Upcoming events

Switch to Calendar View

• The Ontario Public Health Convention 2023

  • Start
    27 Mar 2023
  •  
    9:00 AM
  • End
    30 Mar 2023
  •  
    5:00 PM
  • Location
    Hybrid Conference

  The Ontario Public Health Convention is created by and for public health professionals and will deliver workshops, presentations, and keynotes focused on the unique experiences, challenges and opportunities in public health today. TOPHC events offer a chance for public health professionals to learn from each other, get inspired, provoke thought and move forward to make a difference in their careers and communities.

  
  

  Register Here

  Show details
• AMMI Canada – CACMID Annual Conference

  • Start
    28 Mar 2023
  •  
    9:00 AM
  • End
    31 Mar 2023
  •  
    5:00 PM
  • Location
    In-Person Conference

  The AMMI Canada – CACMID Annual Conference provides an interactive venue where experts in the fields of diagnostic microbiology, antimicrobial stewardship, infectious diseases, infection prevention and control, and public health meet. The conference attracts attendees from across Canada and internationally. As in previous years, the 2023 conference will provide updates on a variety of topics to a diverse audience of clinicians, microbiologists, laboratory technologists, public health professionals, infection prevention and control practitioners, students and residents. 

  The pre-meeting Blood Operator One Health Session and Trainees’ Day will kick off the conference on Tuesday, March 28 with the Scientific Program taking place Wednesday, March 29 through to and including Friday, March 31.

  The conference will be in-person only at the Westin Harbour Castle in Toronto, Ontario. Toronto is a world-class city with great restaurants, cultural offerings in theatre, music and art, and many sports venues. 

  
  

  
  

  Register Here

  Show details
• Microbiome-​Environment interactions and the impact on health

  • When
    29 Mar 2023
  •  
    11:30 AM - 1:00 PM
  • Location
    Webinar

  The microbiome is the collection of all microbes, such as bacteria, fungi, viruses, and their genes, that naturally live on our bodies and inside us. Although microbes are so small that they require a microscope to see them, they contribute in big ways to human health and wellness. A person’s core microbiome is formed in the first years of life but can change over time in response to different factors including diet, medications, and environmental exposures. The Canadian Institutes of Health Research funded three projects to consider the interaction between the environment and the microbiome and its impact on human health. In this webinar, learn what this research has discovered and where the investigators plan to go next.

  About the Speakers:

  Jen Gommerman, PhD, is Professor and Canada Research Chair in Tissue-specific Immunity Department of Immunology, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto.

  Stuart Turvey, MBBS, DPhil, FRCPC is a Professor of Pediatrics at the University of British Columbia where he holds both the Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Pediatric Precision Health and the Aubrey J. Tingle Professorship in Pediatric Immunology.

  Dr. Alberto Martin is Professor of Immunology at the University of Toronto.

  
  

  Register Here

  Show details
• Webinar Series on Anti-Black Racism (Part 3) - Uprooting anti-Black racism: Strategies and approaches for public health

  • When
    29 Mar 2023
  •  
    1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
  • Location
    Webinar

  Webinar series on anti-Black racism and public health

  February - March 2023 | English, with closed captioning and simultaneous French interpretation

  This webinar series will take place in English with closed captioning and simultaneous French interpretation. 

  Black health: a key area for public health education and action

  Anti-Black racism is a specific form of racism, rooted in the colonial history and practice of enslavement, that continues to impact the lives of Black people, regardless of whether they have a specific lineage to the enslaved in Canada, or if they are recent comers to Canada. Policies and practices rooted in Canadian institutions such as, health care, education, and justice mirror and reinforce beliefs, attitudes, prejudice, stereotyping and/or discrimination towards people of African descent and lead to a lack of equitable access, opportunities and outcomes for Black people. 

  Recognizing the need for specialized public health education and action in this area, the NCCDH is partnering with the Black Health Education Collaborative, a community of scholars and practitioners committed to improving Black health through education and research. This partnership will offer the Canadian public health community an important capacity building opportunity in the form of a three-part interactive webinar series. In this series, participants will explore how anti-Black racism impacts health and identify concrete opportunities for public health action.  

  
  

  Part 3: Uprooting anti-Black racism: Strategies and approaches for public health.

  In part 3, we will provide opportunities to reflect on individual, community, organizational, and systemic approaches to anti-racist practice that specifically address anti-Black racism. 

  As a result of participating in this webinar, participants will  

  • Further amplify community voices and solutions to address anti-Black racism in public health 
  • Reflect on approaches to community relevant race-based data collection and use 
  • Identify interventions and policies to address anti-Black racism 

  
  

  Register Here

  
  

  
  

  Show details
• The Mental Health Series: What comes after resilience?

  • When
    29 Mar 2023
  •  
    6:00 PM - 7:00 PM
  • Location
    In-Person Event

  Join CAMH and the University of Toronto for the inaugural Mental Health Series, an annual community conversation about mental health inspired by the late Honourable Michael Wilson P.C., C.C. According to a recent CAMH survey, 59 per cent of Ontario students say they feel depressed about the future. Whether it’s climate anxiety, racial violence or the rising cost of living, one thing is clear; we’re tired of being resilient. So what can we do, as individuals and as a society, to move past resilience?

  The panel discussion will take place in the Great Hall at University of Toronto's Hart House from 6:00 – 7:00 p.m. followed by a reception in the Lower Gallery. Snacks and refreshments will be provided.

