Chris McLeod

Partnership Director

Associate Professor and Head, Occupational and Environmental Health Division, UBC School of Population and Public Health

Phone: 604-822-0348
Email: chris.mcleod@ubc.ca

As Partnership Director, Dr. Chris McLeod’s research focuses on the program and policy evaluation of occupational health policies and practices and on the causes and consequences of work-related injury and disease. Dr. McLeod also is a content data expert for Population Data BC and is actively working on developing and extending the occupational health data available to researchers through Population Data BC. Current areas of research include an assessment of the effectiveness of occupational health and safety management systems on work injury; an examination of the etiology and outcomes of serious work-related injury; and national and international comparative work with jurisdictions in Ontario, Manitoba, Australia, and New Zealand.

More broadly, Chris’s research explores how institutional and economic structures across countries affect health and health inequalities over the working life course. This research uses high quality comparable longitudinal data from representative economies to examine the relationship between employment and working conditions and worker health within and across countries. His work examining the relationship between unemployment and health, supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council and the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, has been recently published in the Annual Review of Public Health and the American Journal of Public Health. In 2013 Chris received a CIHR New Investigator Award to expand this program of research. He is also an Early Career Scholar at the Peter Wall Institute for Advanced Studies and recipient of a Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Scholar Award for 2016 to 2021.

Chris holds a PhD in population and public health from UBC and a MA in economics from McMaster University, and teaches courses on the social determinants of health, public health, and occupational disease in the School of Population and Public Health at UBC, where he is also Head of the Occupational and Environmental Health Division and Program Director for the MSc OEH.

Graduate student opportunities

PhD and Masters research opportunities are available under Chris’s supervision in the School of Population and Public Health in the following areas: evaluation of occupational health and safety policies and programs, comparative analysis of OHS and workers compensation systems nationally and internationally, and the determinants of and consequences of occupational injury or disease. A research stipend may be available depending on the topic. Interested students should contact Chris with a CV and statement of interest.

Partnership publications

Work disability duration among mobile workers: does intra-provincial mobility matter as much as inter-provincial mobility?

Journal article
Macpherson RA, Tamburic L, Neis B McLeod CB.
Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. 2024 Jan 19. DOI: 10.1097/JOM.0000000000003050.

Do regional labor market conditions matter for temporary work disability duration? A multilevel analysis of workers’ compensation claims in five Canadian provinces

Journal article
Macpherson RA, Amick III BC, Collie A, Koehoorn M, Smith PM, McLeod CB.
American Journal of Industrial Medicine. 2023 May 28. DOI: 10.1002/ajim.23489. Online ahead of print.

Continuation of telework in the post-pandemic era: Healthcare employees’ preference and determinants

Journal article
Jones AM, Fan J, Thomas-Olson L, Zhang W, McLeod CB.
Healthcare Management Forum. 2023 May 8. https://doi.org/10.1177/084047042311707. Online ahead of print.

Do patterns of past asbestos use and production reflect current geographic variations of cancer risk? Mesothelioma in Ontario and British Columbia, Canada

Journal article
Slavik C, Demers PA, Tamburic L, McLeod CB.
Cancer Causes Control. 2023 Feb 2. doi: 10.1007/s10552-023-01672-4. Online ahead of print.

The role of low educational attainment on the pathway from adolescent internalizing and externalizing problems to early adult labour market disconnection in the Dutch TRAILS cohort

Journal article
Minh A, McLeod CB, Reijneveld SA, Veldman K, van Zon SKR, Bültmann U.
SSM Popul Health. 2022 Dec 5;21:101300. doi: 10.1016/j.ssmph.2022.101300. eCollection 2023 Mar.

Heat-related illness among workers in British Columbia, 2001-2020

Journal article
Weinberger KR, Tamburic L, Peters CE, McLeod CB.
J Occup Environ Med. 2023 Feb 1;65(2):e88-e92. doi: 10.1097/JOM.0000000000002761. Epub 2022 Nov 28.

