Ellen MacEachen

Professor; Director, School of Public Health Sciences

Associate Professor (Status), Dalla Lana School of Public Health
Associate Professor (Status), Graduate Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Toronto
Senior Scientist (Adjunct), Institute for Work & Health

Ellen MacEachen

Contact information

Office: LHN 2723

Phone: 519-888-4567, ext. 47248

Email: ellen.maceachen@uwaterloo.ca

Remote video URL

Research interests

My research examines the design and performance of work and health systems to identify how they can be improved and adapted to fast changing economic, social and technological environments of our global economy.

I am particularly interested in international work disability policy and the health risks and opportunities of new forms of work (such as “sharing economy” gigs). I specialise in qualitative and evaluation research methods and my research is informed by a sociological lens, which means that my studies are sensitive to complex interrelationships between individuals and broader contexts. 

Graduate supervision and student opportunities

I am currently not accepting applications from graduate students.

Teaching interests

  • Work and health
  • Qualitative research methods
  • Evaluation research

Education

BA Sociology and Anthropology, Concordia University

MSc Rehabilitation Sciences, Queen’s University

PhD Public Health Sciences, University of Toronto

Selected publications 

See Google Scholar for full list of publications.

MacEachen, E. (Editor). The Science and Politics of Work Disability Policy. New York: Routledge, 2019.

MacEachen, E., Kosny, A., Stahl, C., O’Hagan, F., Redgrift, L., Sanford, S., Carrasco, C., Tompa, E., Mahood, Q. Systematic review of qualitative literature on occupational health and safety legislation and regulatory enforcement planning and implementation. Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment and Health, 2016, 42 (1), 3-16.

MacEachen, E., Lippel, K., Saunders, R., Kosny, A., Mansfield, L., Carrasco, C., Pugliese, D. Workers’ compensation experience rating rules and the danger to worker safety in the temporary work agency sector. Policy and Practice in Health and Safety, 2012, 10(1), 77-95.

MacEachen, E., Kosny, A., Ferrier, S., Chambers, L. The ‘toxic dose’ of system problems: why some injured workers don’t return to work as expected, Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation, 2010, 20(3), 349-366.