  Moderator: Amil Niazi is a writer and columnist at The Cut. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, The Guardian, The Washington Post and Macleans. She is the former showrunner of CBC's popular weekly podcast Pop Chat. You can find her on Twitter @amil.

  Panelist: Dr. Jo Henderson is Director of the Margaret and Wallace McCain Centre for Child, Youth & Family Mental Health at CAMH and Executive Director of Youth Wellness Hubs Ontario. They are also a Senior Scientist at CAMH and a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at U of T. Their work aims to improve access to high quality, integrated services for youth with substance use and/or mental health concerns and their families.

  Panelist: Dr. Kwame McKenzie is CEO of Wellesley Institute, a full Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto, Director of Health Equity at CAMH and a practicing psychiatrist. His expertise is the social causes of illness and the development of effective, equitable social policy and health services and systems.

  Panelist: Dr. Sean Kidd is a Clinical Psychologist, Senior Scientist, and the Division Chief of Psychology at CAMH and an Associate Professor in U of T’s Department of Psychiatry. His research focuses on youth homelessness, digital health, and climate change.

  Panelist: Asante Haughton is a mental health advocate devoted to changing the world. He has two TEDx talks, has won a national mental health award, provides platforms for supportive storytelling and co-founded the Reach Out Response Network, which led the advocacy to implement non-police mobile crisis teams as first responders to mental health calls in Toronto.

  
  

  
  

  Register Here

  Show details
• Creating system change through the adoption of Housing First principles and programs

  • When
    30 Mar 2023
  •  
    10:00 AM - 11:30 AM

  Join the next International Housing First webinar, hosted by the Canadian Housing First Network - Community of Interest and the Housing First Europe Hub. This is the second in the 2022-2023 International Webinar Series on Housing First!

  In this webinar, experts and practitioners from Canada, the United States and Europe will share their research, policies and practices on how to create system change through the implementation of Housing First principles and programs.

  By participating in this webinar, you will be exposed to perspectives from different countries and gain insights into effective strategies for implementing and scaling up Housing First programs.

  
  

  Register Here

  Show details
• Promising Practices That Support Retention of the Health Care Workforce in Northern, Rural and Remote Communities

  • When
    30 Mar 2023
  •  
    12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
  • Location
    Webinar

  There is a pressing need to support the health care workforce in order to strengthen and restore high-quality, safe health care for everyone in Canada. Providers who work in northern, rural and remote communities have unique challenges and associated support needs, related to factors such as fewer onsite team members; geographic remoteness and associated weather and travel challenges; access to fewer providers, specialists and facilities, and to less equipment; a broader scope of practice compared with their urban counterparts; and a patient population that is — on average — more complex compared with patient populations in urban centres. 

  In this webinar, presented by Healthcare Excellence Canada and the Canadian Institute for Health Information, you will have an opportunity to learn about and discuss

  • Promising practices that other communities have implemented to increase the retention of their health care workforce
  • Key success factors to embed community, staff and Indigenous partnerships into retention approaches
  • Practices that promote improved work–life balance and wellness, which contribute to retention of the health care workforce
  • Strategies that health care leaders are using to engage staff to develop solutions geared at retaining people in the health care workforce

  
  

  
  

  Register Here

  Show details
• CanPath: Building the Canadian Cancer Study within CanPath

  • When
    30 Mar 2023
  •  
    12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
  • Location
    Webinar

  *This webinar will be presented in English with slides available in French.
  *Ce webinaire sera présenté en anglais avec des diapositives disponibles en français (français suit).
  
  Join us for a webinar presented by Kimberly Skead, doctoral candidate at the University of Toronto and National Scientific Coordinator at CanPath.
  
  Come learn about progress towards building the Canadian Cancer Study, and how CanPath data and biologics, coupled with linked clinical outcomes can be used to identify biological signatures associated with increased cancer risk and, subsequently, develop novel early diagnostic tools able to identify cancer years prior to clinical onset.
  
  
  
  Joignez-vous à nous pour un webinaire présenté par Kimberly Skead, candidate au doctorat à l’Université de Toronto et coordonnatrice scientifique nationale à CanPath.
  
  Assistez au webinaire pour en savoir plus sur les progrès réalisés dans l’élaboration de l’Étude canadienne sur le cancer et sur la manière dont les données et les produits biologiques de CanPath, combinés aux résultats cliniques, peuvent être utilisés pour identifier les signatures biologiques liées à un risque accru de cancer et, subséquemment, développer de nouveaux outils de diagnostic précoce capables de détecter le cancer des années avant l'apparition des symptômes cliniques.
  

  
  

  
  

  Register Here

  Show details
• Building bridges: community work, clinical services and research with people experiencing homelessness

  • When
    30 Mar 2023
  •  
    12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
  • Location
    Webinar

  Join us for the Upstream Lab Speaker Series launch! Our first episode features an insightful conversation between a community advisor and a family physician, delving into stories and realities of engaging with people experiencing homelessness.

  Meet the speakers:

  Mathieu Isabel is a PhD student under the supervision of Dr. Andrew Pinto at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health. He is also a practicing family physician and an Assistant Clinical Professor at the Université de Montréal Department of Family and Emergency Medicine. He is part of a community clinic delivering care to people experiencing homelessness.