An evaluation of violence prevention education in healthcare

Journal article
Provost S, MacPhee M, Daniels M, Naimi M, McLeod CB.
Safety Science. 2023 Mar;159(106011).

Differences in Modified-Return-to-Work by Immigration Characteristics Among a Cohort of Workers in British Columbia, Canada

Journal article
Senthanar S, Koehoorn M, Tamburic L, Premji S, Bültmann U, McLeod CB.
Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation. 2022 October 29. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10926-022-10077-0.

A media surveillance analysis of COVID-19 workplace outbreaks in Canada and the United States

Journal article
Fenton S, Quinn EK, Rydz E, Heer E, Davies HW, Macpherson RA, McLeod CB, Koehoorn M.
FACETS. 2022 August 25. https://doi.org/10.1139/facets-2021-0156.

Pre-existing anxiety and depression disorders and return to work after musculoskeletal strain or sprain: a phased-based approach

Journal article
Jones AM, Koehoorn M, Bültmann U, McLeod CB.
J Occup Rehabil. 2022 Jun 6. doi: 10.1007/s10926-022-10047-6. Online ahead of print.

Differences between men and women in their risk of work injury and disability: A systematic review

Journal article
Biswas A, Harbin S, Irvin E, Johnston H, Begum M, Tiong M, Apedaile D, Koehoorn M, Smith P.
Am J Ind Med. 2022 Jul;65(7):576-588. doi: 10.1002/ajim.23364. Epub 2022 May 16.

Return‑to‑Work After Work‑Related Injury in the Construction Sector: A Scoping Review

Journal article
Sharpe K, Afshar T, St-Hilaire F C, McLeod C.
Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation. 2022 Feb 18. Epub ahead of print. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10926-022-10028-9

A framework for understanding how variation in health care service delivery affects work disability management

Journal article
Sharpe K, McGrail K, Mustard C, McLeod C.
Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation. 2022 Feb 10. Epub ahead of print. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10926-021-10016-5.

Differences in workers’ compensation claim rates for within-province and out-of-province workers in British Columbia, Canada, 2010–2017

Journal article
Macpherson R, Neis B, McLeod CB.
American Journal of Industrial Medicine. 2022 Jan 28. Epub ahead of print. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajim.23327

Exploring differences in work disability duration by size of firm in Canada and Australia

Journal article
Macpherson R, Lane TJ, Collie A, McLeod CB.
Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation. 2022 Jan 4. Epub ahead of print.

Evaluating effectiveness of an integrated return-to-work and vocational rehabilitation program on work disability duration in the construction sector

Journal article
Macpherson RA, He A, Amick III BC, Koehoorn M, McLeod CB.
Scand J Work Environ Health. 2021 Dec 13. doi:10.5271/sjweh.4006. Published online.

Immigrant status, gender and work disability duration: findings from a linked, retrospective cohort of workers’ compensation and immigration data from British Columbia, Canada

Journal article
Saffari N, Senthanar S, Koehoorn M, McGrail K, McLeod C.
Occupational and Environmental Medicine. 2021;11(12).

Differences in work disability duration for immigrants and Canadian-born workers in British Columbia, Canada

Journal article
Senthanar S, Koehoorn M, Tamburic L, Premji S, Bültmann U, McLeod CB.
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2021;18(22):11794.

An umbrella review of the work and health impacts of working in an epidemic/pandemic environment

Journal article
Fan J, Senthanar S, Macpherson R, Sharpe K, Peters CE, Koehoorn M, McLeod CB.
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2021 Jun 25;18(13):6828.

Depressive symptom trajectories and early adult education and employment: Comparing longitudinal cohorts in Canada and the United States

Journal article
Minh A, Bültmann U, Reijneveld SA, van Zon SKR, McLeod CB.
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2021;18(8):4279.

Determining hazard management changes in workplaces following workplace safety inspections by WorkSafeBC in British Columbia, Canada

Journal article
Macpherson RA, Yousefi M, McLeod CB.
Safety Science. 2021;140. Available online 19 April 2021.

