Trusted research, with reach and impact

The Institute for Work & Health (IWH) is an independent, multidisciplinary, not-for-profit research organization located in Ontario, Canada. IWH conducts and mobilizes research that supports policy-makers, employers and workers in creating healthy, safe and inclusive work environments.

Latest news & findings

Paramedic and police vehicles at a roadside accident

New resource aims to help first responder organizations deliver PTSI support

A new evidence-based resource has been developed to provide practical guidance to first responder organizations that are looking to deliver programs to support their workers and to reduce work disability related to PTSI. The resource provides considerations along the various stages of planning, delivering and maintaining such a program.

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A healthcare worker in scrubs and a mask walks to work with her bag and phone in-hand.

Workers with COVID-19 had better return-to-work rates than others during the pandemic

During the pandemic, workers who contracted COVID-19 from work had better return-to-work rates 18 months later than those with other conditions. Most traditional return-to-work factors, however, did not explain the difference in rates.

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Police, fire service and paramedic vehicles

Implementing PTSI programs a challenge for first responder organizations

First responder organizations are developing programs to support members with work-related post-traumatic stress injuries (PTSI). But implementation of such programs can be a challenge. An IWH study, conducted in Alberta, examined the implementation barriers and facilitators, as part of an effort to produce a practical implementation resource.

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Dr. Monique Gignac

IWH’s Dr. Monique Gignac retires

The scientific director at Institute for Work & Health (IWH) is stepping down. Dr. Monique Gignac, also a senior scientist and privacy officer at the Institute, has announced that she’ll retire at the end of 2026.

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IWH Speaker Series

Learn directly from IWH researchers themselves about their latest findings in health, safety and disability prevention. The IWH Speaker Series is a livestream webinar series that features new study findings from the Institute for Work & Health. The webinars are usually held once a month, on a Tuesday at 11:00 a.m. EST. Recordings are also available to watch on demand.

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Tools and guides

Integrate evidence-based policies and practices into your occupational health and safety, return-to-work and rehabilitation programs. IWH has created a number of tools and guides based on our research findings that can help improve program outcomes.

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Impact case studies

Find out how IWH research is making a difference. Read our impact case studies, in which policy-makers, workplaces and other stakeholders in health, safety and disability prevention tell how IWH research helped improve their policies, programs and practices.

Go to case studies

Research summaries

Whether it’s a policy briefing, a systematic review summary or the highlights of a specific research project, we’ve compiled a number of plain-language summaries to help you understand the research we’re doing, what we have found, and how we found it.

Get the summaries