  Alexander Zsager is a researcher, consultant and advisor for over 20 years with organizations such as the Mental Health Commission of Canada, St. Michael’s Hospital, Ontario Health Team, Homeless Connect Toronto and many others. “As a person with lived experience, I am also passionate about the issue of housing and homelessness… Collaborating with the Upstream Lab has given me valuable learning opportunity in research.” — Alexander

  Tune in to learn
  – How to build effective research partnerships and clinical approaches with people experiencing homelessness
  – What are the key considerations when engaging with people experiencing homelessness in research and clinical work

  About Us
  The Upstream Lab is a non-profit research lab based at MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions, St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto. We are dedicated to improving health and well-being of the population through addressing issues related to social determinants of health.

  
  

  
  

  Register Here

  Show details
• Public health practices to support psychosocial and mental health response and recovery post-flooding

  • When
    30 Mar 2023
  •  
    3:00 PM - 4:00 PM
  • Location
    Webinar

  Floods have a significant and long-term impact on community mental health and psychosocial well-being. Post-flooding psychosocial and mental health recovery requires public health disaster responders to work alongside affected communities. During this webinar, Maxine Myre and Nicole Glenn from PolicyWise for Children & Families will present an overview of the experiences, challenges, and priorities of post-flooding community recovery, as well as describe public health practices that can be adapted and applied to communities across Canada. Then, they will facilitate a panel discussion with Canadian experts about how the recommended practices are relevant and can be adapted to different contexts. Panelist will include professionals in government and non-profit leadership working in disaster psychosocial and mental health recovery and response.

  PolicyWise for Children and Families is an Alberta-based not-for-profit, charitable organization. We have 20 years’ experience mobilizing knowledge to shape policies, practices, and services in ways that benefit children, youth, families, and communities. During this time, PolicyWise has developed and implemented complex, collaborative projects in partnership with all levels of government, nonprofit organizations, community, and private sector organizations. Central to our approach is consideration of the structural barriers that marginalized groups face and the actions that can be taken to alleviate those conditions so that everyone has an opportunity to thrive.

  Maxine Myre, PhD, is a Senior Research and Policy Associate with PolicyWise. She leads several projects related to child, family, and community well-being with a focus on community engagement, knowledge mobilization, and health equity.

  Nicole Glenn, PhD, is a Research & Policy Manager with PolicyWise where she stewards knowledge mobilization and community-engaged applied public health and social sector research and evaluation. She brings a critical equity lens to all her work.

  
  

  Register Here

  
  

  Show details
• Clinical Application of the Long-Term Care Fracture Prevention Recommendations for Frail Older Adults

  • When
    31 Mar 2023
  •  
    12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
  • Location
    Webinar

  Long-term care (LTC) residents are more dependent, frail and vulnerable, and require more complex care than community-dwelling older adults. Yet many interventions intended to reduce fracture risk are not used consistently in LTC, and clinical practice guidelines for osteoporosis have focused on the care of adults living in the community.

  This program aims to address existing care gaps by illustrating the application of pharmacological and non-pharmacological fracture prevention recommendations with frail older adults in LTC.

  After active engagement in this program, participants will be better able to:

  1. Assess fracture risk using Fracture Risk Scale
  2. Apply evidence-based recommendations for fracture prevention in LTC
  3. Recognize challenges and barriers to implement the recommendations and use enablers

  
  

  
  

  Register Here

  Show details
• Heat Vulnerability in a Changing Climate

  • When
    31 Mar 2023
  •  
    12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
  • Location
    Webinar

  As the climate warms, exposure to extreme heat is expected to increase. This presentation will review the evidence for increases in the frequency and intensity of heat waves globally and in Toronto, and explore the ways in which increasing exposure to heat intersects with socio-economics and the built environment to contribute to spatial variability in heat vulnerability within urban areas. Understanding the distribution of heat vulnerability across a city can assist with public health planning and prioritization of heat mitigation strategies.

  L earning objectives:

  At the end of this seminar attendees will be able to:

  • Describe past and expected future changes in heat exposure in Toronto
  • Discuss how socio-economics determine the sensitivity to and ability to adapt to heat exposure and contribute to overall heat vulnerability
  • Describe the spatial pattern of heat vulnerability across Toronto
  • Discuss/critique the utility of heat vulnerability maps for public health planning

  Presenter: Dr. Karen Smith

  Karen Smith (she/her) is an Assistant Professor, Teaching-Stream in the Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences at the University of Toronto Scarborough and the Director of the Master of Environmental Science Program in Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation. Her research focuses on climate and atmospheric variability of the mid-latitude and polar regions.

  She is passionate about promoting climate science literacy: she serves as Chair of the School and Public Education Committee of the Canadian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society and also co-hosts a podcast about climate change and conservation called Emerging Environments.

  The Occupational and Environmental Health Seminar Series is a self-approved group learning activity (Section 1) as defined by the Maintenance of Certification program of The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. The series is also approved by Council of Professional Experience for professional development hours (PDHs) for members of the Canadian Institute of Public Health Inspectors (CIPHI), and by the Canadian Registration Board of Occupational Hygienists (CRBOH) for Registration Maintenance (RM) points. For more information, please contact Victoria Arrandale (victoria.arrandale@utoronto.ca).

  ***Please note: This event is online only. ***

  
  

  
  

  Register Here

  Show details
• Engage my brain, not my eye: the non-negotiables in visual communication of data and concepts - a graphic design workshop

  • When
    31 Mar 2023
  •  
    3:00 PM - 4:00 PM
  • Location
    Webinar

  Most people can agree that written communication should be clear, concise, free of grammatical and spelling errors and have the audience in mind. To achieve this, we spend time exploring style manuals and painstakingly editing manuscripts. So, if a picture is "worth a thousand words", why not spend as much time refining graphics?
  
