Dalla Lana School of Public Health

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IWH Speaker Series webinar: “The mental health of injured workers with a physically disabling injury”
Presenter: Dr. Kathleen Dobson
Date: Tuesday, January 28, 2025
Time: 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. ET
Register for free here: https://www.iwh.on.ca/events/speaker-series/2025-jan-28

Mental health is often thought of as the presence or absence of a mental health condition such as depression or an anxiety disorder. However, the complete mental health model suggests that mental health is also comprised of one’s level of emotional, psychological and social wellbeing.

How does this holistic way of framing mental health help us understand the return-to-work experiences of injured workers? In this presentation, Dr. Kathleen Dobson shares results from a recent study examining various mental health profiles among a group of physically injured workers in Ontario. She discusses why it is important to define “mental health” in occupational research, how this framework helps highlight the diverse mental health experiences that injured workers have and how these experiences may impact their return to work.

Dr. Kathleen Dobson is an associate scientist at the Institute for Work & Health. Dobson is also assistant professor at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health (DLSPH) at the University of Toronto. She holds a PhD in epidemiology from DLSPH and an MSc in health research methodology from McMaster University. Dobson’s research aims to understand how Canadians who experience mental illness and mental health challenges participate in the labour force. Her research also explores the long-term health and employment experiences of injured workers.

The IWH Speaker Series brings you the latest findings from work and health researchers from the Institute for Work & Health (IWH) and beyond. For those unable to attend, the recorded webinar of most presentations in the IWH Speaker Series are made available on its web page within a week of the event.