Dalla Lana School of Public Health

Faculty Member

Emile Tompa PhD - Economics

Research Interests

Dr. Emile Tompa is a senior scientist at the Institute for Work & Health. 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. 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. He is director of the Centre for Research on Work Disability Policy (CRWDP), an eight-year initiative funded by a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Partnership Grant. Through CRWDP and beyond, Tompa has focused much time on creating collaborations between academics, community members and other stakeholders, including policymakers at the provincial/territorial and federal levels, disability community organizations, and disability support program administrators. A key collaboration is the Disability in Work in Canada (DWC) initiative, for which he sits on the steering committee. DWC has developed a disability and work in Canada strategy and hosts an annual stakeholder conference and federal-provincial/territorial policy roundtable.

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- and systems-level 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. His recent work on the benefits of inclusion of persons with disabilities in a fully accessible and inclusive Canadian society, estimate the monetized benefits at 17.6% of Canada’s gross domestic product. This research was used in the impact analysis of the Accessible Canada Act. Tompa also led a project for EU-OSHA, in which he developed and implemented a framework for estimating the economic burden of work injury and disease at the country level, which he piloted with five EU Countries, and which is now being rolled out across the EU. Tompa chaired the CSA technical committee that developed a work disability management system standard (CSA Z1011:20) that includes recruitment, hiring and onboarding of persons with disabilities. Currently he sits on the Accessibility Standards Canada technical committee that is developing a standard on inclusive employment. He is leading a module on disability management for that committee. Most recently, Tompa was awarded funding from New Frontiers in Research Transformation Stream Fund for a six-year social innovation laboratory call Inclusive Design for Employment Access (IDEA) that is focused on demand-side capacity building, i.e., skilling up employers to advance their abilities to tap into diverse talent pools, with a focus on disability confidence.

Education & Training History

Ph.D. Economics (Concentrations in Labour and Health Economics, and Econometrics), McMaster University (2000)

M.A. in Economics (Concentrations in Development, Finance and Trade), University of Toronto (1993)

M.B.A. (Concentrations in Marketing and Finance), University of British Columbia (1988)

Other Affiliations

Senior Scientist / Health and Labour Economist, Institute for Work & Health (IWH)

Associate Professor, Department of Economics, McMaster University

Executive Director, Inclusive Design for Employment Access (IDEA)

Director, Centre for Research on Work Disability Policy (CRWDP)

Primary Teaching Responsibilities

Lecturer, Module on Economic Evaluation of Public Health Initiatives (4 sessions), Tools and Approaches for Public Health Policy Analysis and Evaluation (CHL 5308H), Dalla Lana School of Public Health, (Winter 2018-present)

Course Coordinator and Instructor, Current Topics in Health and Safety (IRE 2715H/IRE1655H), Centre for Industrial Relations and Human Resources, University of Toronto (2013-present)

Co-Instructor, Advanced Topics in Health Economics (Econ 791), Department of Economics, McMaster University (2002-2017, 2020-present)

Mentor, Work Disability Prevention CIHR Strategic Training Program (June 2009-2015), University of Toronto, Ontario.

Current Research Projects

Recent Peer-reviewed Funding

Van Eerd D (Nominated Principal Investigator), McElherhan M, Tompa E, Gross D, Irvin E, Gignac M. Implementation of PTSI programs in Alberta first responder organizations. Supporting Psychological Health in First Responders. January 2023, $153,226 over 1 year.

Gewurtz R (Principal Investigator), Tompa E (Co-Principal Investigator), Packham T, Harlos K, Sultan-Taïeb H, Oldfield M. The Impact of Remote Work on Workplace Accessibility for Persons with Disabilities. Accessibility Standards Canada. Fall 2022, $390,000 over 3 years.

Gewurtz R, Tompa E (Co-Principal Investigators). Project on the Canadian Non-Refundable Disability Tax Credit. MITACS. Spring 2022. $50,000 over 1.5 years.