Impact of anxiety and depression disorders on sustained return to work after work-related musculoskeletal strain or sprain: a gender stratified cohort study

Journal article
Jones AM, Koehoorn M, Bültmann U, McLeod CB.
Scand J Work Environ Health. 2021 Mar 21:3951. Online ahead of print.

Does gradually returning to work improve time to sustainable work after a work-acquired musculoskeletal disorder in British Columbia, Canada? A matched cohort effectiveness study

Journal article
Maas ET, Koehoorn M, McLeod CB.
Occupational and Environmental Medicine. Published Online First: 18 March 2021.

A realist review of violence prevention education in healthcare

Journal article
Provost S, MacPhee M, Daniels MA, Naimi M, McLeod C.
Healthcare. 2021; 9(3):339.

Do differences in work disability duration by interjurisdictional claim status vary by industry and jurisdictional context?

Journal article
Macpherson R, Koehoorn M, Neis B, McLeod C.
Occup Environ Med. 2021 Jan 27;oemed-2020-106917.

Prevalence and risk factors for anxiety and depression disorders in workers with work-related musculoskeletal strain or sprain in British Columbia, Canada: a comparison of men and women using administrative health data

Journal article
Jones AM, Koehoorn M, Bültmann U, McLeod CB. 2021 Jan 22;oemed-2020-106661. Online ahead of print.

Men and women at work in Canada, 1991–2016

Journal article
Quinn E, Harper A, Rydz E, Smith P, Koehoorn M, Peters C.
Labour & Industry. 2021 Jan 20.

Age Differences in Work-Disability Duration Across Canada: Examining Variations by Follow-Up Time and Context

Journal article
Fan JK, Macpherson RA, Smith PM, Harris MA, Gignac MAM, McLeod CB.
Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation. 2020 Sep 10. [Epub ahead of print].

Urban-rural Differences in the Duration of Injury-related Work Disability in Six Canadian Provinces

Journal article
Macpherson RA, Amick BC, Collie A, Hogg-Johnson S, Koehoorn M, Smith PM, McLeod CB.
Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. 2020 Mar 5. [Epub ahead of print].

Gender Differences in Surgery for Work-Related Musculoskeletal Injury: A Population-Based Cohort Study

Journal article
Jones AM, Koehoorn M, McLeod CB.
Healthcare Policy. 2020 Feb;15(3):47-62.

Time to return to work following workplace violence among direct healthcare and social workers

Journal article
Choi K, Maas ET, Koehoorn M, McLeod CB.
Occupational and Environmental Medicine. 2020 Mar;77(3):160-167.

Descriptive Epidemiology of Gradual Return to Work for Workers with a Work-acquired Musculoskeletal Disorder in British Columbia, Canada

Journal article
Maas ET, Koehoorn M, McLeod CB.
J Occup Environ Med. 2019 Nov 15. [Epub ahead of print].

Investigating young adults’ mental health and early working life trajectories from a life course perspective: the role of transitions

Journal article
Bültmann U, Arends I, Veldman K, McLeod CB, van Zon SKR, Amick B.
BMJ Epidemiology and Community Health. 2019 Nov 6. [Epub ahead of print.]

Out of the labour force and out of school: a population-representative study of youth labour force attachment and mental health

Journal article
Minh A, O’Campo P Guhn M, McLeod CB.
Journal of Youth Studies. 2019.

Do Differences in Work Disability Duration Between Men and Women Vary by Province in Canada?

Journal article
Macpherson RA, Koehoorn M, Fan J, Quirke W, Amick BC, Kraut A, Mustard CA, McLeod CB.
J Occup Rehabil. 2019 Sep; 29(3):560-568.

Age, sex, and the changing disability burden of compensated work-related musculoskeletal disorders in Canada and Australia

Journal article
Macpherson R, Lane T, Collie A, McLeod C.
BMC Public Health. 2018;18:758.

