New Program Equips Professionals to Quantify Fiscal, Policy, and Social Returns with Credible, Customized Metrics
PORT ALBERNI, BC, Sept. 11, 2026 /CNW/ — For the first time in Canada, disability management professionals can access a dedicated course that teaches them how to walk into a boardroom, government briefing, or stakeholder meeting and present hard numbers not just stories that prove exactly how their programs deliver value.
Pacific Coast University for Workplace Health Sciences (PCU-WHS) is proud to introduce DMCS 735: Economics of Disability Management – Measuring Value and Impact Across Multiple Levels, the first-ever course of its kind in the country.
Running online from October 5–25, 2026, this intensive program gives professionals the tools to move beyond vague claims and generic averages to customized, research-backed metrics that demonstrate impact at personal, organizational, and societal levels.
The need is urgent. Workplace injuries cost Canadian businesses approximately $29 billion each year. Poor mental health alone carries an estimated $180 billion annual price tag for the Canadian economy, with employers shouldering more than $100 billion of that burden through disability claims, benefits, accommodations, and related costs.
Many disability management programs remain underfunded or misunderstood simply because their true returns are never measured properly. This groundbreaking course changes that.
Upon completion, learners will be able to measure DM impacts across multiple levels, build compelling evidence-based arguments, select the most relevant metrics for different contexts, and design customized key metrics tailored to real workplaces. The course delivers practical, applied learning designed for professionals who need to influence budget holders, policymakers, and organizational strategy.
“Most individuals who have acquired a mental or physical health impairment expect to continue being equitably employed following onset of a health impairment. As someone who suffered a major spinal cord injury in an industrial accident many decades ago, being extremely fortunate to continue being accommodated resulted in not getting pushed to the margins of society and all its potentially negative consequences. This new program highlights and articulates the many economic, social, and individual benefits arising from a successful accommodation for the injured/disabled worker, the employer and society at large” says Wolfgang Zimmermann, OBC, who is the President of the Pacific Coast University for Workplace Health Sciences and the Executive Director of the National Institute of Disability Management and Research (NIDMAR).
36 Continuing Education Credits are available for Certified Disability Management Professionals (CDMPs) and Certified Return to Work Coordinators (CRTWCs).
The course is designed and delivered by Dr. Emile Tompa, one of Canada’s leading experts in labour and health economics. A Senior Scientist at the Institute for Work & Health with academic appointments at McMaster University and the University of Toronto, Dr. Tompa’s research has significantly advanced understanding of the economic impacts of workplace health, disability, and return-to-work programs including landmark estimates of the economic benefits of full inclusion. His unique combination of expertise in economics, public policy, occupational health, and disability management makes this a rare opportunity to learn from a foremost authority in the field.
“For too long, disability management has had to make the case for its value using stories, averages, or broad estimates rather than evidence tailored to the decisions leaders actually have to make. This course is about changing that. We’re giving professionals the tools to measure what their programs mean in dollars, workforce participation, organizational performance, and social impact—and to translate those results into evidence that executives and policymakers can act on. When we can demonstrate the return on disability management with credible, customized metrics, we move the conversation from ‘What does this cost?’ to ‘What value are we creating, and what happens if we don’t invest?’” says Emile Tompa, PhD.
Register:
PCU-WHS Registration
Course details:
DMCS 735 Course Information
About Pacific Coast University for Workplace Health Sciences
Professional and Continuing Education at Pacific Coast University for Workplace Health Sciences advances excellence in workplace health sciences through specialized education and training.
Contact: 778-421-0821 ext. 206 | [email protected] | https://www.pcu-whs.ca/
SOURCE Pacific Coast University for Workplace Health Sciences
