Dr. Monique Gignac
Dr. Monique Gignac is scientific director and senior scientist at the Institute for Work & Health. She is also a professor in the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto.
Gignac’s research expertise is in the areas of health and social psychology, including health models of disability. Her research examines psychosocial factors like stress, coping, adaptation and communication, and their importance in understanding the impact of chronic diseases on the lives of adults across the life course. Of particular interest is research on workplace communication, privacy, support and accommodation needs among individuals living with chronic, episodic conditions.
Gignac's research program is strongly collaborative. She works with clinicians, epidemiologists, health economists, sociologists and health psychologists. Study designs in her research program span community health surveys, qualitative research, measurement design and evaluation, and analyses of population health datasets.
Gignac has received recognition for her research with a Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Award (2013); an award for outstanding leadership and research from the Canadian Networks of Centres of Excellence (2011); Distinguished Scholar (2013), Lecturer (2014) and service awards (2019, 2021) from the international Association of Rheumatology Professionals (ARP); and recognition for mentorship (2015) from the Health Care, Technology and Place (HCTP) Strategic Research Training Program funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Care (CIHR).
“Many chronic physical and mental health conditions create ongoing challenges for those living with them. That's because their symptoms are often invisible. They're also intermittent in impact and therefore highly unpredictable. That creates a lot of stress and hard-to-answer questions. Should a person disclose their health condition at work? How does a person get support from others during times of difficulty without affecting their career? My goal is to apply research to improve the health and work outcomes of individuals living with these conditions.” – Dr. Monique Gignac
Projects
- Developing recommendations for an integrated approach to workplace health protection and health promotion. Funded by Alberta OHS Future. Completed.
- Getting the message right: strengthening RTW communication in B.C.'s health-care sector. Funded by WorkSafeBC Innovation at Work. Completed.
- Role of accommodations and communication practices in supporting the employment participation of Canadians living with disabilities. Funded by Canadian Disability Participation Project. Completed. (PI on the project)
- Understanding the employment needs and experiences of baby boomers with arthritis and diabetes. Funded by Canadian Institutes of Health Research. Completed. (PI on the project)
- Understanding the relationship between osteoarthritis and work: a systematic review. Funded by WorkSafeBC. Completed. (PI on the project)
Publications
- Fan J, Gignac MA, Harris MA, Smith PM. Age differences in return-to-work following injury: understanding the role of age dimensions across longitudinal follow-up. Journal of Occupational & Environmental Medicine. 2020;62(12):e680-e687. doi:10.1097/JOM.0000000000002029.
- Jetha A, Martin Ginis KA, Ibrahim S, Gignac MA. The working disadvantaged: the role of age, job tenure and disability in precarious work. BMC Public Health. 2020;20(1):1900. doi:10.1186/s12889-020-09938-1.
- Pinsker EB, Sale JEM, Gignac MA, Daniels TR, Beaton DE. "I don't have to think about watching the ground": a qualitative study exploring the concept of vigilance as an important outcome for ankle reconstruction. Arthritis Care and Research. 2020;72(10):1367-1373. doi:10.1002/acr.24039.
- Sale JEM, Frankel L, Bogoch E, Gignac MA, Hawker G, Elliot-Gibson V, Jain R, Funnell L. Few fragility fracture patients perceive that their bone health is affected by their comorbidities and medications. Osteoporosis International. 2020;31(10):2047-2055. doi:10.1007/s00198-020-05409-w.
- Gignac MA, Irvin E, Cullen KL, Van Eerd D, Beaton DE, Mahood Q, McLeod CB, Backman CL. Men and women's occupational activities and the risk of developing osteoarthritis of the knee, hip, or hands: a systematic review and recommendations for future research. Arthritis Care and Research. 2020;72(3):378-396. doi:10.1002/acr.23855.
Speaker Series presentations
- Deciding whether to share health information at work: A new evidence-based tool for workers with chronic conditions. IWH Speaker Series. November 19, 2024.
- Unveiling the JDAPT: A new interactive tool to identify work-related support strategies for workers with chronic conditions and disability. IWH Speaker Series. March 21, 2023.
- What do workplaces need to know to help older workers stay on the job? A qualitative study of older workers’ disclosure decisions. IWH Speaker Series. September 20, 2022.
- Does it matter what workers’ reasons are for disclosing or not disclosing a disability at work? Why and how?. IWH Speaker Series. November 24, 2020.
- Challenges in accommodating mental and physical health conditions: What workplace parties are saying. IWH Speaker Series. June 12, 2018.
Interviews and articles
- Lack of support at work makes COVID worse for people with disabilities. Canadian HR Reporter. August 9, 2021. Available from: https://www.hrreporter.com/focus-areas/compensation-and-benefits/lack-of-support-at-work-makes-covid-worse-for-people-with-disabilities/358771
- COVID worries highest among workers with both physical, mental health disabilities. At Work: Institute for Work & Health; No. 105, Summer 2021.
- Episodic health conditions. Rehab & Community Care. April 23, 2021. Available from: https://www.rehabmagazine.ca/top-stories/episodic-health-conditions/
- Episodic health conditions. Rehab & Community Care. April 23, 2021. Available from: https://www.rehabmagazine.ca/top-stories/episodic-health-conditions/
- People’s reasons for disclosing episodic disabilities linked to support they receive. At Work: Institute for Work & Health; No. 103, Winter 2021.