Labor market and health trajectories during periods of economic recession and expansion in the United States, 1988‒2011

Journal article
Fan J, Amick B, Richardson L, Scott-Marshall H, McLeod C.
Scand J Work Environ Health. 2018 Jun 12. [Epub ahead of print]

Return-to-work for multiple jobholders with a work-related musculoskeletal disorder: A population-based, matched cohort in British Columbia

Journal article
Maas E, Koehoorn M, McLeod C.
PLoS One. 2018 Apr 3;13(4): e0193618.

Identifying return-to-work trajectories using sequence analysis in a cohort of workers with work-related musculoskeletal disorders

Journal article
McLeod C, Reiff E, Maas E, Bultmann U.
Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment and Health. 2017. [Online-first article]

The economic burden of lung cancer and mesothelioma due to occupational and para-occupational asbestos exposure

Journal article
Tompa E, Kalcevich C, McLeod C, Lebeau M, Song C, McLeod K, Kim J, Demers PA.
Occup Environ Med. 2017;74(11):816-22.

A systematic literature review of the effectiveness of occupational health and safety regulatory enforcement

Journal article
Tompa E, Kalcevich C, Foley M, McLeod C, Hogg-Johnson S, Cullen K, MacEachen E, Irvin E, Mahood Q.
American Journal of Industrial Medicine. 2016 Nov;59(11):919-933.

The relationship between chronic conditions and absenteeism and associated costs in Canada

Journal article
Zhang W, McLeod C, Koehoorn M.
Scand J Work Environ Health 2016 Sep; 42(5): 413-422.

A Comparative Analysis of the Financial Incentives of Two Distinct Experience-Rating Programs

Journal article
Tompa E, McLeod C, Mustard C.
J Occup Environ Med. 2016 Jul; 58(7): 718-27.

Labor markets and health: an integrated life course perspective

Journal article
Amick B, McLeod C, Bültmann U.
Scand J Work Environ Health. 2016 Jul;42(4):346-53.

Measuring gender when you don’t have a gender measure: constructing a gender index using survey data

Journal article
Smith P, Koehoorn M.
Int J Equity Health. 2016 May 28;15(1):82.

Does time off work after injury vary by jurisdiction? A comparative study of eight Australian workers’ compensation systems

Journal article
Collie A, Lane T, Hassani-Mahmooei B, Thompson J, McLeod C.
BMJ Open. 2016 May; 6(5): e010910.

Stakeholders’ Perspectives About and Priorities for Economic Evaluation of Health and Safety Programs in Healthcare

Journal article
Tompa E, de Boer H, Macdonald S, Alamgir H, Koehoorn M, Guzman J.
Workplace Health Saf. 2016 Apr;64(4):163-74.

Gender Inequalities in Access to Health Care among Adults Living in British Columbia, Canada

Socías ME, Koehoorn M, Shoveller J.
Womens Health Issues. 2016 Jan-Feb;26(1):74-9.

Economic evaluation of occupational health and safety programmes in health care

Journal article
Guzman J, Tompa E, Koehoorn M, de Boer H, Macdonald S, Alamgir H.
Occupational Medicine (Lond). 2015 Oct;65(7):590-7.

Prevention in dangerous industries: does safety certification prevent tree-faller injuries?

Journal article
McLeod C, Sarkany D, Davies H, Lyons K, Koehoorn M.
Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health. 2015 Sep 1;41(5):478-85.

Characteristics of work-related fatal and hospitalised injuries not captured in workers’ compensation data

Journal article
Koehoorn M, Tamburic L, Xu F, Alamgir H, Demers P, McLeod C.
Occupational and Environmental Medicine. 2015; 72(6): 413-20.

Population-based surveillance of asthma among workers in British Columbia, Canada

Journal article
Koehoorn M, Tamburic L, McLeod C, Demers P, Lynd, L, Kennedy S. Chronic Diseases in Canada. 2013; 33(2).

The relationship between age and work injury in British Columbia: Examining differences across time and nature of injury

Journal article
Smith P, Bielecky A, Mustard C, Beaton D, Hogg-Johnson S, Ibrahim S, Koehoorn M, McLeod C, Saunders R, Scott-Marshall H. Journal of Occupational Health. 2013; 55(2): 98-107.

