Dr. Aviroop Biswas
Dr. Aviroop Biswas is a scientist at the Institute for Work & Health. He is also an assistant professor in epidemiology at the University of Toronto's Dalla Lana School of Public Health.
Biswas obtained his PhD in health services research at the University of Toronto’s Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation. During his PhD studies, he received a doctoral research fellowship from the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute and was a past recipient of the University of Toronto’s Ted Goldberg award for academic excellence and promise in health services research. Biswas was previously a Mustard post-doctoral fellow at the Institute for Work & Health (2017-2019).
Biswas’s research examines how physically demanding work, combined with other work and non-work conditions, including environmental exposures, contribute to the risk of worker injury and chronic disease. He also investigates ways to promote worker wellbeing and healthy physical activity across diverse work contexts. His studies draw on survey and administrative data as well as systematic reviews.
“Worker health goes beyond simply thinking about protecting workers from the hazards of work. Unhealthy living not only increases the risk of preventable disease, but is also a major cause of workplace absence and injury. The challenge is to convince employers that the health and well-being of workers is in the best interests of the workplace to promote.” – Dr. Avi Biswas
Projects
- Artificial intelligence and occupational injury and illness in Ontario: implications for prevention and recovery. Funded by Workplace Safety and Insurance Board. Ongoing.
- Champions as social agents of change: what can we learn from worker well-being initiatives?. Funded by Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). Ongoing. (PI on the project)
- Exploring how daily patterns of sleep and activity affect the risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality among Canadian workers . Funded by Canadian Institutes of Health Research . Ongoing. (PI on the project)
- Exploring where Canadians work and live and their association with active transportation. Funded by Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). Ongoing. (PI on the project)
- Intelligent machines and human worker inequities: examining the implications of AI in the workplace. Funded by Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC); Future Skills Centre. Ongoing.
Publications
- Biswas A, Chen C, Lang JJ, Villeneuve PJ, Smith PM, Prince SA. The interplay of home and work neighbourhood environment characteristics and associations with active commuting. Journal of Transport & Health. 2026;48:102278. doi:10.1016/j.jth.2026.102278.
- Prince SA, Thomas T, Biswas A. The effects of occupational and leisure time physical activity on health-related quality of life: a repeated-measures longitudinal study. Sports Medicine. 2026 epub ahead of print. doi:10.1007/s40279-025-02382-4.
- Jetha A, Lee H, Smith MJ, Arrandale VH, Biswas A, Mustard C, Smith PM. Landscape of artificial intelligence use for occupational health and safety practice in two Canadian provinces. American Journal of Industrial Medicine. 2025;68(11):965-972. doi:10.1002/ajim.70018.
- Jetha A, Bakhtari H, Irvin E, Biswas A, Smith MJ, Mustard C, Arrandale VH, Dennerlein JT, Smith PM. Do occupational health and safety tools that utilize artificial intelligence have a measurable impact on worker injury or illness? Findings from a systematic review. Systematic Reviews. 2025;14(1):146. doi:10.1186/s13643-025-02869-1.
- Jetha A, Liao Q, Shahidi FV, Vu V, Biswas A, Smith B, Smith PM. Machine learning and the labor market: a portrait of occupational and worker inequities in Canada. Social Science & Medicine. 2025;381:118295. doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2025.118295.
Speaker Series presentations
- Engaging employees in wellness: Insights from workplace champions. IWH Speaker Series. October 21, 2025.
- How the physical and social environment shape commuters' choices to bike or walk. IWH Speaker Series. October 15, 2024.
- Is there an optimal daily movement pattern for heart health? A study of Canadian workers' activity tracker data. IWH Speaker Series. June 14, 2022.
- The health paradox of physically demanding work: What is it and should we be concerned?. IWH Speaker Series. May 11, 2021.
- Developing practical recommendations for integrating workplace safety and wellness initiatives. IWH Speaker Series. February 18, 2020.
Research summaries
- Mental health of Canadians who work from home no better or worse than those working outside the home. Research Highlights: Institute for Work & Health, October 2025.
- Which workers use active forms of transportation in their commutes?. Research Highlights: Institute for Work & Health, October 2024.
- Associations between physical activity patterns and cardiometabolic health in Canadian working adults. Research Highlights: Institute for Work & Health, June 2023.
- Workers doing vigorous, tiring activity all day no healthier than those who are least active. At Work article: Institute for Work & Health, June 2022.
- Review synthesizes differences between men, women in injury risks and outcomes. At Work article: Institute for Work & Health, May 2022.
Media coverage
- How employers can promote physical activity among workers: 3 messages based on research. The Conversation Canada. October 8, 2025. Available from: https://theconversation.com/how-employers-can-promote-physical-activity-among-workers-3-messages-based-on-research-259897
- The physical activity paradox. Rehab & Community Care. February 17, 2022. Available from: https://www.bluetoad.com/publication/?m=1929&i=731841&p=18&ver=html5
- How can workplaces help promote exercise?. The Weekend Morning Show with Dave Trafford. November 21, 2021. Available from: https://www.iheartradio.ca/newstalk-1010/shows/the-weekend-morning-show-with-dave-trafford-1.377616
- Workplaces can help promote exercise, but job conditions remain a major hurdle. The Conversation. November 15, 2021. Available from: https://theconversation.com/workplaces-can-help-promote-exercise-but-job-conditions-remain-a-major-hurdle-170921
- Sitting or standing too much at work? New video addresses ways to lower associated health risks. Safety + Health. December 27, 2018. Available from: https://www.safetyandhealthmagazine.com/articles/17906-sitting-or-standing-too-much-at-work-new-video-addresses-ways-to-lower-associated-health-risks