
Faculty Member
Irena Kudla HBSc, MHSc
- Email Address(es)
- kudlai(at)smh.ca
- Office Phone
- 416-864-5074
- Office Address
- St. Michael's Hospital, Department of Occupational & Environmental Health 30 Bond St., 4th Floor, Shuter Wing Toronto, Ontario M5B 1W8
- Division(s)/Institute(s)
- Occupational & Environmental Health Division
- Position
- Adjunct Lecturer
- SGS Status
- Associate (Restricted) Member
Research Interests
Occupational disease with an emphasis on occupational skin disease and work-related allergy/asthma.
Focus on occupational exposure assessment methodology including development of standardized data collection instruments for use in epidemiological and intervention studies.
Education & Training History
1985 HBSc Human Biology & Microbiology, University of Toronto
1987 MHSc Occupational & Environmental Health, University of Toronto
1995 CIH Diplomate of the American Board of Industrial Hygiene
Primary Teaching Responsibilities
Project Lead for CHL 5904F – Perspectives in Occupational Health & Safety
Lecturer in CHL 5911F – Industrial Hygiene II (Skin Exposure Assessment)
Practicuum supervisor
Professional Summary & Appointments
2002 – present: Prevention Specialist, Department of Occupational & Environmental Health, Occupational Disease Specialty Program, St. Michael’s Hospital, Toronto
1990 – 2002: Occupational Hygienist, Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers Inc., Toronto; technical consultant to occupational medicine physicians and occupational health nurses, Joint Health & Safety Committees, employers and unions in assessing the work-relatedness of a worker’s health condition by developing exposure profiles
1989 – 1990: Occupational Hygiene Consultant, RPR Consultants, Mississauga; extensive field experience in conducting occupational health and safety audits, air monitoring, ventilation assessments, indoor air quality assessments; development of occupational health & safety training modules
1987 – 1989: Occupational Hygiene Consultant, Goodfellow Consultants, Mississauga; extensive field experience in hazard assessment and monitoring for silica, formaldehyde, isocyanates, lead, organic solvents in a number of industries (pesticide formulation, government institutions, transit, manufacturing, etc.)
Current Research Projects
2012 – 2013: Nichol K, Holness DL, Kudla I, Robson L, Hon CY. The Development & Testing of a Tool to Assess Joint Health & Safety Committee Functioning & Effectiveness. Ministry of Labour Bridging The Gap Program
2012 – 2013: Holness DL, Kudla I, Kiran K, Tchernikov I, Brown J. Raising occupational skin disease awareness through the use of posters. Ministry of Labour Bridging The Gap Program
Representative Publications
- Kudla I. Case Studies: Exposure to Benzene-Contaminated Toluene & Bone Marrow Disorders – A Retrospective Exposure Assessment. Appl Occ & Env Hyg J 1997;12(1).
- Bogoch II, House RA, Kudla I. Perceptions About Hearing Protection & Noise-Induced Hearing Loss of Attendees of Rock Concerts. Can J of Pub Health, January-February 2005.
- Holness DL, Kudla I, Manno M, Dilworth L, Lee A. Workers with occupational contact dermatitis: workplace characteristics and prevention activities, submitted.
- Feng C, Switzer-McIntyre S, Sidiropoulos M, Kudla I, Holness DL. Identifying return to work barriers and facilitators for workers with occupational contact dermatitis, submitted.
- Sidiropoulos M, Kudla I, Feng C, Switzer-McIntyre S, Holness DL. Prevention of occupational contact dermatitis: what is really happening in the workplace?, in preparation.
- Donovan J. Kudla I, Holness DL. Analysis of hand dermatitis in the auto mechanic and machinist. Dermatitis 2007;18:143-149.
- Donovan J. Kudla I, DeKoven J. Rapid development of allergic contact dermatitis to dicyclohexylmethane-4,4-diisocyanate. Dermatitis; vol. 20, no. 4, July/August 2009.
- Nichol K, Kudla I, Manno M, McCaskell L, Sikorski J, Holness DL. Form & Function of Joint Health & Safety Committees in Ontario Acute Care Hospitals. Healthcare Quarterly vol. 12, no. 2. 2009
- Noiles K, Kudla I, DeKoven J. Propylene Glycol Dermatitis in the Printing Industry: The Fundamental Role of a Workplace Visit, vol. 21, no. 1 (January/February), 2010, pp E1-E4.
- Fukakusa J, Rosenblat J, Jang B, Ribeiro M, Kudla I, Tarlo S. Compliance with respirator use at work – factors among respiratory patients. October 2011, Occupational Medicine.
- Rowley K, Ajami D, Gervais D, Mooney A, Solheim A, Kudla I, Holness DL, Switzer-McIntyre S. Glove Use & Education in Workers with Hand-Arm Vibration Syndrome. Canadian Acoutistics/Acoustique canadienne, vol. 29, no. 2(2011).
- Kim J, Arrandale V, Kudla I, Mardell K, Lougheed D, Holness L. Educational Intervention among Farmers in a Community Health Setting. Occupational Medicine 2012; 62:458-61.
- Holness DL, Kudla I. Short Report: Workers with Occupational Dermatitis: Workplace Characteristics & Prevention Practices. Occupational Medicine, doi:10.1093/occmed/kqs115, July 2012.
- Stefaniak A, du Plessis J, John S, Eloff F, Agner T, Tzu-Chieh C, Nixon R, Steiner M, Holness L, Kudla I. Guidelines for the In Vitro Assessment of Skin Properties in Workplace Settings. Part I: pH. Skin Research & Technology 2012; 0:1-10, doi: 10.1111/srt.12016.
- Stefaniak A, du Plessis J, John S, Eloff F, Agner T, Tzu-Chieh C, Nixon R, Steiner M, Holness L, Kudla I. Guidelines for the In Vitro Assessment of Skin Properties in Workplace Settings. Part 2: Transepidermal Water Loss & Skin Hydrate. Skin Research & Technology (SRT-0095-12.R1), 2012.
- Arrandale V, Kudla I, Kraut A, Scott J, Tarlo S, Redlich C, Holness DL. Skin & Respiratory Symptoms Among Workers with Suspected Work-Related Disease. Occupational Medicine 2012, 62:420-426.
- Arrandale V, Kudla I, Scott J, Redlich C, Holness L. Test-Retest Reliability of a Workplace Characteristics Questionnaire. Occupational Medicine (submitted).
- Killhorn K, Lougheed D, Holness L, To T, Tarlo S, Lemieux C, Kudla I. The Development & Reliability of a Work-Related Asthma Screening Questionnaire. Primary Care Respiratory Journal (submitted August 8, 2013.