Dr. Nancy Carnide
Dr. Nancy Carnide is a 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 has 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 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
Projects
- Strategies to support the appropriate use of prescription opioids: a systematic review. Funded by Canadian Institutes of Health Research . Completed.
- Understanding the use and impact of early opioid prescriptions for work-related low-back pain. Funded by Canadian Institutes of Health Research, WorkSafeBC. Completed.
- Effectiveness of interventions to address depression in the workplace: a systematic review. Funded by Canadian Institutes of Health Research. Completed.
Publications
- Furlan AD, Irvin E, Kim J, Van Eerd D, Carnide N, Munhall C, Fortune M, Mahood Q, van Tulder MW. Impact of long-term opioid use for chronic non-cancer pain on misuse, abuse or addiction, overdose, falls and fractures. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2014 CD011062-. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD011062.
- Murray E, Franche RL, Ibrahim S, Smith PM, Carnide N, Cote P, Gibson J, Guzman J, Koehoorn M, Mustard C. Pain-related work interference is a key factor in a worker/workplace model of work absence duration due to musculoskeletal conditions in Canadian nurses. Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation. 2013;23(4):585-596. doi:10.1007/s10926-012-9408-7.
- Furlan AD, Gnam W, Carnide N, Irvin E, Amick B, DeRango K, McMaster R, Cullen KL, Slack T, Brouwer S, Bultmann U. Systematic review of intervention practices for depression in the workplace. Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation. 2012;22(3):312-321. doi:10.1007/s10926-011-9340-2.
- Furlan AD, Gnam W, Carnide N, Irvin E, Amick B, DeRango K, McMaster R, Cullen KL, Brouwer S, Bultmann U, Slack T. Systematic review of intervention practices for depression in the workplace. Institute for Work & Health; 2011.
- Franche RL, Murray E, Ibrahim S, Smith PM, Carnide N, Cote P, Gibson J, Koehoorn M. Examining the impact of worker and workplace factors on prolonged work absences among Canadian nurses. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. 2011;53(8):919-927. doi:10.1097/JOM.0b013e3182255dea.
Speaker Series presentations
- Cannabis use and perceptions among Canadian workers after legalization . IWH Speaker Series. May 14, 2024.
- Occupational patterns in opioid-related harms among Ontario workers . IWH Speaker Series. June 13, 2023.
- 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.
Interviews and articles
- Injured workers have higher rates of opioid poisonings than the general population.. Rehab & Community Care Medicine : BCS Communications Ltd.. February 11, 2025. Available from: https://www.rehabmagazine.ca/injured-workers-have-higher-rates-of-opioid-poisonings-than-the-general-population/
- Analysis: Employees no more likely to consume cannabis during work hours following legalization. NORML. January 9, 2025. Available from: https://norml.org/news/2025/01/09/analysis-employees-no-more-likely-to-consume-cannabis-during-work-following-legalization/
- Construction ranks high among occupations harmed by opioids: IWH study. Daily Commercial News. June 6, 2024. Available from: https://canada.constructconnect.com/dcn/news/associations/2024/06/construction-ranks-high-among-occupations-harmed-by-opioids-iwh-study
- ‘Unprecedented public health crisis’: Pioneering research studies links between workplaces, opioid harms. OHS Canada. February 7, 2024. Available from: https://www.ohscanada.com/features/opioids-in-the-workplace-pioneering-research-studies-links-between-workplaces-opioid-harms/
- Shining a light on opioid epidemic's link to the workplace. Canadian Occupational Safety. December 18, 2023. Available from: https://www.thesafetymag.com/ca/topics/safety-and-ppe/shining-a-light-on-opioid-epidemics-link-to-the-workplace/470527