  In this workshop, Martin Krzywinski, data scientist and visualization artist, will explore what makes a good visual explanation: theme, continuity, clarity and a simple style.
  
  Using audience submissions and other examples, Martin will walk through a step-by-step process for redesigning visuals and highlight practical guidelines in this process.
  
  "Our goal," says Martin, "will be to consider function above form and dispel the charms of visual garnish."
  
  Information on submitting files for this workshop:
  For this workshop, the approach is critique by redesign: Martin will use the graphics and scientific figures submitted as case studies.
  
  Submissions will be made public. Please do not send anything that may be considered confidential.
  
  A note on submissions:
  • All submissions must be received no later than midnight on Sunday, March 19, 2023, for a chance to be reviewed.
  
  • Scientific or research-based figures, posters, slides and other graphics or visual materials will be accepted.
  
  • Submit your work via Dropbox (copy and paste the link): https://www.dropbox.com/request/W74B9R4df0NjQSM2z4jc
  
  • PDF/Adobe Illustrator or any other line art format is preferred, but you can submit whatever you have.
  
  After this webinar, participants will be able to:
  o Understand the components of a good visual explanation: context, message, emphasis.
  o Apply key design principles to create good visual explanations: function leading to form, continuity, theme.
  o Identify and remove unhelpful graphics and visual elements.
  
  Please feel free to share any questions/topics you would like us to cover during this session via email (KT@healthresearchbc.ca).

  
  

  
  

  Register Here

  Show details
• Environments and Health Webinar: Child Health

  • When
    03 Apr 2023
  •  
    2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
  • Location
    Webinar

  Children’s health is particularly sensitive to the environment. What they are exposed to during early years can have a significant impact on their healthy development. To better understand these health pathways and how to improve children’s health outcomes, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research funded three research projects considering different aspects of child health: obesity, IBD and asthma & COPD. In this webinar, learn what the researchers discovered through their project and what they plan to do next.

  About the Projects

  The Developmental Origins of Pediatric Obesity and Obesity-Related Complications

  This translational project studies clinical populations of pregnant mothers, their children and parallel rodent model systems in order to determine how early life environmental exposures (e.g.- maternal diets, high blood sugars etc.) affect the genes of the children to influence their risk for obesity. We will also determine whether altering the early life environment (e.g.- through diet etc.) modifies disease risk factors in children most susceptible for obesity. The identification of new early life biomarkers of disease could prevent the extensive health and financial burden of obesity.

  Gene and environment effects on lung health and risk for chronic respiratory disease, asthma & COPD

  This project studies a group of babies that have been followed since birth, whose families have filled out lots of questions about what they eat, breathe and how often they get sick. These kids and their families have also done breathing tests that measure how well their lungs are doing. From studying all of this information, we believe we can discover what things each person can do to improve their lungs and prevent them from getting chronic breathing problems, making Canada the healthiest place to live.

  The diet-microbiota-gut axis in pediatric IBD

  This research program investigates the complex interactions among diet, the gut microbiota, and the host. It provides information that may be essential for personalized dietary and microbiota changes required to keep people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in remission. It is well accepted that the gut microbiota plays a crucial role in the digestion of food, particularly plant-derived starches, and the production metabolites essential for human health. The primary objective of the proposed research is to investigate the complex tripartite interactions between the diet, the gut microbiota, and the host. Additionally, this study aims to characterize the role of microbial food-derived metabolites in pediatric IBD. This study will generate the information necessary for developing methods to improve bacterial activities in our intestine as treatment for IBD patients. This research will have important implications for the quality of life of people with IBD everywhere.

  
  

  
  

  Register Here

  Show details
• HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is effective but underused: A call to action

  • When
    05 Apr 2023
  •  
    12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
  • Location
    Webinar

  IUSTI Canada Webinar Series | Série de webinaires de l’UIITS Canada
  
  Webinar objectives:
  1. Review effectiveness evidence for Pre-Exposure prophylaxis;
  2. Compare Pre-Exposure prophylaxis regimens;
  3. Gain comfort prescribing PrEP to those who can benefit from it.

  
  

  Register Here

  Show details
• Environments and Health Webinar: Agri-​Food, the Food-​Water Nexus and Health

  • When
    05 Apr 2023
  •  
    1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
  • Location
    Webinar

  A changing climate will affect food through a range of effects on agriculture, livestock, water systems, and wildlife, which have implications for food security, foodborne disease, and malnutrition. For example, population growth, loss of environmental services and climate change are forcing communities to explore opportunities that treat municipal wastewater to allow its safe return for community uses or harvest rain/stormwater for various non-drinking water uses (all referred to here as wastewater reuse). As part of our everyday lives we are exposed to a wide variety of chemicals derived from consumer products, such as foam, electronic equipment and plastics, that enter our food and drinking water. Most of these chemicals are present at very low concentrations. The Canadian Institutes of Health Research funded three projects to consider the impact of the environment on agri-food, the food-water nexus and health. In this webinar, learn what the researchers discovered and what they plan to do next.

  About the Speakers

  Norman Neumann is a Professor in the School of Public Health at the University of Alberta. His research program focuses on development of novel approaches and tools for detecting, tracking and assessing human health risks associated with biological hazards in the environment (viruses, bacteria, protozoans, prions).

  Barbara Hales is a James McGill Professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics at McGill University.