Tompa E (Nominated Principal Investigator), Gewurtz R (Co-Principal Investigator), Bonyhady B, Bruyere S, Coppin P, Coutu MF, Fleisig R, Gomez R, Harlos K, Irvin E, Jetha A, Kondo T, Kristman V, Laberge M, Maisel J, Marshall CA, Moll S, Sayin F, Smith-Merry J, Sukhai M, Sultan-Taieb H, Treviranus J, Van Eerd D, Veres A, Wyndham-West M (Co-Applicants). Inclusive Design for Employment Access (IDEA). Full Proposal Submission to New Frontiers in Research – Transformation 2020. $9 M over 6 years. October 2021-September 2026.

Tompa E (Principal Investigator), Buettgen A, Mofidi A, Gewurtz R, Irvin E, Southey B (Co-Investigators). Addressing Knowledge Gaps about Skills of Persons with Disabilities: A literature Review and Key Informant Interviews. $39,000 over 8 months. October 2021.

Tompa E (Principal Investigator), Gewurtz R, Irvin E, Mofidi A, Mohan A (Co-Investigators). The development of an indicator framework in relation to culture change towards accessibility and inclusion of persons with disabilities. Employment and Social Development Canada. $99,610 over 1 year. 2021.

Van Eerd D (Nominated Principal Investigator), Tompa E (Co-Principal Investigator), Irvin E, Gross D, Els C, Straube S, Brémault-Phillips S, Carleton RN, McElheran, M (Co-Investigators and Collaborators). Evidence-informed workplace policies and practices for the prevention of PTSI work disability. Submitted to the Alberta Supporting Psychological Health in First Responders grant program. $172,820 for one year. February 2021.

Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB). with CRWDP as partner and Tompa E. as Advisory Committee Member. Building an Evidence-Based Universal Design Framework for Employment Standards in Canada. Accessibility Standards Canada Grants and Contributions Program. $1.5 million over 3 years. Awarded Spring 2020.

Canadian Council on Rehabilitation and Work (CCRW), Business Disability International (BDI), Centre for Research on Work Disability Policy (CRWDP). Disability Confidence Impacts on Finance (DCIF). Employment and Social Development Canada. $1.3 million over 2 years. Awarded December 2020.

Jetha A, Van Eerd D, Martin Ginis K, Gignac M, Tompa E. Future-focused job accommodation practices for the school-to-work transition. Accessibility Standards Canada Grants and Contributions Program. Requesting $489,441 over 3 years.

Van Eerd D (Principal Investigator), Morose T, Yanar B, Irvin I, Tompa E, Jetha A, Gignac M (Co-Investigators). Return to Work in Policing: Synthesizing current practices and implementation guidance. WSIB Grants Program. $216,500 over 2 years. Awarded Fall 2019.

Gewurtz R, Tompa E (Co-Principal Investigators), Irvin E, Moser C, Padkapayeva K, Samosh D (Co-Applicants), Haan M, MacDonald M, Saouab A (Collaborators). Financial incentives to promote employment of people with disabilities: when and how do they work best? Social Sciences and Humanities Partnership Development Grant. $189,039 over 3 years. Awarded March 2019.

 Jetha A (Principal Investigator), Banks C, Bonnacio S, Bultmann U, Gignac M, Norman C, Smith P, Tompa E, Tucker L. (Co-Investigators). Future-Proofing young Canadians with disabilities for the changing labour market. Submitted February 2019 to Tri-agency Institutional Programs Secretariat: New Frontiers in Research Fund. $247,361.00. 2 years. Awarded March 2019.

Recent Publications

Jetha A. Bonaccio S, Shamaee A, Banks CG, Bultmann U, Smith P, Tompa E, Tucker L, Gignac M. (provisional acceptance January 2023). The future of work in shaping the Employment Inclusion of Young Adults with Disabilities: A Qualitative Study. Equality Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal.

Buettgen A, Tompa E. (forthcoming Spring 2023). From the Standpoint of Workers with Disabilities: An Interrogation of Workplace Accommodation Processes in the Non-Profit Sector. Canadian Journal of Disability Studies.

Hossein S, Moll S, Tompa E, Gewurtz R. 2022. Exploring Elements of Workplace Social Capital that Impact the Accommodation Negotiation Process. Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health.

