Seminars
Photo contributed by Alexis Kane Speer |
After nearly 5 years of great Spotlight on Urban Health events, we have decided to discontinue this series and support an increased number of RIG-sponsored seminars and workshops. Please see individual RIG pages for news on exciting upcoming events or better yet, join our listserv! |
Past "Spotlight on Urban Health" Seminars
Monday March 2nd, 2009
Panel Discussion on: Good Governance for Local Environment and Health Decision-Making: Insights from Two Case Communities
David Noble, 2DegreesC
Discussants: Dr. David Mowat, Peel Health and Peter MacLeod, MASS LBP
Summary:
This will be an interactive seminar focused on governance for local environment and health decision-making. David Noble will present insights on the governance context in two case communities - Owen Sound, ON and Saskatoon, SK. Discussants will respond with a critique of governance in urban health practice.
David Noble and Cory Neudorf (Saskatoon Health Region) were funded by CUHI for their work on the project entitled “Bridging the gap: Good governance for local environment and health decision-making”. Public Health has an important role in ensuring that municipalities account for public health implications in their decision-making. However, there is no systematic way to ensure public health is considered in municipal decision-making. This is true in respect to many health issues, but especially in the case of policy decisions that have environmental impacts. This project examined the institutional context for environment and health decision-making at the local level, including the challenges to effective public health participation in decision-making, and means and practices for improving public health engagement. The results are widely relevant, since nearly all public health systems face this challenge.
David Noble is the founder and principal of 2degreesC. He is a consultant, researcher, writer, speaker and activist.
David Mowat is the Medical Officer of Health in the Region of Peel, and formerly Deputy Chief Public Health Officer with the Public Health Agency of Canada.
Peter MacLeod is the principal and co-founder of MASS LBP, and a fellow at the Centre for the Study of Democracy at Queen’s University
Location: University College, Room 163, 15 King’s College Circle, University of Toronto St. George Campus
Good Governance Presentation Slides
November 20, 2008
Presentation Title: What about the guys? Young men's invisibility in sexual risk and sexual health research
**Co-sponsored by the LaMarsh Centre for Research on Violence and Conflict Resolution, York University
Elizabeth Saewyc, PhD, RN, CIHR/PHAC CIHR/PHAC Applied Public Health Chair in Youth Health; Associate Professor, University of British Columbia School of Nursing; Research Director, McCreary Centre Society
Summary:
Much of the research on adolescent sexual health and risk behaviours focuses only on girls and young women, whether the studies are about teen births, contraceptive practices, or even sexual violence and exploitation. Yet most of these sexual health events involve more than one person—and that other person is often male. Even sexual violence, although disproportionately experienced by women, is also targeted towards boys and young men, and they too can experience lifelong health issues as a result. So why are they so invisible? This presentation will explore the ways data are gathered for population-level sexual health studies, how and perhaps why sexual health and risk issues get framed as “female” issues, and what we learn when we ask the same questions for adolescent and young adult males.
Bio:
Dr. Elizabeth M. Saewyc is an Associate Professor in the School of Nursing and the Division of Adolescent Medicine, Department of Pediatrics at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada. She holds a Canadian Institute for Health Research/Public Health Agency of Canada Applied Public Health Chair, and is a Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Scholar. She also serves as Research Director for the McCreary Centre Society, a community-based youth health research and youth empowerment organization. She teaches public health nursing, adolescent health, and research methods. Her research focuses on the sexual and mental health issues of youth, with a particular emphasis on understanding the links between stigma, violence, and trauma, how these influence their coping and risk behaviours, and what protective factors in their relationships and environments can help reduce their risks and foster resilience. The particular groups of young people include: sexual minority youth (gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender teens), homeless and runaway youth, sexually-abused and sexually-exploited teens, pregnant and parenting adolescents, youth in custody, immigrant and refugee populations, and indigenous young people in Canada and other countries.
October 16, 2008
Location: University College, Room 248, 15 King’s College Circle, University of Toronto St. George Campus
Presentation Title: The Street Health Survey Project: Community-based Research for Social Change
Erika Khandor, Kate Mason and Peer Researchers, Street Health
CUHI 2008 Community-Based Research Award of Merit Recipient
Summary
Street Health is a community-based organization that has been providing nursing, mental health and outreach services to homeless people in Toronto for over 20 years.
In the winter of 2006/2007, Street Health conducted a survey of 368 homeless adults in downtown Toronto about their health status and access to health care. The project involved extensive collaboration with community, academic and institutional partners, as well as employing a team of peer researchers with lived experience of homelessness.
The Street Health Report 2007 presents findings on the causes of homelessness, the daily living conditions of homeless people, the physical and mental health of homeless people, their use of health care, and their barriers to health care. The report also outlines an action plan consisting of targeted solutions to improve the health of homeless people and to ultimately end homelessness.
This presentation will include a discussion of the study’s key findings and policy recommendations, research process, dissemination and advocacy activities. A short film produced in partnership with NFB which tells the human stories behind the statistics will be shown.