  Sherilee Harper is a Canada Research Chair in Climate Change and Health and an Associate Professor in the School of Public Health at the University of Alberta.

  
  

  
  

  Register Here

  
  

  Show details
• Commercial Determinants of Health and Policymaking: Bridging the Gap

  • When
    06 Apr 2023
  •  
    12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
  • Location
    Webinar

  * **THIS SEMINAR WILL TAKE PLACE ONLINE AND THE LINK WILL BE SHARED TWO HOURS BEFORE THE START OF THE SEMINAR***

  This series is co-hosted by the Centre for Global Health, Dalla Lana School of Public Health and the Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing at the University of Toronto.

  OVERVIEW

  The commercial determinants of health (CDOH) has emerged as a unifying concept bringing together a growing number of researchers studying a broad range of public health concerns. These include substance use (e.g. tobacco, alcohol, prescription drugs, cannabis), unhealthy products (e.g. sugary drinks, ultra highly processed foods), and other major human health risks (e.g. road traffic accidents, gun violence, air quality and extractive industries, deforestation and zoonotic diseases, agriculture sector and antimicrobial resistance). The rapidly growing evidence on the links between the CDOH and health outcomes has gained the attention of practitioners and advocacy groups. Opportunities for deeper and lasting change, however, require closer engagement with policy makers who are responsible for shaping priorities, creating regulatory frameworks, and allocating public resources for the benefit of societies. This brief talk focuses on lessons for effective engagement with policy makers on the CDOH drawn from experiences at the global, national and local levels.

  B IOS

  Kelley Lee is Professor and Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Global Health Governance in the Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University. She is also Scientific Co-Director of the Pacific Institute on Pathogens, Pandemics and Society (PIPPS). She was previously Professor of Global Health Policy at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine where she co-directed the WHO Collaborating Centre on Global Change and Health. Her research focuses on strengthening collective action to mitigate crossborder health risks. She previously led the Global Tobacco Control Research Programme at LSHTM and SFU which secured and conducted detailed analyses of internal tobacco industry documents. She continues to study the commercial determinants of health including serving on the Editorial Board for the WHO Global Report. She currently heads the Pandemics and Borders Project which analyses the use of travel measures during the COVID-19 pandemic. She is a Fellow of the UK Faculty of Public Health, Canadian Academy of Health Sciences, and Royal Society of Canada. She has published 15 books, 200+ papers and 60+ book chapters including the Oxford Handbook of Global Health Politics (edited with Colin McInnes and Jeremy Youde, 2020).

  Daniel Eisenkraft Klein  is a PhD Candidate at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health and a Fellow at the Canadian Centre for Health Economics, funded by a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Doctoral Fellowship. His primary research agenda explores how the tobacco and pharmaceutical industries influence policy stakeholders to provide favourable regulatory environments. Daniel is also a Sessional Instructor at Simon Fraser University on the commercial determinants of health, and serves as an Expert Consultant for Johns Hopkins University’s Opioid Industry Documents Archive.

  MODERATOR

  Quinn Grundy is a registered nurse and Assistant Professor with the Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing at the University of Toronto and a Fellow with the WHO Collaborating Centre on Governance, Accountability, and Transparency in the Pharmaceutical Sector. Dr. Grundy’s research explores the interactions between medically-related industry and the public health system. Dr Grundy is the author of Infiltrating Healthcare: How Marketing Works Underground to Influence Nurses (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2018) which details the first in-depth study of the ways that registered nurses interact with pharmaceutical and medical device company representatives.

  
  

  Register Here

  Show details
• “Breast is Best” to “Fed is Best”: A trauma and violence-informed approach to caring for, and supporting women and families with infant feeding

  • When
    12 Apr 2023
  •  
    9:30 AM - 10:30 AM
  • Location
    Webinar

  The narrative of “breast is best” may have played a part in improved breastfeeding rates, and for some, a more empowered and normalized breastfeeding experience. The flipside of this movement is that it places pressure on women to breastfeed, and sometimes resultant shame when alternative methods of infant feeding are utilized. There are numerous, often intersecting barriers to breastfeeding, such as poverty, violence, and other experiences of trauma. Women experiencing challenging life circumstances may face more stigma, further marginalizing those who are already vulnerable. Adopting a trauma-and violence- informed care (TVIC) “fed is best” approach can play an integral role in supporting postpartum mothers and families while achieving the best health and wellness outcomes for mother and baby. This webinar will describe how public health nurses and other community-based professionals can integrate a TVIC approach when interacting with, and supporting women and families in their choices around infant feeding.
  
  Intended audience: Public health nurses, supervisors; family home visitors and supervisors (clinical, Healthy Babies Healthy Children, Nurse-Family Partnership); any community-based professionals working with pregnant people or families with infants
  
  By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

  • Identify the importance of a TVIC approach in providing support to postpartum women and families
  • Apply the principles of TVIC when interacting with and supporting women and families in their choices of infant feeding
  • Understand where to obtain TVIC resources for public health nurses and community-based professionals

  Presenter(s): Kimberley T. Jackson and Tara Mantler

  Kimberley T. Jackson, RN, PhD, Assistant Professor, Arthur Labatt Family School of Nursing, Western University, Co-Lead -Women’s Health Matters. Dr. Jackson’s program of research is focused on improving health outcomes for women and their children, with a particular focus on nursing care in the antenatal, intrapartum, and postpartum periods to provide trauma-and violence-informed approaches to assess and address breastfeeding and perinatal pain, and mental health.
  