Jung Y, Longo C, Tompa E. 2022. Longitudinal Assessment of Labor Market Earnings Among Patients Diagnosed with Cancer in Canada. JAMA Netw Open. 5(12): e2245717. https://doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.45717

Bondebjerg A, Filges T, Pejtersen JH, Viinholt BCA, Burr H, Hasle P, Tompa E, Birkefoss K, Bengtsen E. 2022. Protocol: Occupational Health and Safety Regulatory Interventions to Improve the Work Environment: An Evidence and Gap Map of Effectiveness Studies. Campbell Systematic Reviews. https://doi.org/10.1002/cl2.1231

Irvin E, Tompa E, Johnston H, Padkapayeva K, Mahood Q, Samosh D, Gewurtz R. 2022. Financial incentives to promote employment of persons with disabilities: a scoping review of when and how they work best. Disability and Rehabilitation. https://doi.org/10.1080/09638288.2022.2133178

Gignac MAM, 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. 2022. A sensibility assessment of the Job Demands and Accommodation Planning Tool (JDAPT): A tool to help workers with an episodic disability plan workplace support. J Occup Rehabil. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10926-022-10057-4

Jetha A, Nasir K, Van Eerd D, Gignac MAM, Martin Ginis KA, Tompa E. 2022. Inclusion of young people with disabilities in the future of work: forecasting workplace, labour market and community-based strategies through an online and accessible Delphi survey protocol. BMJ Open,12: e055452. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2021-055452

Tompa E, Samosh D. and Santuzzi AM. 2022. Guest editorial: The benefits of inclusion: disability and work in the 21st century. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, 41 (3): 309-317. https://doi.org/10.1108/EDI-04-2022-376.

Mofidi A, Tompa E, Kalcevich C, McLeod C, Lebeau M, Song C, Kim J, Demers PA. 2022. Occupational Exposure to Wood Dust and the Burden of Nasopharynx and Sinonasal Cancer in Canada. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19 (3): 1144. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19031144.

Tompa E, Mofidi A, Song C, Arrandale V, Jardine K, Davies H, Tenkate T, Demers PA. 2021. Break-even Analysis of Respirable Crystalline Silica (RCS) Exposure Interventions in the Construction Sector, Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 63(11): e792-e800. https://doi.org/10.1097/JOM.0000000000002375.

Mustard C, Nadalin V, Carnide N, Tompa E, Smith P. 2021. Cohort profile: the Ontario Life After    Workplace Injury Study (OLAWIS). BMJ Open, 11(9): e048143.  https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2020-048143.

Hossain S, Moll S, Tompa E, Gewurtz R. 2021. The interactive process of negotiating workplace accommodations for employees with mental health conditions. WORK: A Journal of Prevention, Assessment & Rehabilitation, 69(1):75-90 https://doi.org/10.3233/WOR-213459.

Mohan A, Tompa E. 2021. Overcoming Unconscious Bias and Creating Inclusive Workplaces. OOHNA Journal,9-11.

Mofidi A, Tompa E, Song C, Tenkate T, Arrandale V, Jardine KJ, Davies H, Demers PA. 2021. Economic Evaluation of Interventions to Reduce Solar Ultraviolet Radiation (UVR) Exposure among Construction Workers. Submitted to the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene, 18(6):250-264. https://doi.org/10.1080/15459624.2021.1910278.

Tompa E, Mofidi A, Jetha A, Lahey P, Buettgen A. 2022. Development and Implementation of a Framework for Estimating the Economic Benefits of an Accessible and Inclusive Society. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, 41(3). http://doi.org/10.1108/edi-07-2020-0186.

Gewurtz RE, Harlos K, Tompa E, Oldfield M, Lysaght R, Moll S, Kirsh B, Sultan-Taïeb H, Cook K, Rueda S. 2021. Retaining and Supporting Employees with Mental Illness Through Inclusive Organizations: Lessons from Five Canadian Case Studies. Revised and resubmitted to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, 41(3):435-453. https://doi.org/10.1108/EDI-06-2020-0174.

