About



The Institute for Work & Health is delighted to host PREMUS 2016, the 9th International Conference on the Prevention of Work-related Musculoskeletal Disorders.

Welcome to PREMUS 2016 by Dr. Cameron Mustard, president of the Institute for Work & Health (shown at the closing session of PREMUS 2013)

We look forward to welcoming you to Toronto in June 2016. Join more than 400 delegates from over 40 countries for four days of scientific exchange and debate. Every three years since 1992, PREMUS has gathered together scientists, students, practitioners in occupational health & safety, epidemiologists, ergonomists, industrial engineers, clinicians and policy-makers, with the goal of promoting multidisciplinary research and the translation of that research into applicable use.

Following a successful 8th conference at Busan, Korea, we will offer an exciting and provocative program of keynote presentations and symposium sessions. The Institute for Work & Health has had a longstanding focus on work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), and we are proud to continue PREMUS's more-than-20-year history as an international platform for the exchange of knowledge and expertise in MSD research and intervention practice related to the prevention of work-related MSDs.

Toronto is a vibrant, cosmopolitan city that draws people from all over the world. We are planning an exciting social program to provide you the opportunity to experience some of the sights and sounds of this very dynamic and global city.

Dr. Cameron Mustard
President and Senior Scientist
Institute for Work & Health



PREMUS 2016, the 9th International Scientific Conference on the Prevention of Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders, is taking place June 20-23, 2016 in Toronto, Canada.

PREMUS is an international scientific conference that serves as a forum for work-related musculoskeletal health research, with an emphasis on the prevention of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). It is the primary conference of the Musculoskeletal Disorders Scientific Community of the International Commission of Occupational Health (ICOH), and has been taking place every three years since 1992.

The conference brings together scientists, researchers, occupational health and safety professionals, ergonomists, industrial engineers and policy-makers from around the world. These delegates have a shared interest in understanding the causes and prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), as well as the evidence-based interventions that will prevent them.

All keynote speakers are by invitation only and are recognized for their leadership and international expertise. All presentations go through a peer-review process to ensure presentations reflect high quality research.

Who Should Attend

  • Scientists, academics and students from a wide range of disciplines—human factors, industrial engineering, occupational health, occupational safety, disability prevention, health policy, epidemiology, economics, medicine, physical therapy, kinesiology, ergonomics, public health and more—whose research addresses musculoskeletal health issues
  • Clinicians, including doctors, chiropractors, physiotherapists, kinesiologists, occupational therapists
  • Ergonomists and workplace-based practitioners in occupational health and safety, disability management and return-to-work
  • Policy-makers in labour, health, public health and workers’ compensation
  • Advocates for workers and injured workers
  • Anyone with an interest in evidence-based approaches to identifying, measuring, treating and preventing work-related MSDs

Conference Objectives

  • To promote and disseminate research into state-of-the-art interventions aimed at the prevention of musculoskeletal disorders at work
  • To foster cross-disciplinary, trans-disciplinary and translational research into the etiology and prevention of work-related MSDs
  • To provide an international platform for the exchange of knowledge and expertise in musculoskeletal research and practice related to occupational MSD prevention
  • To provide a forum for exploring future research collaborations to address gaps in knowledge about work-related MSDs


The overarching theme of PREMUS 2016 is Preventing Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders in a Global Economy.

The theme recognizes that musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are a concern in workplaces around the world. It also recognizes that it will take the collective knowledge of experts internationally to successfully describe, measure, manage and prevent work-related MSDs.

PREMUS 2016 will bring these experts together to share and build upon this knowledge for the benefit workers everywhere who already have, or are at risk of developing, MSDs.

The conference sessions will focus on eight major themes:

  1. Field evaluations of MSD prevention policies, programs and practices
  2. Economic burden of work-related MSDs
  3. Epidemiology of work-related MSDs
  4. Biology of work-related MSDs
  5. Measuring exposures in a new world of work
  6. Management of work-related MSDs and sustainable employment
  7. Health disparities and globalization
  8. Emerging issues in the prevention and management of work-related MSDs


Two committees are behind the work of organizing PREMUS 2016: the International Scientific Committee and the Planning and Hosting Committee.



The Scientific Committee is responsible for:

  • Determining conference, session and workshop themes
  • Identifying keynote, session and panel speakers
  • Issuing the call for abstracts, along with guidelines for submissions
  • Suggesting abstract reviewers and their specialty areas
  • Selecting abstracts for presentations and posters
  • Setting the parameters for presentations


Meet the members of the PREMUS 2016 International Scientific Committee to date:


Ben Amick, PhD (Chair)

Senior Scientist
Institute for Work & Health, Toronto, Canada

Director of Public Health
Professor and Chair
Department of Health Policy and Management
Florida International University, Miami, U.S.A.

Alexis Descatha, MD, PhD

Professor and Head, Occupational Health Unit
Inserm, University of Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ), Raymond Poincaré University Hospital, Garches, France

Allard van der Beek, PhD

Professor of Occupational Epidemiology
Vice-Head, Department of Public and Occupational Health
Co-Director, Musculoskeletal Health Research Program
EMGO+ Institute, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Alysha Myers, PhD, CPE

Epidemiologist, Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations and Field Studies
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Cincinatti, U.S.A.

Bradley Evanoff, MD, MPH

Professor, Internal Medicine
Director, Division of General Medical Sciences
Director, Institute of Clinical and Translational Sciences
Assistant Dean for Clinical and Translational Research
Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, U.S.A.