  Tara Mantler, PhD, Assistant Professor, School of Health Studies, Western University. Co-Lead-Women’s Health Matters. Dr. Mantler’s program of research centres around health equity research, specializing in gender-based violence, women’s health and the adoption and integration of trauma-and violence-informed care principles in practice and policy.

  Disclaimer

  The opinions expressed by speakers and moderators do not necessarily reflect the official policies or views of Public Health Ontario, nor does the mention of trade names, commercial practices, or organizations imply endorsement by Public Health Ontario.

  Accessibility

  Public Health Ontario is committed to complying with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). If you require accommodations to participate in this event, please contact 647-260-7100 or capacitybuilding@oahpp.ca.

  See all events

  
  

  
  

  Register Here

  Show details
• Family Presence in Hospitals and Long-Term Care: Learning from COVID-19 Experiences

  • When
    18 Apr 2023
  •  
    1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
  • Location
    Webinar

  During the COVID-19 pandemic, many health care settings, including hospitals and long term care communities, limited or restricted visitors to control the spread of the virus. These new policies or guidelines greatly impacted family members and care partners who are closely involved in the care of patients or residents. They could not be with their loved ones.
   
  To better understand how these policies affected patients, residents, and their families as well as clinicians and staff, IPFCC conducted two PCORI-funded projects – one focused on the hospital setting, the other on long-term care. Both projects structured ways to learn directly from patients, residents, and families about their real-life experiences during the pandemic. We elicited themes and topics about family presence to help guide health care and research in the future. Several themes and topics were common across the two projects and, thus, are especially important.
   
  Join us to hear about the two projects and the common themes, and to discuss ways that they can be used to help shape the future.
  

  
  

  
  

  Register Here

  Show details
• Queerying Health Research: Undoing Suicidism

  • When
    19 Apr 2023
  •  
    12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
  • Location
    Webinar

  Undoing Suicidism: Queering, Transing, Cripping and Maddening (Assisted) Suicide

  In this presentation, I argue that suicidal people are oppressed by structural suicidism. Suicidism and its preventionist script reproduce violence and cause additional harm and death through forms of incarceration, discrimination, stigmatization and pathologization. This is particularly true for marginalized groups, such as trans people living at the intersection of multiple oppressions. I show how the preventionist logic represents “cruel optimism” because the help offered often increases the structural violence experienced, such as cisgenderism. I therefore question the idea that the best way to help suicidal people is through prevention. I put forth the argument that supporting assisted suicide for suicidal people could more effectively prevent unnecessary deaths. Drawing on trans-affirmative approaches and on the theoretical tools from queer, crip and Mad studies, I propose a suicide-affirmative approach that allows for genuine accompaniment of suicidal individuals. By offering a new queercrip model of (assisted) suicide, I invite us to imagine what could happen if we started thinking about (assisted) suicide from an anti-suicidist and intersectional framework.

  Alexandre Baril is Associate Professor at the University of Ottawa. His work is situated at the crossroads of gender, queer, trans, disability/crip/Mad studies, critical gerontology and critical suicidology. His forthcoming book (spring 2023) is entitled Undoing Suicidism: A Trans, Queer, Crip Approach to Rethinking (Assisted) Suicide. His commitment to equity has earned him awards for his involvement in queer, trans and disabled communities, including the Canadian Disability Studies Association Tanis Doe Francophone Award (2020), and the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion President’s Award at the University of Ottawa (2021). A prolific author, he has over 75 publications and has given over 185 presentations at the international level.

  
  

  
  

  
  

  Register Here

  Show details
• 2023 Canadian Immunization Conference

  • Start
    25 Apr 2023
  •  
    9:00 AM
  • End
    27 Apr 2023
  •  
    5:00 PM
  • Location
    In-Person Conference

  The 2023 Canadian Immunization Conference will facilitate knowledge sharing as thought-provoking speakers present content developed to inspire and challenge participants. 

  Registration offers participants access to over 30 sessions and associated content, the opportunity to connect with speakers and engage with participants. 

  Early-bird rates available until Thursday 9 March 2023

  COVID-19 VACCINATIONS
  In order to provide a safe meeting place, all persons participating in the 2023 Canadian Immunization Conference must provide proof of vaccination status in order to receive their conference materials.
  
  Acceptable proof of vaccination status is a physical or digital vaccination receipt issued by a provincial or territorial government along with government-issued photo ID.
  
  Failure to provide acceptable proof of vaccination status will result in a denial of access to the conference and the forfeiture of all registration fees. The Conference Secretariat will not be responsible for any ancillary expenses related to someone being denied access to the conference.

  
  

  
  

  Register Here

  Show details
• A Guidebook for Social Media Crisis Communication

  • When
    25 Apr 2023
  •  
    1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
  • Location
    Webinar

  High levels of uncertainty result from emerging infectious diseases like COVID-19, creating unique communication challenges that are different from other health communication initiatives. Effective crisis communication is essential to promote the recommended prevention behaviors (e.g., physical distancing, hand hygiene, mask-wearing, and vaccination) and to maintain trust during the crisis. The Guidebook for Social Media Crisis Communication has been widely shared and downloaded, providing practical advice for public health. This session will provide an overview of best practices for social media crisis communication for public health and its practical application during COVID-19. First, the best practices for effective crisis communication to demonstrate trustworthiness will be presented. Next, Ottawa Public Health’s social media crisis communication during COVID-19 will be explored to highlight the lessons learned and key strategies the team employs. Ottawa Public Health’s Twitter account is the most-followed local public health account in North America, and their social media work throughout the COVID-19 pandemic has been lauded for its excellence by organizations like the Public Health Agency of Canada, the World Health Organization, the Rockefeller Foundation and many others.

