Dr. Peter Smith
Dr. Peter Smith is president and senior scientist at the Institute for Work & Health (IWH) in Toronto, and a professor in the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto. Prior to moving into the president's role in January 2022, Smith was IWH's scientific co-director.
Smith has a master's in public health from the University of New South Wales, Australia, and a PhD from the Institute of Medical Science at the University of Toronto. He is a former recipient of a New Investigator Award (2008-2013) from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR),a Discovery Early Career Researcher Award from the Australian Research Council (2012-2014), and a five-year CIHR Research Chair in Gender, Work and Health (2014-2018).
Smith has extensive experience conducting research related to work injury and its consequences using large population-based surveys and administrative workers' compensation data. His key research interests include: gender and sex differences in the relationship between work and health; labour market inequalities and their health-related outcomes; labour market experiences of newcomers, older workers, younger workers and other vulnerable labour force subgroups; chronic illnesses and work injury; and trends in working conditions over time.
“I don’t understand how people can think about health without thinking about work. Between our early 20s and our 60s – and later for some people – we spend most of our waking hours at work. It makes sense, then, that aspects of work must have an impact on different aspects of our health, both positively and negatively. That drives me to better understand what good work and bad work look like from a health and return-to-work perspective.” – Dr. Peter Smith
Projects
- How RTW differs for workers with psychological injuries, older workers. Funded by Australian Research Council. Completed. (PI on the project)
- Inter-jurisdictional comparison of OHS and workers’ compensation system performance. Funded by Manitoba Workers Compensation Board. Completed.
- Role of employers and settlement agencies in safe employment integration. Completed. (PI on the project)
- Measuring occupational health and safety vulnerability in Alberta . Funded by OHS Futures Alberta. 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.
Publications
- Chahal J, Whelan DB, Jaglal SB, Smith PM, MacDonald PB, Levy BA, Davis AM. The multiligament quality of life questionnaire: development and evaluation of test-retest reliability and validity in patients with multiligament knee injuries. American Journal of Sports Medicine. 2014;42(12):2906-2916. doi:10.1177/0363546514552629.
- Smith PM, Chen C, Mustard C, Bielecky A, Beaton DE, Ibrahim S. Examining the relationship between chronic conditions, multi-morbidity and labour market participation in Canada: 2000-2005. Ageing and Society. 2014;34(10):1730-1748. doi:10.1017/S0144686X13000457.
- Wong IS, Smith PM, Mustard C, Gignac MA. For better or worse? Changing shift schedules and the risk of work injury among men and women. Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health. 2014;40(6):621-630. doi:10.5271/sjweh.3454.
- McInnes JA, Clapperton AJ, Day LM, MacFarlane EM, Sim MR, Smith PM. Comparison of data sets for surveillance of work-related injury in Victoria, Australia. Occupational and Environmental Medicine. 2014;71(11):780-787. doi:10.1136/oemed-2014-102243.
- Kendzerska TB, Smith PM, Brignardello-Petersen R, Leung RS, Tomlinson G. Evaluation of the measurement properties of the Epworth sleepiness scale: a systematic review. Sleep Medicine Reviews. 2014;18(4):321-331. doi:10.1016/j.smrv.2013.08.002.
Speaker Series presentations
- Examining gender/sex differences in work injury risk, consequences of work injury and the relationship between work stress and chronic disease. IWH Speaker Series. October 14, 2014.
- The impact of job strain on the risk of depression. IWH Speaker Series. October 25, 2011.
- Examining changes in injuries submitted as no-lost-time claims in Ontario between 1991 and 2006. IWH Speaker Series. October 12, 2010.
- Examining trends in no-lost-time claims in Ontario, 1991-2006. IWH Speaker Series. March 31, 2009.
- An examination of the working conditions and risk factors for work-related injuries among immigrant workers in Ontario. IWH Speaker Series. February 3, 2009.
Interviews and articles
- Workplace violence solutions for schools central to recent ETFO symposium. Workers Health & Safety Centre. February 5, 2020. Available from: https://www.whsc.on.ca/What-s-new/News-Archive/Workplace-violence-solutions-for-schools-central-to-recent-ETFO-symposium
- Protecting minds a priority in changing times . OHS Canada. November 29, 2019. Available from: https://www.ohscanada.com/features/protecting-minds-priority-changing-times/
- Claimants’ perceptions of fair treatment linked to lower odds of poor mental health. At Work: Institute for Work & Health; No. 98, Fall 2019.
- As teachers report more violent incidents in schools, boards struggle. The Globe and Mail. September 7, 2019. Available from: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/education/article-as-teachers-report-more-violent-incidents-in-schools-boards-struggle/
- What research can do: IWH research helps prevention system shift focus from young to new workers. At Work: Institute for Work & Health; No. 97, Summer 2019.