1. Events

IWH Speaker Series

The IWH Speaker Series is your opportunity to learn about the latest findings from work and health researchers from the Institute for Work & Health (IWH) and beyond. These live-stream webinars, which typically take place on Tuesdays from 11.00 a.m. to noon EST, allow you to hear about new research directly from the scientist(s) involved, and give you a chance to ask questions about the meaning and interpretation of the findings. For those unable to attend, recorded webinars of most IWH Speaker Series presentations are made available on the related web page within a week of the event.

Upcoming webinars

29 Sep 2026

On mental health, remote work and shared accountability: Complex and evolving perspectives on workplace support and accommodation

Monique Gignac, Institute for Work & Health

Much has changed in recent years in the way workers and employers view workplace disability support and accommodation. Conversations around seeking and providing support have become more complex, while the number of support requests have risen and expectations around support provision have evolved. In this presentation, Dr. Monique Gignac shares the perspectives heard in her recent study based on interviews with HR professionals, disability managers, union representatives, OHS professionals, and managers.

Similar and distinct themes emerged across diverse industries and sectors, from finance to manufacturing, from health care to utilities. These include fully remote work as a form of accommodation, the tension between wanting to enhance accessibility but needing to formalize processes, and the challenges and complexities around supporting mental health, cognitive conditions and wellbeing. These and other notable themes are discussed in light of emerging workplace support challenges.

Recorded webinars

23 Jun 2026

Parental employment quality and the mental health of children

Faraz Vahid Shahidi, Institute for Work & Health

Socioeconomic status is a powerful predictor of child health and development. A key factor shaping household socioeconomic status is the quality of parental employment. As the labour market in Canada has shifted towards more precarious forms of work, a growing share of parents are having to rely on casual, insecure, and low-wage jobs to make ends meet. The declining quality of parental employment has significant but underappreciated implications for children and their families. In this talk, Dr. Faraz Vahid Shahidi will present findings from research examining parental employment quality as a social determinant of children’s mental health and development in Canada. By drawing attention to an upstream driver of early-life socioeconomic disadvantage, this research can help inform policies and programmes aimed at promoting child health and health equity.

26 May 2026

Preventing and managing work-related psychological injuries in Canada and Australia

Peter Smith, Institute for Work & Health

As work-related psychological injuries continue to increase, both in number and costs compared to physical injuries, interest has also been growing about different approaches across jurisdictions to prevent and manage these conditions. An Institute for Work & Health team recently conducted a modified environmental scan across 22 jurisdictions in Canada and Australia. In this presentation, lead researcher Dr. Peter Smith shares the results from this project. He also outlines other relevant research from IWH on psychosocial work factors and challenges in return to work for work-related psychological conditions.

21 Apr 2026

How new businesses get their start in workplace health and safety: implications for research and policy

Lynda Robson, Institute for Work & Health

New businesses are too seldom the focus of occupational health and safety (OHS) research even though they may present risks to worker health and safety. To better understand how new businesses start engaging with OHS, a study team conducted a survey of owners of new Ontario businesses from diverse sectors. In this presentation, Dr. Lynda Robson shares results from the study. She discusses what study participants reported about their OHS management activities, OHS information sources, experiences with the Ontario OHS system, barriers to taking OHS actions, and preferences for receiving OHS information. The presentation also highlights factors associated with OHS management initiation, the value of applying a research-based behaviour change framework to the study, and the implications of the study for research and policy.

24 Feb 2026

Using cannabis to manage symptoms of work-related injuries: Experiences of injured workers in Ontario

Nancy Carnide, Institute for Work & Health

Governments around the world are increasingly making cannabis legal for medical and non-medical uses, and public interest in the therapeutic benefits of cannabis continues to grow. Pain, sleep difficulties, and poor mental health are among the most cited reasons for using cannabis therapeutically; they're also symptoms that are commonly associated with work-related injuries. Despite these parallels, little is known about workers’ experiences using cannabis after a work-related injury. In this presentation, Dr. Nancy Carnide will share findings from a series of qualitative interviews with workers who have sustained a work-related injury. She discusses their decisions to use cannabis, their perceptions of its impacts, and their experiences using cannabis while returning to work.

27 Jan 2026

Understanding PTSI program implementation processes in Alberta first responder organizations

Dwayne Van Eerd, Institute for Work & Health

Post-traumatic stress injuries (PTSI) are common among police, firefighters and paramedics, leading to high rates of work disability in first responder organizations. Growing recognition of this problem has led these organizations to develop and implement PTSI disability prevention policies and programs. In this presentation, Dr. Dwayne Van Eerd shares findings from interviews conducted with first responders in Alberta. He discusses themes that emerged from implementation experiences, highlighting successes and challenges.

See all past presentations