  
  

  
  

  Register Here

  Show details
• OCFP: Helpful approaches to eating disorders

  • When
    26 Apr 2023
  •  
    7:55 AM - 9:00 AM
  • Location
    Webinar

  Family doctors are often the first contact patients may have with the health care system and a missed diagnosis could lead to comorbidities. Join our session to learn tips to recognize and address a potential eating disorder with a patient. We’ll also share ideas on how to help patients feel comfortable talking about an eating disorder.

  Panelists:

  • Dr. Marina Abdel Malak (Mississauga, ON)
  • Dr. Deema Abdul Hadi (Mississauga, ON)
  • Dr. Karen Trollope-Kumar (Hamilton, ON)

  
  

  
  

  Register Here

  Show details
• PHPC CPD Symposium 2023

  • When
    27 Apr 2023
  •  
    8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
  • Location
    Sheraton Hotel Laval

  Register

  PHPC CPD Symposium 2023
  

  Date: April 27, 2023
  Time: 8:00am - 5:00pm
  Location: Sheraton Hotel Laval (2440 A. des Laurentides, Laval, QC)

  Please save the date for the 2023 PHPC Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Symposium. We are delighted to announce the return of this in-person event on April 27, 2023.
  

  Fore more information, please visit the PHPC CPD Symposium 2023 webpage.  

  The PHPC Research, Education & Practice (REP) Rounds is a self-approved group learning activity (Section 1) as defined by the Maintenance of Certification Program of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.

  Series Learning Objectives:
  After this session participants will be able to:
  

  • Identify and discuss current and emerging public health issues from a public health physician perspective.
  • Explore the role of public health physicians in implementing innovative approaches in response to these issues.
  • Identify key resources for future reference and continued learning.

  Show details
• Corruption During COVID-19: Looking Backward and Forward

  • Start
    08 May 2023
  •  
    8:30 AM
  • End
    09 May 2023
  •  
    5:00 PM
  • Location
    Webinar

  * **Tickets for this in person workshop are limited, we ask your presence for both days if you are planning on registering***

  This event is co-hosted by the WHO Collaborating Center for Governance, Accountability and Transparency in the Pharmaceutical Sector along with the Centre for Global Health in the University of Toronto. This event is sponsored by the Connaught Global Challenge. The event will be organized in person and tickets are limited so please make sure you are able to attend if you are signing up.

  Background

  This two-day workshop will focus on lessons learned and forgotten about managing corruption risks during the COVID-19 pandemic. It will also focus on how anti-corruption, transparency and accountability mechanisms are essential to prevent corruption risks during public health emergencies.

  Who Should Attend?

  We welcome participants who are students, researchers and policy makers

  Goal

  To foster interdisciplinary discussion and debate and share knowledge with target audiences (students, researchers, and global health policy makers) on corruption risks in public health emergencies as well as anti-corruption, transparency, and accountability (ACTA) mechanisms to address them.

  This workshop will:

  • Discuss corruption risks during public health emergencies and their impact on health equity, particularly for the most marginalized populations

  • Identify how the COVID-19 pandemic amplified corruption risks in the health system

  • Highlight lessons learned and lessons forgotten about how to address corruption risks in public health emergencies

  • Discuss the roles and risks of involving for-profit companies in development and delivery of vaccines, diagnostics and treatments for COVID-19

  Agenda

  The agenda will be shared with participants closer to the date of the event however some of the topics will deal with corruption risks associated with procurement, health worker recruitment, whistleblowing systems, international misconduct and more.

  Speakers include (more to confirmed and announced)

  Jillian Kohler, Professor, Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy and Director, WHO Collaborating Centre for Governance, Transparency & Accountability in the Pharmaceutical SectorUniversity of Toronto

  Erica Di Ruggiero, Associate Prof. of Global Health & Director, Centre for Global Health, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto

  Daniela Cepeda, Health Adviser, U4 Anti-Corruption Resource Centre

  Jonathan Cushing, Programme Director, Transparency International

  Mostafa Hunter, Founder and President, Health Governance International, USA

  Obinna Onwujekwe, Professor, Health Economics and Policy and Pharmacoeconomics in the Departments of Health Administration & Management and Pharmacology and Therapeutics, College of Medicine, University of Nigeria.

  
  

  
  

  Register Here

  Show details
• Way Forward: Advancing Health Equity Through Data

  • When
    11 May 2023
  •  
    9:30 AM - 3:30 PM
  • Location
    Virtual Event

  This year’s ICES Research Forum will take place on May 11, 2023. We have exciting plenaries this year, exploring the role of data in driving a more equitable healthcare system.

  The program combines notable speakers, moderated discussions, and insightful panels and offers many opportunities to connect. In previous years, we’ve had the honor of having the Minister of Health open our forum. We’re thrilled to welcome Dr. Kate Mulligan as our keynote speaker this year. Dr. Mulligan is the senior director of the Canadian Institute for Social Prescribing and a leading thinker on health equity.

  Join critical discussions on using data and analytics to enable pragmatic solutions and innovations to advance health equity and improve the lives of Ontarians. You will have the opportunity to network with over 700 attendees, including researchers, policymakers, and decision-makers from various provincial and federal health system organizations and ministries.

