Partners of the Superior Mental Wellness @ Work project invite you to a special event as we launch a new multi-media campaign to help make work a safe place to talk about mental health! Come and join us for presentations, refreshments, networking, and get free campaign resources. The event will take place in the Thunder Bay District Health Unit Auditorium at 999 Balmoral Street in Thunder Bay. RSVP by adding your name to the attendance list.

Details are on the TBDHU website.

CRE-MSD and EPID@Work are pleased to announce a joint call for seed grant proposals. The application deadline is Friday November 28, 2025.

This joint seed grant provides the opportunity to support research that overlaps the focus areas of both research centres), with a specific focus on issues relevant to workplaces in Northwestern Ontario. Examples of potential research areas may include:

• psychosocial factors and their impact on MSD and mental health,

• accommodating Ontario’s diverse working population to prevent MSD, or

• workplace violence and harassment and the association with MSD prevalence.

A total available budget of $50,000 is available for this joint seed grant call, with maximum individual grant budgets of $25,000.

Click here for the Joint Seed Grant Call (Application and Procedures).

We're excited to share that Conceptualizing Stigma in the Injured Worker Literature: A Scoping Review was recently published in the Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation!

This project was supported by an EPID@Work seed grant awarded to Dr. Amanda Maranzan, and explores how stigma is experienced, described, and understood in literature surrounding work-related injury. The research team reviewed 100 studies to understand how stigma is represented and found that although it’s a common experience for injured workers, it’s rarely named directly - and when it is, usage of the term "stigma" is inconsistent. They identified over 270 different terms used to describe stigmatizing experiences, highlighting a major gap in clarity and consistency. 

This scoping review highlights the need for clear language, strong theoretical grounding, and more focus on self-stigma in future research. If you’re working in occupational health, return-to-work, or social psychology research, we hope this paper offers a useful foundation for more consistent and meaningful conversations around stigma. 

Congratulations to authors Mila Popovic, Lauren Reynolds, Chelsea Noel, Lynn Cooper, and Amanda Maranzan on this important contribution!

Join us at Indigo Thunder Bay this Friday, June 28th, from 11AM to 3PM for a special book signing event featuring "Who Killed Sir William?", written by Marion Endicott and Steve Mantis.

This powerful book is the result of the Research Action Alliance on the Consequences of Work Injury (RAACWI), a community-based initiative uniting injured workers, advocates, and researchers to bring forward the untold stories of injured workers across Ontario and Canada.

Come meet the authors, purchase a copy, or bring your own for signing. Whether you're curious about the stories behind the book or just want to have a chat, all are welcome!

Location: Indigo Thunder Bay
Date: Friday, June 28, 2025
Time: 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM

Lakehead University invites applications for a Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Workplace Social Justice.  The ideal candidate is one who can contribute to our understanding of equity, diversity, and inclusion in the face of global socioeconomic disparities; helping us to address how principles of fairness and equity are applied in employment contexts, focusing on the distribution of resources, recognition of diverse identities, and participatory decision-making processes. These factors are not only vital for fostering employee satisfaction and well-being but are critical for organizational effectiveness. The growing interest in workplace social justice is reflected in its potential to inform policy and practice that reduces inequities, combats discrimination, and enhances the inclusivity of work settings. Inequities may be individual (health-related (i.e., mental health), race- or gender-based, or based on any aspect of individual identity) or structural (workplace policies or work design). The title of the CRC may be changed to more accurately describe the selected candidate’s proposed area of study.  

For more information regarding this opportunity, click here. 

Please share with your network and with anyone who may be interested in attending; we look forward to seeing you there!

EPID@Work Research Institute is seeking a PhD candidate with a focus on Indigenous mental health in the workplace to join our team, beginning in September 2025. 

Interested candidates should send their CV and academic transcript to Dr. Vicki Kristman, EPID@Work Director: epid.director@lakeheadu.ca.  

EPID is thrilled to announce that our second annual Research Into Action Conference will be held on October 22, 2024! Join us at the Italian Cultural Centre for a morning of research presentations, community panels, and workshops addressing occupational health in Northwestern Ontario.

Interested in presenting an oral or poster presentation at our conference? We invite submissions for research and poster presentations addressing EPID's mandate: to bring people together to reduce impacts of work-related injury and disability through collaborative applied research. Please find the Google Form to submit your abstract here. The deadline for submission is June 30, 2024. 

Stay tuned for more details regarding the event's agenda and registration. Email epidevents@lakeheadu.ca with any questions. 

EPID@Work is thrilled to partner with Fort William First Nation for a night of good food & community based research. On Sunday May 5, join us at the FWFN Community Centre (Bingo Hall) from 6 - 8:00 pm to learn more about our NOWWHS research project and enjoy a meal provided by Salt and Pepper Catering.

The event is completely free to attend and there are prizes to be won for attendees! Everyone is welcome to learn more about our work on mental and physical health in the workplace, and we are excited to connect with Indigenous workers to learn more about their experiences.

For more information, contact Keilynn at 807-622-6791 Ext.318 or visit www.workinghealth.ca. We look forward to seeing you there!