Dr. Emile Tompa
Dr. Emile Tompa is a senior scientist at the Institute for Work & Health. He holds appointments as an associate professor in the Department of Economics at McMaster University and as an assistant professor at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto.
Tompa is a labour and health economist with an MBA from the University of British Columbia, an MA in economics from the University of Toronto, and a PhD in economics from McMaster University.
Tompa’s research interests include the consequences of occupational health and safety system design on the health and well-being of individuals and populations, the economic evaluation of workplace interventions for improving the health and well-being of workers, the economic burden of adverse health conditions and disability, and the analysis of disability policy systems. Most recently, Tompa received a six-year funding envelope as the nominated principal applicant from the New Frontiers in Research Fund Transformation Stream for a social innovation laboratory called Inclusive Design for Employment Access (IDEA). The initiative is focused on skilling up employers to advance their abilities to tap into diverse talent pools, with a focus on persons with disabilities.
“How to get the most for the least, that’s the basis for economics. I am interested in analyzing issues related to occupational health and safety and work disability prevention and management from the standpoint of this basic challenge.” – Dr. Emile Tompa
Projects
- Accommodating and Communicating about Episodic Disabilities (ACED): A partnership to deliver workplace resources to sustain employment of people with chronic, episodic conditions. Funded by Canadian Institutes of Health Research and Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council of Canada Signature Initiative. Ongoing.
- Addressing knowledge gaps about skills of persons with disabilities. Funded by Employment and Social Development Canada. Ongoing. (PI on the project)
- Building disability confidence in Canada’s financial sector . Funded by Canadian Council on Rehabilitation and Work. Ongoing. (PI on the project)
- Centre for Research on Work Disability Policy: Envisioning the future of disability policy in Canada. Funded by Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. Ongoing. (PI on the project)
- Developing a Canadian work disability standard for paramedics with post-traumatic stress injury. Funded by Commissioned by The County of Renfrew with funding from Defence Research and Development Canada, Centre for Security Science (DRDC CSS) under Canadian Safety and Security Program (CSSP). Views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of DRDC CSS/CSSP. . Ongoing. (PI on the project)
Publications
- Tompa E, Imam S, Varickanickal J, Mofidi A, Gewurtz R, Irvin E, Southey B. Combler les lacunes dans les connaissances concernant les compétences des personnes handicapées : Une analyse documentaire et des entrevues avec des informateurs clés. Institute for Work & Health; 2023.
- Tompa E, Imam S, Varickanickal J, Mofidi A, Gewurtz R, Irvin E, Southey B. Addressing knowledge gaps about skills of persons with disabilities: A literature review and key informant Interviews. Institute for Work & Health; 2023.
- Gignac MA, Bowring J, Tonima S, Franche RL, Thompson A, Jetha A, Smith PM, MacDermid JC, Shaw WS, Van Eerd D, Beaton DE, Irvin E, Tompa E, Saunders R. A sensibility assessment of the Job Demands and Accommodation Planning Tool (JDAPT): a tool to help workers with an episodic disability plan workplace support. Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation. 2023;33(1):145-159. doi:10.1007/s10926-022-10057-4.
- Jetha A, Shamaee A, Tompa E, Smith PM, Bultmann U, Bonaccio S, Tucker LB, Norman C, Banks CG, Gignac MA. The future of work in shaping the employment inclusion of young adults with disabilities: a qualitative study. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. 2023;42(9):75-91. doi:10.1108/EDI-06-2022-0154.
- Jung Y, Longo C, Tompa E. Longitudinal assessment of labor market earnings among patients diagnosed with cancer in Canada. JAMA Network Open. 2022;5(12):e2245717. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.45717.
Speaker Series presentations
- Skills development barriers for persons with disabilities and the promising practices to address them. IWH Speaker Series. April 18, 2023.
- Development and implementation of a framework for estimating the economic benefits of an accessible and inclusive society. IWH Speaker Series. February 8, 2022.
- Introducing the new CSA standard for work disability management systems. IWH Speaker Series. February 4, 2020.
- Estimating the economic burden of work injuries and illnesses in the European Union. IWH Speaker Series. November 12, 2019.
- An impact analysis of two silica dust exposure reduction strategies. IWH Speaker Series. November 6, 2018.
Interviews and articles
- New social innovation lab launched to build employer disability confidence. At Work: Institute for Work & Health; No. 112, Spring 2023.
- New initiative ‘skills up’ employers to hire, promote, support workers with disabilities. At Work: Institute for Work & Health; No. 109, Summer 2022.
- It’s time for a culture shift where disability inclusion is concerned. The Globe and Mail. June 12, 2022. Available from: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/commentary/article-its-time-for-a-culture-shift-where-disability-inclusion-is-concerned/
- How government funding can best support the employment of persons with disabilities. At Work: Institute for Work & Health; No. 108, Spring 2022.
- Work-related skin cancer among construction workers set to double by 2060. Daily Commercial News. July 21, 2021. Available from: https://canada.constructconnect.com/dcn/news/ohs/2021/07/work-related-skin-cancer-among-construction-workers-set-to-double-by-2060