Dr. Monique Gignac is Scientific Director and a Senior Scientist at the Institute for Work & Health and a Professor at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto. She was Scientific Co-Director of the Canadian Arthritis Network, a Networks of Centres of Excellence from 2008-2014.
Dr. Gignac's research expertise is in the areas of health and social psychology, including health models of disability. Her research examines psychosocial factors like stress, coping, and adaptation and their importance in understanding the impact of chronic conditions on the lives of adults across the life course. Of particular interest is research on workplace communication, privacy, and accommodation needs among individuals living with chronic, episodic conditions. Dr. Gignac has a strong collaborative program of research and study designs in her research program span community health surveys, qualitative research, intervention studies, measurement design and evaluation, and analyses of population health datasets.
Dr. Gignac has received recognition for her research, leadership, and service with an inclusive design award from MaRS-CIBC (2022) for the Job Demands and Accommodation Planning Tool (JDAPT), a Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal (2013), and awards from the Canadian Networks of Centres of Excellence (2011), Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIRH), and the international Association of Rheumatology Professionals (ARP).