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
- Smith PM, Mustard C. Examining the associations between physical work demands and work injury rates between men and women in Ontario, 1990-2000. Occupational and Environmental Medicine. 2004;61(9):750-756. doi:10.1136/oem.2003.009860.
- Smith PM, Mustard C, Payne JI. Methods for estimating the labour force insured by the Ontario Workplace Safety and Insurance Board: 1990-2000. Chronic Diseases in Canada. 2004;25(4):127-137.
- Smith PM, Breslin FC, Beaton DE. Questioning the stability of sense of coherence--the impact of socio-economic status and working conditions in the Canadian population. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology. 2003;38(9):475-484. doi:10.1007/s00127-003-0654-z.
- Breslin FC, Koehoorn M, Smith PM, Manno M. Age related differences in work injuries and permanent impairment: a comparison of workers' compensation claims among adolescents, young adults, and adults. Occupational and Environmental Medicine. 2003;60(9):E10-. doi:10.1136/oem.60.9.e10.
- Smith PM, Polanyi M. Social norms, social behaviours and health: an empirical examination of a model of social capital. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health. 2003;27(4):456-463. doi:10.1111/j.1467-842X.2003.tb00426.x.
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
- IWH Updates. At Work: Institute for Work & Health; No. 91, Winter 2018.
- IWH study examines effect of Ontario’s mandatory OHS training on awareness. At Work: Institute for Work & Health; No. 89, Summer 2017.
- Standing too long at work carries twice the risk of heart disease as sitting too long. At Work: Institute for Work & Health; No. 90, Fall 2017.
- Study on prolonged standing and heart disease: Setting the record straight. At Work: Institute for Work & Health; No. 90, Fall 2017.
- No, a standing desk isn't as unhealthy as smoking. The Guardian: Guardian News and Media (London). September 21, 2017. Available from: https://www.theguardian.com/science/sifting-the-evidence/2017/sep/21/no-a-standing-desk-isnt-as-unhealthy-as-smoking