Bios:
Erika Khandor and Kate Mason conduct research at Street Health. Both are graduates of the MHSc in Health Promotion from the Department of Public Health at U of T.
See the Street Health seminar slides.
Thursday April 17, 2008
Location: Bahen Centre, University of Toronto: Room B024 (40 St. George Street, immediately south of Russell Street)
Project: “Mapping the Attributes of the Church & Wellesley Neighbourhoods which Influence Tobacco Use among Lesbian, Bi-Sexual, Transgender People”
Presentation Title: "Focus Groups in Support of Public Health Interventions among Toronto LBGT Smokers and Former Smokers"
Gala Arh & Nadia Minian, Ontario Tobacco Research Unit, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
CUHI 2006 Seed Grant Recipient
Project Summary
While little is know about tobacco use among lesbian, bisexual, gay, transgender (LBGT) populations, studies in the United States have found high rates of smoking among LBGT individuals. Our pilot study sought to ascertain attributes of the Toronto Church and Wellesley neighbourhood that facilitate tobacco use among LBGT individuals.
As a method of data collection, focus groups have yet to be recognized for their nascent health promotion capacity. Using our example of focus groups conducted with LBGT smokers and former smokers we illustrate how focus groups can be used to translate and disseminate research findings, while building stronger communities, and generating therapeutic support.
Bios
Gala Arh, M.Ed.
Having completed her M.Ed. at OISE/UT, Gala Arh joined the Ontario Tobacco Research Unit as a Research Officer. She is developing, implementing and evaluating the Performance Indicator Monitoring System as well as conducting community-based research with the Evaluation Team
Nadia Minian is a Scientist with the Ontario Tobacco Research Unit. She has considerable experience in conducting and directing research and evaluation at the local and community levels on a variety of public health issues, including infectious disease (HIV/AIDS), sexual risk behaviours and cancer screening. At OTRU Nadia leads the evaluation of cessation programming and policy. She is personally committed to social justice and conducting evaluations to promote health.
Wednesday March 19, 2008
Location: Bahen Centre, University of Toronto: Room 2130 (40 St. George Street, immediately south of Russell Street)
Project: Toronto Teen Survey
Presentation Title: “The Toronto Teen Survey: Improving Sexual Health Services for Diverse Toronto Youth”
Crystal Layne (Toronto Teen Survey Project)
Susan Flynn (Planned Parenthood)
Dr. June Larkin (Women and Gender Studies Institute, U of T) &
Kristin McIlroy (Student, Health Studies & Human Biology, U of T)
CUHI 2007 CBR Award of Merit Winners
Summary
In this presentation we discuss the development and results of the Toronto Teen Survey (TTS) that was distributed to 1200 youth across Toronto. The aim of the TTS Project was to gather information from youth on assets, gaps and barriers that currently exist in sexual health education and services and to use the information to develop a city-wide strategy to increase positive sexual health outcomes for diverse Toronto youth. We will describe the community-based research design that involved teens in all stages of the project and we will show a video that documents the process. We will also share feedback from youth service providers to whom we have presented the data.
The TTS Project is a university-community partnership supported by community-based research funding from the Ontario HIV Treatment Network.
View the poster TORONTO TEEN SURVEY: A Tool for Addressing Youth Sexual Health in a Diverse Urban Centre
View the poster What do teens really want to know? Sexual health questions asked in Toronto Teen Survey workshops
Tuesday February 12, 2008
Location: Earth Sciences Centre, University of Toronto, Room 142, in the basement (5 Bancroft Street)
Presentation Title: “Which of the Following is NOT an Essential Service o Roads o Schools o Food Access? Exploring Food Security with Young Aboriginal Moms”
Cyndy Baskin, School of Social Work, Ryerson University
CUHI 2006 Seed Grant Recipient
Summary
This seminar will present findings from a research project conducted with young Aboriginal mothers in Toronto using Aboriginal research methodologies. The project explored issues affecting food security for these mothers and their children with a focus on community involvement and policy connections.
Bio
Dr. Cyndy Baskin, of the Mi'kmaq Nation, is an Associate Professor in the School of Social Work and the Centre for Studies in Food Security at Ryerson University. She worked at several Aboriginal social services agencies within Toronto before coming to Ryerson in 2001. Cyndy's teaching, research and writing focus on Aboriginal world views, research methodologies, decolonization, and the strength, resilience and resistance of Indigenous peoples globally.
Thursday January 17, 2008
Location: University College, University of Toronto, Room 177 (15 King’s College Circle)
Presentation Title: “Use of 911 Ambulance Dispatch Data for the Syndromic Surveillance of Heat-Related Illness in Toronto: Summer 2007”
Donald Cole and Kate Bassil, Department of Geography, University of Toronto
CUHI 2004 & 2006 Seed Grant Recipient
Summary
The adverse effect of heat on health in urban communities is of major concern, and will likely become even more important with climate change. In Toronto, although a heat alert system based upon predicted excess mortality exists, there is currently no method for monitoring heat-related illness (HRI) in the community. As a result, there is a lack of information regarding the impact of HRI on members of the community and the urban areas that are most severely affected. Over the summer of 2007 our research group monitored the temporal and spatial distribution of heat-related illness in Toronto using 911 ambulance dispatch data. The findings of this work will be presented as well as a discussion of the challenges in developing and using this syndromic surveillance system in the public health environment.
