Dr. Nancy Carnide
Dr. Nancy Carnide is an associate scientist at the Institute for Work & Health. She is also an assistant professor in the Division of Epidemiology at the University of Toronto's Dalla Lana School of Public Health.
She is an early career researcher with a PhD in epidemiology from the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto. During her PhD, she was the recipient of a Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship and a CIHR Strategic Training Fellowship in Work Disability Prevention. Carnide was previously a post-doctoral fellow at the Institute.
Carnide conducts research at the intersection between occupational health and safety and substance use. Her research projects have involved analysis of survey and administrative data, as well as systematic reviews. Her emerging program of research includes examining the use and non-medical use of prescription and recreational drugs among workers, their risk factors and the workplace consequences of their use, with a focus on cannabis and opioids.

“The gaps in knowledge around the scope, determinants and effects of substance use among workers are vast. Given the current opioid crisis and the move towards cannabis legalization in multiple jurisdictions, including Canada, I cannot think of a more timely area for research in occupational health and safety.” – Dr. Nancy Carnide
Research areas
Projects
- Cannabis and workplace fatalities: establishing a baseline in Ontario. Funded by Canadian Institutes of Health Research. Ongoing. (PI on the project)
- Cannabis use and long-term recovery and return-to-work outcomes among Ontario injured workers. Funded by Canadian Institutes of Health Research. Ongoing. (PI on the project)
- ECHO OEM: Piloting a telementoring program in occupational and environmental medicine. Funded by Workplace Safety and Insurance Board. Ongoing.
- 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.
- Opioid-related harms among Ontario workers: a surveillance tool. Funded by Public Health Agency of Canada. Ongoing. (PI on the project)
Publications
- Mustard C, Nadalin V, Carnide N, Tompa E, Smith PM. Cohort profile: the Ontario Life After Workplace Injury Study (OLAWIS). BMJ Open. 2021;11(9):e048143. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2020-048143.
- Orchard C, Carnide N, Smith PM, Mustard C. The association between case manager interactions and serious mental illness following a physical workplace injury or illness: a cross-sectional analysis of workers' compensation claimants Ontario. Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation. 2021;31(4):895-902. doi:10.1007/s10926-021-09974-7.
- Carnide N, Lee H, Frone MR, Furlan AD, Smith PM. Patterns and correlates of workplace and non-workplace cannabis use among Canadian workers before the legalization of non-medical cannabis. Drug and Alcohol Dependence. 2021;218:108386. doi:10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2020.108386.
- Zhang JC, Carnide N, Holness L, Cram P. Cannabis use and work-related injuries: a cross-sectional analysis. Occupational Medicine. 2020;70(8):570-577. doi:10.1093/occmed/kqaa175.
- Carnide N, Hogg-Johnson S, Cote P, Koehoorn M, Furlan AD. Factors associated with early opioid dispensing compared with NSAID and muscle relaxant dispensing after a work-related low back injury. Occupational and Environmental Medicine. 2020;77(9):637-647. doi:10.1136/oemed-2019-106380.
Speaker Series presentations
- Cannabis use and the risk of workplace injury: Findings from a longitudinal study of Canadian workers. IWH Speaker Series. March 8, 2022.
- Have cannabis use and perceptions about workplace use changed since legalization?. IWH Speaker Series. March 3, 2020.
- The link between workplace injury and fatality risks and the use of substances affecting the central nervous system. IWH Speaker Series. May 28, 2019.
- Clearing the haze: Understanding how Canadian workers use and perceive cannabis at work. IWH Speaker Series. November 20, 2018.
Interviews and articles
- Cannabis use linked to higher injury risk, but only among those who use at or before work. At Work: Institute for Work & Health; No. 108, Spring 2022.
- Supervisors and people in safety-sensitive jobs using cannabis at work, researchers find. Safety + Health. April 14, 2021. Available from: https://www.safetyandhealthmagazine.com/articles/21072-supervisors-and-people-in-safety-sensitive-jobs-using-cannabis-at-work-researchers-find
- At-work cannabis use linked to work factors, including some not expected: IWH study. At Work: Institute for Work & Health; No. 103, Winter 2021.
- Is cannabis use on the rise?. Canadian HR Reporter. June 2, 2020. Available from: https://www.hrreporter.com/focus-areas/safety/is-cannabis-use-on-the-rise/330199
- At-work use of cannabis reported by 1 in 12 workers—no change since legalization. At Work: Institute for Work & Health; No. 100, Spring 2020.