Understanding How Race and Ethnicity Affect Money Loss After Work Injuries
Official title: Explaining Variation in the Economic Consequences of Injury
Funded at Rand Corporation · NIH-11397910 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at whether racial and ethnic differences influence how much money people lose after workplace injuries.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Rand Corporation NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Santa Monica, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2023 |
| Project end | August 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $625,696 |
| NIH project number | 5R01OH012578-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11397910 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults in the workforce in California who have experienced a workplace injury and whose earnings and workers’ compensation data are represented in the linked dataset.
✕Less likely to help
Results may not directly change care, and individuals with very minor injuries or those outside California may see limited immediate benefit.
What this research studies
Researchers will use a large California database of workers’ compensation claims linked to earnings and apply a validated method to estimate race and ethnicity. By comparing workers with minor injuries to those with more serious, time-off injuries, the study aims to reveal differences in post-injury employment, earnings, and benefits. The work uses observational data and advanced statistical techniques to uncover disparities in economic consequences tied to race and ethnicity. Findings could highlight where policies and support are most needed to reduce financial hardship after injury.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the study could help policymakers and employers target protections to reduce racial and ethnic disparities in financial losses after workplace injuries.
How similar studies have gone: Previous methods have used similar imputation techniques to study disparities, making this a plausible and potentially impactful extension.
Where this research is happening
-
Rand Corporation
Santa Monica, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Dworsky, Michael — Rand Corporation
- Study coordinator: Dworsky, Michael
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.