Work injury risk by time of day in two population-based data sources

Journal article
Mustard C, Chambers A, McLeod C, Bielecky A, Smith P. Occupational and Environmental Medicine. 2013; 70(1): 49-56

Descriptive epidemiology of serious work-related injuries in British Columbia, Canada

Journal article
Fan J, McLeod C, Koehoorn M. PLoS ONE. 2012; 7(6): e38750.
Media release.

Comparison of data sources for the surveillance of work injury

Journal article
Mustard C, Chambers A, McLeod C, Bielecky A, Smith P. Occupational and Environmental Medicine. 2012;69(5):317-24.

Surveillance of mesothelioma and workers’ compensation in British Columbia, Canada

Journal article
Kirkham TL, Koehoorn MW, McLeod CB, Demers PA. Occupational and Environmental Medicine. 2011 Jan;68(1):30-5.
Research summary [472 KB]

Do private clinics or expedited fees reduce disability duration for injured workers following knee surgery?

Journal article
Koehoorn, M, McLeod C, Fan J, McGrail K, Barer M, Cote P, Hogg-Johnson S. Healthcare Policy. 2011;7(1):55-70.

Shift work trends and risk for worker injury in Canada

Journal article
Wong I, McLeod CB, Demers P. Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health. 2011;37(1):54-61.
Media release

Sociodemographic, clinical, and work characteristics associated with return-to-work outcomes following surgery for work-related knee injury

Journal article
Fan JK, McLeod CB, Koehoorn M. Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health. 2010;36(4):332-338.

Sleep problems and workplace injuries in Canada

Journal article
Kling R, McLeod C, Koehoorn M. Sleep. 2010; 33(5): 611-618.
Commentary: Teodorescu M, Szklo-Coxe M. Sleep well to stay safe: Ready for Primetime? Sleep. 2010; 33(5): 577-578.

Population-based asbestosis surveillance in British Columbia

Journal article
Gan W, Demers P, McLeod C, Koehoorn M. Occupational and Environmental Medicine. 2009;66:766-771.

Research opportunities using administrative databases and existing surveys for new knowledge in occupational health and safety in Canada, Quebec, Ontario and British Columbia

Journal article
Smith P, Stock S, McLeod C, Koehoorn M, Marchand A, Mustard C. Canadian Journal of Public Health, 2009;101(Suppl.1):S46-52.
Research Summary [PDF: 130 KB]

Exposure assessment in epidemiology: does gender matter?

Journal article
Kennedy S, Koehoorn M. American Journal of Industrial Medicine. 2003; 44(6):576-583.

Other selected publications

McLeod C, Lavis J, MacNab Y, Hertzman C. Unemployment and mortality: a comparative study of Germany and the United States. American Journal of Public Health. 2012;102(8):1542-1550.

McLeod C, Hall P, Siddiqi A, Hertzman C. How society shapes the health gradient: work-related health inequalities in a comparative perspective. Annual Review of Public Health. 2012;33:59-73.

Tompa E, Trevithick S, McLeod C. Systematic review of the prevention incentives of insurance and regulatory mechanism for occupational health and safety. Scandinavian Journal of Work Environment & Health. 2007;33(1):85-95.

Lavis J, Ross S, McLeod C, Gildiner A. Measuring the impact of health research. Journal of Health Services Research & Policy. 2003;8(3):165-170.

Lavis J, Robertson D, Woodside J, McLeod C, Abelson J and the Knowledge Transfer Study Group. How can research organizations more effectively transfer research knowledge to decision makers? Milbank Quarterly. 2003;81:221-248.

McLeod C, Lavis J, Mustard C, Stoddart G. Income inequality, household income and health status in Canada: a prospective cohort study. American Journal of Public Health. 2003;93(8):1287-1293.

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School of Population and Public Health
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Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z3, Canada
Tel: 604-822-2772
Partnership for Work, Health and Safety
2206 East Mall,
Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z3, Canada
Tel: 604-822-8544

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