Dr. Peter Smith
Dr. Peter Smith is president and senior scientist at the Institute for Work & Health (IWH) in Toronto, and a professor in the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto. Prior to moving into the president's role in January 2022, Smith was IWH's scientific co-director.
Smith has a master's in public health from the University of New South Wales, Australia, and a PhD from the Institute of Medical Science at the University of Toronto. He is a former recipient of a New Investigator Award (2008-2013) from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR),a Discovery Early Career Researcher Award from the Australian Research Council (2012-2014), and a five-year CIHR Research Chair in Gender, Work and Health (2014-2018).
Smith has extensive experience conducting research related to work injury and its consequences using large population-based surveys and administrative workers' compensation data. His key research interests include: gender and sex differences in the relationship between work and health; labour market inequalities and their health-related outcomes; labour market experiences of newcomers, older workers, younger workers and other vulnerable labour force subgroups; chronic illnesses and work injury; and trends in working conditions over time.
“I don’t understand how people can think about health without thinking about work. Between our early 20s and our 60s – and later for some people – we spend most of our waking hours at work. It makes sense, then, that aspects of work must have an impact on different aspects of our health, both positively and negatively. That drives me to better understand what good work and bad work look like from a health and return-to-work perspective.” – Dr. Peter Smith
Projects
- 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.
- 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)
- 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.
- 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.
- Occupational injury risks in Ontario. Funded by Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development (MLITSD). Ongoing. (PI on the project)
Publications
- St.Cyr K, Kurdyak P, Smith PM, Mahar AL. Mental health service use among Canadian veterans within the first 5 years following service: methodological considerations for comparisons with the general population. Occupational and Environmental Medicine. 2023;80(8):462-468. doi:10.1136/oemed-2022-108772.
- Morassaei S, Smith PM, Wilson K, Ghahari S. Comparing the life satisfaction of older immigrants and refugees to Canadian-born older adults: the role of immigrant admission classes. Clinical Gerontologist. 2023 epub ahead of print. doi:10.1080/07317115.2023.2212660.
- Macpherson RA, Amick B, Collie A, Koehoorn M, Smith PM, McLeod CB. Do regional labor market conditions matter for temporary work disability duration? A multilevel analysis of workers' compensation claims in five Canadian provinces. American Journal of Industrial Medicine. 2023;66(8):637-654. doi:10.1002/ajim.23489.
- Shahidi FV, Jetha A, Kristman VL, Smith PM, Gignac MA. The employment quality of persons with disabilities: findings from a national survey. Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation. 2023;33(4):785-795. doi:10.1007/s10926-023-10113-7.
- Dobson KG , Mustard C, Carnide N, Furlan AD, Smith PM. Association of persistent pain with the incidence of chronic conditions following a disabling work-related injury. Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health. 2023;49(5):330-340. doi:10.5271/sjweh.4096.
Speaker Series presentations
- Examining gender/sex differences in work injury risk, consequences of work injury and the relationship between work stress and chronic disease. IWH Speaker Series. October 14, 2014.
- The impact of job strain on the risk of depression. IWH Speaker Series. October 25, 2011.
- Examining changes in injuries submitted as no-lost-time claims in Ontario between 1991 and 2006. IWH Speaker Series. October 12, 2010.
- Examining trends in no-lost-time claims in Ontario, 1991-2006. IWH Speaker Series. March 31, 2009.
- An examination of the working conditions and risk factors for work-related injuries among immigrant workers in Ontario. IWH Speaker Series. February 3, 2009.
Interviews and articles
- Too many injured workers not seeking mental health supports. Canadian HR Reporter. July 20, 2020. Available from: https://www.hrreporter.com/focus-areas/compensation-and-benefits/too-many-injured-workers-not-seeking-mental-health-supports/330907
- Lack of PPE related to healthcare workers’ anxiety, depression: report. Canadian Occupational Safety. June 4, 2020. Available from: https://www.thesafetymag.com/ca/topics/psychological-safety/lack-of-ppe-related-to-healthcare-workers-anxiety-depression-report/224230
- Anxiety levels among health-care workers during COVID-19 linked to inadequate PPE . At Work: Institute for Work & Health; No. 100, Spring 2020.
- Understanding challenges in hospitals' workplace violence reporting systems. Contact. April 3, 2020. Available from: https://www.csse.org/document/6319/Contact-Spring-2020.pdf
- Poorer post-injury experiences lead to worse RTW outcomes for psychological claimants . At Work: Institute for Work & Health; No. 99, Winter 2020.