, 2017. Available from: http://pub.rehabmagazine.ca/publication/index.php?i=396322&m=1929&l=1&p=1&pre=&ver=html5#{%22issue_id%22:396322,%22page%22:14}
- Bill introduced to end asbestos use in the province . Sarnia Observer: Sun Media (Sarnia, ON). December 9, 2016. Available from: http://www.theobserver.ca/2016/12/09/bill-introduced-to-end-asbestos-use-in-the-province
- Work disability research centre supports the development of new standard, and more. At Work: Institute for Work & Health; No. 86, Fall 2016.