Thomas Tenkate (In Memoriam)
The School of Occupational and Public Health is deeply saddened to share news of the passing of Dr. Thomas Tenkate, beloved husband of Kathryn, and father of Abigail and Hudson. Dr. Tenkate passed away on July 27, 2024.
Dr. Thomas Tenkate is the director of the School of Occupational and Public Health. He previously served as the director of the school from 2011 to 2020. Dr. Tenkate also served as interim director of the School of Early Childhood Studies from 2022-23.
Prior to his time at Toronto Metropolitan University, he worked at the Queensland University of Technology School of Public Health in Australia. Dr. Tenkate has been in academia since 2003. He has also worked in industry, which included 10 years with the Queensland Department of Health.
Originally qualified as an environmental health officer, Dr. Tenkate also has qualifications in occupational health and safety (specifically occupational hygiene), management, education and risk management, including a Doctor of Public Health from the University of Alabama in Birmingham.
He has been active in a range of professional associations, including Environmental Health Australia (the Australian equivalent of the Canadian Institute of Public Health Inspectors), where he was on state and national executive for many years, and from 2009 to 2011 served as national president. Dr. Tenkate has also consulted with legal firms, government agencies, old-age facilities and schools in the areas of food safety, environmental health, occupational exposure assessment and risk management.
His main area of research is risk assessment and risk management of environmental and occupational exposures, including human exposure and health risks from ultraviolet (UV) radiation.
Research interests:
- Sun safety for outdoor workers (external link)
- UV radiation exposure of workers and the public
- Human health risk assessment
- Online learning and alternative teaching approaches
- Chemical hazard and risk assessment
- Psychological health and safety
Research projects:
- Year: 2021-2022
- Role: Principal Investigator
- Funded by: Innovation at Work grant, WorksafeBC
Project: eCHAP-Risk: chemical risk assessment software tool for SMEs
- Year: 2020-2021
- Role: Principal Investigator
- Funded by: Innovation at Work Grant, WorksafeBC
Project: Tailored sun safety messages for outdoor workers
- Year: 2019 – 2020
- Role: Co-investigator
- Funded by: Innovation at Work Grant, Worksafe BC
Project: Diesel Engine Exhaust Exposure in the Ontario Construction Industry
- Year: 2018-2020
- Role: Co-investigator
- Funded by: Ontario Ministry of Labour, Occupational Health, Safety and Prevention Innovation Program
Project: Online Learning Modules to Support Workplace Mental Health for First Responders and Management
- Year: 2018-2020
- Role: Co-investigator
- Funded by: Ontario Ministry of Labour, Occupational Health, Safety and Prevention Innovation Program
Project: Workplace Safety and Prevention Partnerships and Ladder to Degree
- Year: 2018-2019
- Role: Co-investigator
- Funded by: Ontario Council on Articulation and Transfer
Project: Sun exposure in outdoor workers: measurements and monitoring
- Year: 2018-2020
- Role: Co-investigator
- Funded by: Occupational Health and Safety Futures – Research Funding Program, Alberta Government
- Year: 2018-2019
- Role: Principal Investigator
- Funded by: Ontario Ministry of Labour, Evidence for Practice Grant
Project: Systematic review – occupational exposure to ultraviolet radiation and cataracts
- Year: 2017-2019
- Role: Lead Reviewer
- Funded by: World Health Organization and International Labour Office
Project: Systematic review - occupational exposure to ultraviolet radiation and skin cancer
- Year: 2017-2019
- Role: Reviewer
- Funded by: World Health Organization and International Labour Office
Project: Evaluation of Prevention Strategies for Reducing the Future Risk of Cancer in the Ontario Construction Industry
- Year: 2016-2019
- Role: Co-investigator
Project: Scaling up small-scale food processing for therapeutic and complementary foods for children in Vietnam
- Year: 2015-2018
- Role: Co-investigator
- Funded by: Canadian International Food Security Research Fund; International Development Research Centre & Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada
Project: Sun at Work: A sun safety program initiative for outdoor workers (external link)
- Year: 2014-2016
- Role: Principal investigator
- Funded by: Canadian Partnership Against Cancer: Coalitions Linking Action and Science for Prevention 2 (CLASP2) competition
Project: Toronto Met/NCAT Course Redesign Project
- Year: 2014
- Role: Principal investigator
- Funded by: Toronto Metropolitan University
Project: Comprehensive applied research project to demonstrate the effectiveness of sun protection measures which influence high risk outdoor workers in Queensland to adopt sun safe behaviour practices
- Year: 2010-2013
- Role: Co-investigator
- Funded by: Population Health Queensland/Health Promotion Queensland
Project: Enhancing student engagement through focused mobile learning approaches
- Year: 2009-2011
- Role: Principal investigator
- Funded by: QUT Faculty Learning and Teaching Grant
- Usha George Faculty Recognition Award, 2020
- Dean’s Scholarly, Research and Creative Activity Award, 2019
- Certificate of Appreciation, Toronto Public Health (for service to the Research Ethics Board), 2019
- Special Project - National Winner (for Sun Safety at Work Canada), Canadian Society of Safety Engineering, 2018
- Public Education Award (Not-for Profit) (for Ontario Sun Safety Working Group), Canadian Dermatology Association, 2018
- Vice Chancellor’s Performance Award, Queensland University of Technology, 2007 and 2010
- Environmental Health Professional of the Year, Environmental Health Australia (Queensland Branch), 2007