Robson L
Dr. Lynda Robson
Associate Scientist
PhD, Biochemistry, University of Toronto
Career change has proven rewarding for Dr. Lynda Robson, an associate scientist with the Institute for Work & Health. She got her start in laboratory science after finishing a PhD in biochemistry at the University of Toronto, the career of choice for many graduates in her field. However, she realized early on that she wanted her research to carry a direct impact for its users, something she felt unable to achieve from the lab.
“I was dealing with radioactivity and noxious chemicals, work that was very far removed from any practical applications,” she says. “At the Institute, the research is better connected to the end user, and I find that personally rewarding.”
Now, having retrained in public health sciences, Robson is tackling research questions that reflect her commitment to injury prevention. Among her current projects is to conduct a review of workplaces that have made large-scale changes in their occupational health and safety performance.
“Some workplace strategies for reducing injuries result in only marginal improvements,” she explains. “This is somewhat frustrating because we all want to see big change. My research interest is to ask why and how those substantial changes were made."
Bio Sketch
Dr. Lynda Robson is an associate scientist at the Institute for Work & Health, where she has worked since 1997.
She obtained her PhD in biochemistry from the University of Toronto, but later changed fields through additional training at the Department of Public Health Sciences.
Her main areas of interest at the Institute are prevention program evaluation, OHS performance measurement, and OHS management. She has recently published articles about OHS management audits.
Current Projects
Breakthrough change in workplace OHS performance
Developing leading indicators from OHS management audit data
Selected Publications
Robson LS, Macdonald S, Gray GC, Van Eerd DL, Bigelow PL. A descriptive study of the OHS management auditing methods used by public sector organizations conducting audits of workplaces: implications for audit reliability and validity. Safety Science, 2012; 50(2):181-189.
Robson LS, Stephenson CM, Schulte PA, Amick BC III, Irvin EL, Eggerth DE, Chan S, Bielecky AR, Wang AM, Heidotting TL, Peters RH, Clarke JA, Cullen K, Rotunda CJ, Grubb PL. A systematic review of the effectiveness of occupational health and safety training. Scandinavian Journals of Work, Environment & Health, 2011: DOI:10.5271/sjweh.3259.
Robson LS, Macdonald S, Van Eerd DL, Gray GC, Bigelow PL. Something might be missing from occupational health and safety audits: findings from a content validity analysis of five audit instruments. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. 2010;52(5):536-43.
Robson LS, Bigelow PL. Measurement properties of occupational health and safety management audits: a systematic literature search and traditional literature synthesis. Canadian Journal of Public Health. 2010;101(Suppl 1):S34-S40.
Speers J, Robson L, Mustard C. OHSCO System Performance Measurement Report 2008 : Final Report. Occupational Health & Safety Council of Ontario; 2010.