  We hope you can join us!

  The ICES Research Forum is made possible through the support of our core funder, Ontario’s Ministry of Health, as well as the Ontario SPOR Support Unit.

  
  

  
  

  Register Here

  Show details
• Optimal outcomes: How to navigate difficult interactions

  • When
    24 May 2023
  •  
    8:00 AM - 9:00 AM
  • Location
    Webinar

  Do you find yourself experiencing difficult interactions with patients, other physicians or allied health providers? Challenging conversations in the workplace can leave us feeling isolated and burned out. Join our session as we share personal experiences in navigating difficult interactions, provide insights into what we’ve learned and tips for managing these situations, including when and how to terminate the physician-patient relationship.

  Panelists

  • Dr. Joan Chan (Guelph, ON)
  • Dr. Claudia Hubbes (Ottawa, ON)
  • Dr. James Goertzen (Thunder Bay, ON)

  
  

  
  

  Register Here

  Show details
• Save the Date - Connected Communities: Building Equitable Integrated Healthcare

  • Start
    07 Jun 2023
  •  
    9:00 AM
  • End
    08 Jun 2023
  •  
    5:00 PM
  • Location
    In-Person Conference

  The Alliance's comprehensive primary health care conference Connected Communities is here!

  As Ontario continues to transform its health system, health equity and community health and wellbeing must be front of mind. With health systems in crisis in Canada and around the world, governments and policymakers are urgently searching for solutions and sustainable models that can meet the needs of their populations while promoting equitable health and wellbeing. Continuing to constantly work in crisis and emergency mode simply isn’t an option. The question is: How do we build an integrated care system that can help prevent illness and avoid crises, reduce strain on the health system, while building up programs, organizations and networks that support people to be well, stay well, and live well in their communities?

  This conference will be an opportunity to imagine and learn about what an integrated health system built around health equity and community can look like, and the steps needed to get there in the context of Ontario Health Teams. We cordially invite you to join us in person for Connected Communities: Building Equitable Integrated Healthcare. This Primary Health Care Conference will focus on ways to centre community voices and needs, and how to build foundations on comprehensive primary health care, health promotion, chronic disease prevention and management, and actively addressing the determinants of health (housing, income, food security, etc.). Health disparities in resources and access to care disproportionately affect marginalized people and communities, especially Black and racialized populations; Indigenous people; Francophone communities; people who identify as 2SLGBTQ+; people living on low incomes; and people living in rural, remote and Northern communities, among others. By designing an integrated health system that is centered in community and the needs of marginalized populations, we will create a health system that better serves everyone living in Ontario.

  At the Connected Communities conference, we will focus on community-led innovation and solutions tapping into new research results and evidence-informed practices that are demonstrating how integrated care systems that focus on health equity and community are improving population health outcomes.

  
  

  For More Information: https://www.allianceon.org/conference2023

  Show details
• World Non-Communicable Diseases Congress 2023 Equitable and Sustainable Health For All

  • Start
    25 Jun 2023
  •  
    9:00 AM
  • End
    30 Jun 2023
  •  
    5:00 PM
  • Location
    Hybrid Conference (Toronto, Ontario)

  The congress will address six sub-themes/tracts:

  1. Reducing inequalities in the prevalence, risk factors and conditions, diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation or management of NCDs across socio-economic status, cultures, races, geographic regions, genders, sexual identities, abilities and special needs. 
  2. Identifying and responding to the impact of climate change and environmental degradation, human migration and displacement on NCD risk, prevention, detection, diagnosis, treatment, management rehabilitation, governance or health care system organization. 
  3. Understanding the determinants, or efforts to prevent, detect, diagnose, treat or manage NCDs that may change across the human lifespan. 
  4. Identifying and implementing multi-morbidity, multi-disciplinary and/or cross geographic solutions by working and sharing methods, data, technologies, knowledge, perspectives, practices and policies. 
  5. New research, perspectives, theories, policies, technologies (Artificial Intelligence, Machine Language (AI/ML), Big Data, and telemedicine), or practices which may enhance our ability to better address the etiology/determinants, detection, diagnosis, treatment, and/or management of NCDs.
  6. Improving governance, health system organization, multi-lateral collaboration and knowledge exchange to reduce the global, regional, national or local impact of NCDs. .

  Congress Format:

  The third World NCD Congress will be a hybrid format, with in-person and virtual participation. Over 1,000 oral and poster abstracts are expected to be presented. All oral presentations will be made in person, with poster presenters having the option of presenting their work in person or virtually. All plenary sessions, and a selection of concurrent sessions, will be streamed live on the Congress Online Platform. All in-person and virtual presentations will be recorded and made available for on-demand viewing on the Online Platform following the Congress.

  
  

  
  

  
  

  Register Here

  Show details
• Breaking bad: Strategies and tips to decrease nicotine use

  • When
    28 Jun 2023
  •  
    8:00 AM - 9:00 AM
  • Location
    Webinar

  Smoking can cause serious health issues and is the leading cause of death among substance use disorders. Connect with your fellow family doctors as we share personal experiences with managing patients who smoke. We’ll discuss motivational interviewing, provide an overview of treatment options and share available referral pathways that can support a patient.

  Panelists

  • Dr. Monica Gad (Toronto, ON)
  • Dr. Osnat Melamed (Toronto, ON)
  • Dr. Peter Selby (Toronto, ON)

  
  

  
  

  Register Here

  Show details