Dr. Monique Gignac
Dr. Monique Gignac is scientific director and senior scientist at the Institute for Work & Health. She is also a professor at the University of Toronto's Dalla Lana School of Public Health.
Gignac’s research expertise is in the areas of health and social psychology, including health models of disability. Her research examines psychosocial factors like stress, coping, adaptation and communication, and their importance in understanding the impact of chronic diseases on the lives of adults across the life course. Of particular interest is research on workplace communication, privacy, support and accommodation needs among individuals living with chronic, episodic conditions.
Gignac's research program is strongly collaborative. She works with clinicians, epidemiologists, health economists, sociologists and health psychologists. Study designs in her research program span community health surveys, qualitative research, measurement design and evaluation, and analyses of population health datasets.
Gignac has received recognition for her research with an inclusive design award from MaRS-CIBC in 2022 for the development of the Job Demands and Accommodation Planning Tool (JDAPT), a Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Award (2013); an award for outstanding leadership and research from the Canadian Networks of Centres of Excellence (2011); Distinguished Scholar (2013), Lecturer (2014) and service awards (2019, 2021) from the international Association of Rheumatology Professionals (ARP); and recognition for mentorship (2015) from the Health Care, Technology and Place (HCTP) Strategic Research Training Program funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Care (CIHR).
“Many chronic physical and mental health conditions create ongoing challenges for those living with them. That's because their symptoms are often invisible. They're also intermittent in impact and therefore highly unpredictable. That creates a lot of stress and hard-to-answer questions. Should a person disclose their health condition at work? How does a person get support from others during times of difficulty without affecting their career? My goal is to apply research to improve the health and work outcomes of individuals living with these conditions.” – Dr. Monique Gignac
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. (PI on the project)
- 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.
- Developing approaches to measuring the dimensions of gender and their relationship to health outcomes. Funded by Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). Ongoing.
- Future-focused job accommodation practices for the school-to-work transition. Funded by Accessibility Standards Canada (Government of Canada). Ongoing.
- Future-proofing young Canadians with disabilities for the changing labour market. Funded by New Frontiers in Research Fund (a Tri-Agency Program—CIHR, NSERC, SSHRC). Ongoing.
Publications
- Kokorelias KM, Rittenberg N, Scali O, Smith-Bayley S, Gignac MA, Naglie G. A scoping review to examine health care professionals' experiences as family caregivers. PLoS ONE. 2025;20(1):e0308657. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0308657.
- Salazar AP, Lecours S, Engel L, Gignac MA, Rotenberg S, Zarshenas S. Responding to the ongoing pandemic-related challenges of individuals with brain injury through the perspective of community-service in Canada: a qualitative study. Brain Injury. 2025;39(4):267-276. doi:10.1080/02699052.2024.2426683.
- Jessiman-Perreault G, Smith PM, Thompson A, Gignac MA. The relationship between meeting workplace accommodation needs and job disruptions among Canadians working with disabilities: a cross-sectional analysis. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. 2025;67(1):e54-e60. doi:10.1097/JOM.0000000000003262.
- Woticky G, Jetha A, Tompa E, Gignac MA. Disclosure decisions of workers living with a chronic health condition causing disability at work: are decisions to disclose to co-workers and supervisors different?. Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation. 2024 epub ahead of print. doi:10.1007/s10926-024-10235-6.
- Gignac MA, Bowring J, Navaratnerajah L, Saunders R, Jetha A, Thompson A, Shaw WS, Franche RL, Van Eerd D, Irvin E, Tompa E, MacDermid JC, Smith PM. The Job Demands and Accommodation Planning Tool (JDAPT): a nine-month evaluation of use, changes in self-efficacy, presenteeism, and absenteeism in workers with chronic and episodic disabilities. Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation. 2024 epub ahead of print. doi:10.1007/s10926-024-10231-w.
Speaker Series presentations
- Deciding whether to share health information at work: A new evidence-based tool for workers with chronic conditions. IWH Speaker Series. November 19, 2024.
- Unveiling the JDAPT: A new interactive tool to identify work-related support strategies for workers with chronic conditions and disability. IWH Speaker Series. March 21, 2023.
- What do workplaces need to know to help older workers stay on the job? A qualitative study of older workers’ disclosure decisions. IWH Speaker Series. September 20, 2022.
- Does it matter what workers’ reasons are for disclosing or not disclosing a disability at work? Why and how?. IWH Speaker Series. November 24, 2020.
- Challenges in accommodating mental and physical health conditions: What workplace parties are saying. IWH Speaker Series. June 12, 2018.
Interviews and articles
- Thriving while sick: mentorship platform helps chronically ill workers navigate workplace issues. The Globe and Mail. April 26, 2024. Available from: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/careers/article-thriving-while-sick-mentorship-platform-helps-chronically-ill-workers/
- Employer versions of job accommodation tool help organizations think about worker needs. At Work: Institute for Work & Health; No. 114, Fall 2023.
- Supporting workers with chronic conditions. Canadian Centre for Occupational Health & Safety. May 19, 2023. Available from: https://www.ccohs.ca/newsletters/hsreport/issues/2023/05/ezine.html#hsreport-ontopic
- Older workers not prone to ask for employer support. Rehab & Community Care. April 30, 2023. Available from: https://www.rehabmagazine.ca/featured-carousel/older-workers-not-prone-to-ask-for-employer-support-citing-ageism-and-other-issues/
- Workplace health conversations are awkward: A new tool is here to help.. OHS Canada. April 20, 2023. Available from: https://www.ohscanada.com/features/workplace-chronic-health-conversations-are-awkward-a-new-tool-is-here-to-help/