Tompa E, Mofidi A, van den Heuvel S, van Bree T, Michaelsen F, Jung Y, Porsch L, van Emmerik M. 2021. The Economic Burden of Work Injuries and Diseases: A Framework and Application in Five European Union Countries, BMC Public Health, 21(49), Open Access: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-020-10050-7.

Jetha A, Shamaee A, Bonaccio S, Gignac MAM, Tucker L, Tompa E, Bültmann U, Norman CD, Banks CG, Smith P. 2021. Fragmentation in the future of work: A horizon scan examining the impact of the changing nature of work on vulnerable workers experiencing vulnerability. American Journal of Industrial Medicine, 64(8):649-666. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajim.23262.

Yazdani A, Tompa E. 2020. Managing Work Disability Using a New Canadian Standard. Ontario Occupational Health Nurses Association (OOHNA) Journal, 7-10.

Gignac MAM, Bowring J, Jetha A, Beaton DE, Breslin FC, Franche RL, Irvin E, Macdermid JC, Shaw WS, Smith PM, Thompson, A, Tompa E, Van Eerd D, Saunders R. 2021. Disclosure, privacy and workplace accommodation of episodic disabilities: Organizational perspectives on disability communication-support processes to sustain employment. Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation, 31(1):153-165. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10926-020-09901-2.

Gewurtz R, Tompa E, Lysaght R, Moll S, Harlos K, Sultan-Taïeb H, Kirsh B, Oldfield M. 2020. Exploring the Costs and Benefits of Hiring and Accommodating Workers with Mental Illness in Diverse Workplace Settings. Abstract publication in the American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 74(4_Supplement_1). https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2020.74S1-RP203B.

Atanackovic J, Williams A, Tompa E, Ireson R, Yazdani A. 2020. Overcoming Recruitment Difficulties in Conducting Intervention Research with Carer-Employees: Lessons Learned from a Research Study at a Canadian University. SAGE Research Methods Cases Medicine & Health. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781529744897.

Mofidi A, Tompa E, Mortazavi SB, Esfahanipour A, and Demers PA. 2020. A probabilistic approach for economic evaluation of occupational health and safety interventions: a case study of silica exposure reduction interventions in the construction sector. BMC Public Health, 20(1):210. https://10.1186/s12889-020-8307-7.

Lahey PM, Kirsh B, Tompa E, MacDermid J, Gewurtz RE. 2020. The Ontario Disability Support Program Work Exit Process: Parallels to a Hostage Negotiation. Journal of Disability Policy Studies, 32(3):182-192. https://doi.org/10.1177/1044207320944609.

Tompa E, Samosh D, Boucher N. 2020. Skills Gaps, Underemployment, and Equity of Labour-Market Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities in Canada. Report prepared for Public Policy Forum on behalf of the Future Skills Centre at Ryerson University. https://ppforum.ca/publications/barriers-to-employment-for-people-with-disabilities-in-canada/.

Lahey PM, Gewurtz RE, Kirsh B, Tompa E, MacDermid J. 2019. Active Labour Market Policies for People with Disabilities in Receipt of Public Income Benefits: A Scoping Review. Work: Journal of Disability Studies, 64(2): 229–247. https://doi.org/10.3233/WOR-192989.

Song C, Jardine K, Arrandale V, Jung Y, Mofidi A, Tompa E, Tenkate T, Davies H, Demers P. 2019. Assessing the impact of intervention on future lung cancer burden among construction workers. Occupational and Environmental Medicine. 76(Supplement 1):A65-A66. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/OEM-2019-EPI.176.

 Tompa E, Mofidi A, van den Heuvel S, van Bree T, Michaelsen F, Jung Y, Porsch L, van Emmerik M. 2019. The value of occupational safety and health and the societal costs of work-related injuries and diseases. Luxembourg: European Agency for Safety and Health at Work. 116 pp. https://doi.org/10.2802/251128.

Mofidi A, Tompa E, William A, Yazadni A, Lero D, Mortazavi SB. 2019. Impact of a Caregiver-Friendly Workplace Policies Intervention: A Prospective Economic Evaluation. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 61(6):461–468.  https://doi.org/10.1097/JOM.0000000000001564.