Dwayne Van Eerd

Associate Scientist

MSc, Health Research Methodology, McMaster University

Artists and office workers would seem to have little in common as far as labour experiences go. But as Dwayne Van Eerd has learned, the health issues attached to these experiences can be the same.

“The potential for musculoskeletal injury is present in both groups of workers,” he says. “Writers, for example, spend a great deal of time at computers. Painters and musicians rely on repetitive arm movements. There are more similarities there than you might think.”

Upon getting his MSc in kinesiology, Van Eerd got his start in occupational health and safety research in a clinical setting, studying musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) of the upper body in musicians, painters, writers and other artists. Now an associate scientist with the Institute for Work & Health, he focuses primarily on the prevention of MSDs in office workers.

“MSDs affect a large segment of the working population,” he explains. “The information load is increasing everywhere, and there are more and more people working at computers all the time. It’s important that we understand and share information about MSDs.”

Van Eerd is an active participant in the Institute’s systematic review program, which enables him to analyze and share existing evidence on MSDs. “The systematic reviews are a great tool for communicating with our stakeholders,” he says. In future research, he hopes to conduct an evaluation of knowledge transfer and exchange strategies.

Van Eerd is enrolled in the doctoral program in Work and Health at the School of Public Health and Health Systems, University of Waterloo.