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

17 Oct 2023

Three scenarios of a future working world: Using strategic foresight to imagine and respond to a changing world of work for young adults living with a disability in Canada

Arif Jetha, Institute for Work & Health

Evolving social, technological, economic, environmental, and political forces are shaping all aspects of our working world. For young adults living with a disability who are entering and working their way up in the labour market, the changing nature of work can create both barriers and opportunities. In this presentation, Dr. Arif Jetha Jetha shares three scenarios or narratives describing the ways things might meaningfully change in the future for young adults with disabilities. He also discusses how these scenarios can be used to develop labour market policies and programs that respond to future needs and promote inclusion for young adults living with a disability.

Recorded webinars

19 Sep 2023

Is in-person training more effective than online training? Findings from a study of Ontario workers

Lynda Robson, Institute for Work & Health

How does in-person training compare with online training when it comes to knowledge gained and learner engagement? Does the effectiveness of the different training methods vary for different types of workers? In this presentation, Dr. Lynda Robson shares findings from a recent study of Ontario workers who took a Joint Health and Safety Committee (JHSC) certification course. She compares the effects of three methods of training—face-to-face training, instructor-led distance training and self-paced e-learning. She also examines the effects of worker characteristics, such as level of formal education and English as a first language, on training outcomes.

13 Jun 2023

Occupational patterns in opioid-related harms among Ontario workers

Nancy Carnide, Institute for Work & Health; Paul Demers, Occupational Cancer Research Centre

Surveillance systems that monitor opioid-related harms in Canada do not typically collect work information. Limited data on opioid overdose deaths in Canada point to construction and trades workers as the worker groups most affected by the overdose crisis; but we know little else. Through a collaboration between the Occupational Cancer Research Centre (OCRC) at Ontario Health and the Institute for Work & Health (IWH), a study team has expanded the Occupational Disease Surveillance System (ODSS) to include opioid-related harms. In this presentation, Dr. Nancy Carnide (IWH) and Dr. Paul Demers (OCRC) share findings that have emerged from this unique source of data on a large sample of formerly injured workers.

23 May 2023

Building on the past, looking to the future: Presenting the IWH Strategic Plan, 2023-27  

Peter Smith, Institute for Work & Health

Social, technological, environmental, economic and political forces are reshaping workplaces, changing work exposures and affecting the ability of workers to sustain healthy and productive work. For policy-makers, employers and workers, the need has never been greater for reliable and impartial information to help guide the way forward. In this presentation, IWH President Dr. Peter Smith shares the Institute’s priorities and plans for the next five years. Smith will provide an overview of the priority areas for scientific activities at IWH, its plans for new and expanded knowledge transfer and exchange activities, and ways the Institute collaborates with a growing base of partners to build a work and health research ecosystem that responds to the challenges of today and tomorrow.

18 Apr 2023

Skills development barriers for persons with disabilities and the promising practices to address them

Emile Tompa, Institute for Work & Health

According to Employment and Social Development Canada’s Skills for Success program, the nine key foundational and transferable skills needed to participate and thrive in learning, work, and life are adaptability, collaboration, communication, creativity and innovation, digital, numeracy, problem solving, reading, and writing. What do we know about the foundational and transferable skill levels and employment outcomes of persons with disabilities? In this presentation, Dr. Emile Tompa discusses what his team learned from the research literature and interviews with key stakeholders in the Canadian and international work disability policy system.

21 Mar 2023

Unveiling the JDAPT: A new interactive tool to identify work-related support strategies for workers with chronic conditions and disability

Monique Gignac, Institute for Work & Health

Many workers with chronic physical and mental health conditions struggle when deciding whether to seek support from their workplace. The Job Demands and Accommodation Planning Tool (JDAPT) is designed to help address the complexity of disclosure decisions. Developed as part of a large research partnership, the JDAPT is an online, interactive tool that guides users through a series of simple questions about their job demands, job tasks and working conditions. In this presentation, Dr. Monique Gignac describes the JDAPT tool, its development, as well as data from two studies on the tool. She discusses the JDAPT’s potential to help workers by focusing on work solutions, not medical diagnoses and symptoms.

See all past presentations