Catherine Trask, PhD

Canada Research Chair in Ergonomics and Musculoskeletal Health
Assistant Professor, Canadian Centre for Health and Safety in Agriculture (CCHSA)
University of Saskatchewan, Saskatooon, Canada

David Douphrate, PhD

Assistant Professor of Epidemiology, Human Genetics and Environmental Sciences
School of Public Health, University of Texas, San Antonio, U.S.A.

David Rempel, MD, MPH

Professor of Occupational and Environmental Medicine/Ergonomics
Center for Occupational and Environmental Health (COEH), University of California School of Medicine, San Francisco, U.S.A.

Deepak Sharan

Owner and Medical Director
RECOUP Neuromusculoskeletal Rehabilitation Centre, Bangalore, India

Dongmug Kang, MD, MPH, PhD

Department of Preventive and Occupational Medicine
School of Medicine, Pusan National University, Yangsan, Korea

Edgar Ramos Vieira, PT, MSc, PhD

Assistant Professor, Department of Physical Therapy
Florida International University, Miami, U.S.A.

Eira Viikari-Juntura, MD

Research Professor and Director, Disability Prevention Research Centre
Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Helsinki, Finland

Francesco Violante

Professor, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences
University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy

Jack Dennerlein

Professor, Department of Physical Therapy, Movement & Rehabilitation Science
Bouvé College of Health Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston U.S.A.

Jim Potvin, PhD

Professor, Department of Kinesiology
McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada

Judith Gold

Centre for Musculoskeketal Research, Department of Occupational and Public Health Sciences
University of Gävle, Gävle, Sweden

Laura Punnett, ScD

Professor of Work Environment
Co-Director, Center for the Promotion of Health in the New England Workplace
Leadership Team, Center for Women and Work
University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, U.S.A.

Lope H. Barrero, ScD

Associate Professor, Department of Industrial Engineering
Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Bogota, Colombia

Mats Hagberg, MD,PhD

Professor, Department of Public Health and Community Medicine
University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden

Chief physician, Dept of Occupational & Environmental Medicine
Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden

Monique Frings-Dresen, PhD

Professor of Occupational Health and Medicine
Principal Investigator, Coronel Institute of Occupational Health
Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Richard Wells, PhD

Professor of Kinesiology
Director, Centre of Research Expertise for the Prevention of Musculoskeletal Disorders (CRE-MSD)
University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Canada

Roberta Bonfiglioli

Associate Professor, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences
University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy

Sandra Brouwer, PhD

Professor of Health Sciences
Community and Occupational Medicine, University Medical Center Groningen
University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands

Stephen Hudock

Manager, Musculoskeletal Disorders Health and Safety Cross-Sector
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Cincinatti, U.S.A.

Susan Stock

Head of the Scientific Group on Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders
The Intitut National de Santé Publique du Québec, Québec, Canada

Thomas Behrens, MD, MPH

Professor, Institute for Prevention and Occupational Medicine of the German Social Accident Insurance
Institute of the Ruhr University of Bochum, Bochum, Germany

Yves Roquelaure, MD

Laboratory of Ergonomics and Occupational Health
University of Angers, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire (CHU)
Angers, France



PREMUS 2016 is being hosted by the Institute for Work & Health (IWH), an independent, not-for-profit research organization based in Toronto, Canada. IWH's mission is to promote, protect and improve the safety and health of working people by conducting actionable research that is valued by employers, workers and policy-makers. Now in its 25th year, the Institute has had a longstanding research focus on preventing musculoskeletal disorders.

The Planning and Hosting Committee, based at the Institute, is responsible for:

  • Selecting the conference site
  • Developing and administering the conference budget
  • Administering registrations and setting registration fees
  • Overseeing sponsorship and exhibit activities
  • Coordinating onsite logistics
  • Implementing conference marketing and communications
  • Developing a hospitality and social program


The members of the Hosting Committee, all based at the Institute for Work & Health in Toronto, Canada, are:


Ben Amick, PhD (Chair, International Scientific Committee)

Senior Scientist

Emma Irvin (Co-Chair, Hosting Committee)

Director of Research Operations

Ron Saunders (Co-Chair, Hosting Committee)

Senior Scientist and Director of Knowledge Transfer and Exchange

Siobhan Cardoso (Event Planner)

Knowledge Translation Associate

Sara Macdonald (Chair, Hospitality Subcommittee)

Knowledge Translation Associate

Cindy Moser (Chair, Communications Subcommittee)

Communications Manager

Jan Dvorak (PREMUS Website & Design Coordinator)

Website & Design Coordinator

Uyen Vu (PREMUS Media Relations)

Communications Associate



PREMUS 2016 takes place at the Allstream Centre in Toronto, Canada. Modern and ergonomic interior design, state-of-the-art technology and leading-edge environmental practices are all housed within a stunning and historic Art Deco Building.

Situated on the shores of Lake Ontario at Exhibition Place, the Allstream Centre is just minutes away from Toronto’s bustling downtown core, as well as eclectic neighbourhoods to explore such as Liberty Village, Queen Street West, Parkdale, Little Italy and Ossington Avenue. Allstream offers on-site parking, and is easily accessible by highways, the city’s two major airports and public transit.


The Allstream Centre is billed as Canada’s greenest conference centre—the first in the country targeting LEED Silver certification. Its turnkey green meeting spaces feature leading-edge technologies and practices such as:

  • Power from 100% renewable energy sources
  • Improved air quality through CO2 sensors
  • Greenguard-certified furnishings
  • Rainwater harvesting to reduce water consumption
  • Low VOC paints, carpets and adhesives
  • Organic recycling programs