Bios
Kate Bassil is a PhD candidate in the Epidemiology program in the Department of Public Health Sciences at the University of Toronto. Prior to this Kate completed a MSc in Epidemiology, also at the University of Toronto, and a BSc Biological Sciences at Oxford University in 1998. The focus of her doctoral research is the use of ambulance dispatch data to better understand the temporal and geospatial distribution of heat-related illness in Toronto.
Donald Cole is a physician who practiced primary care, public health, occupational health and environmental health in a variety of settings globally. In a community medicine residency at McMaster University he completed a Masters in Design, Measurement and Evaluation of Health Services (1991), and went on to qualify as a Royal College fellow in Occupational Medicine (1990) and Community Medicine (1992). A Tri-Council Eco-Research fellowship in environmental epidemiology and the role of Interim Director of Research followed by Senior Scientist at the Institute for Work & Health fostered his focus on research. His ongoing interest in agriculture and human health questions led to his leading development of the Agriculture and Human Health Division with the International Potato Center. As a tenured Associate Professor of Public Health Sciences at the University of Toronto, he currently teaches, mentors, does research, and contributes research evidence to public health practice both in Canada and internationally.
Wednesday December 5, 2007
Location: University College, University of Toronto, Room 177 (15 King’s College Circle)
Presentation Title: “Sudanese Settlement and Sociocultural Aspects of Mental Health: Thinking Globally, Acting Locally”
Laura Simich, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
CUHI 2007 CBR Award of Merit Honourable Mention
Summary
The community-based Study of Sudanese Settlement in Ontario was conducted for Citizenship and Immigration Canada in 2003-2004 to ascertain Sudanese settlement needs in seven Ontario cities. The study indicated that family adaptation, economic integration and social cohesion are the major settlement challenges for Sudanese, and that these have a deleterious impact on individual and community mental health. In this presentation, Dr. Simich looks back on success factors and outcomes of the initial study. She also presents recent findings from an in-depth follow-up study (2006-2007) conducted in Toronto, Ontario; Calgary, Alberta; and in the rural community of Brooks, Alberta, to identify underlying issues and proposed solutions for community mental health. The presentation reflects on the relationship of the local to the global context and looks ahead to social support intervention research and planning in Toronto.
Bio
Laura Simich, Ph.D. is Assistant Professor in the Culture, Community and Health Studies Program, Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, and a Scientist in Social Equity and Health at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto. She is an anthropologist (Columbia University, New York) who came to Canada from the U.S. with her family in 1991. Dr. Simich specializes in qualitative, community-based, health promotion and policy-oriented research. Her recent studies have focused on sociocultural determinants of mental health among immigrants and refugees. Her ongoing research interests are social support, resilience, family wellbeing and mental health among Sudanese, Sri Lankan Tamil refugees and non-status immigrants in Toronto. She helped to develop the popular self-help guide for mental health promotion in diverse communities, Alone in Canada: 21 Ways to Make it Better, a Guide for Single Newcomers to Canada, which is available in 18 languages.
Read more information on Laura Simich's "Study of Sudanese Settlement in Ontario" Project
Thursday November 8, 2007
Location: Bahen Centre, University of Toronto: Room B024 (40 St. George Street, immediately south of Russell Street
Presentation Title: “Community-Based Participatory Research using Arts: Homeless Women, Housing and Social Support"
Izumi Sakamoto, Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto
CUHI 2007 CBR Award of Merit Honourable Mention
Summary
'Coming Together: Homeless Women, Housing and Social Support ', is a community-based research project by the University of Toronto, Regent Park Community Health Centre, and Sistering – A Woman's Place, which explored how women and transwomen build support networks with each other when housing is the issue . With the help of the advisory board consisting of women/transwomen who experienced homelessness, women/transwomen at four drop-in centres created scenes depicting their own visions of inclusion, friendship and safe space through painting, theatre and photography ("staged photography"). Various methods have been used to disseminate the study findings and the evaluation of the project is under way. The challenges and rewards of conducting university-community collaborative research will be discussed from different standpoints of each presenter.
Bio
Izumi Sakamoto is assistant professor of social work at the University of Toronto. A former Fulbright Scholar, she received MSW, MS (Psychology) and Ph.D. (Social Work & Psychology) from University of Michigan and BA and MA from Sophia University, Japan. Dr. Sakamoto's current program of research focuses on the intersecting oppressions, self-advocacy, and empowerment of marginalized communities such as immigrants, homeless women/transwomen, and people of colour in local, international and transnational contexts. She has experiences in community-based research, arts-based research, qualitative research and mixed-method research. She has held research grants from the Social Science & Humanities Research Council, Wellesley Institute, and Centre for Excellence in Research on Immigration and Settlement -Toronto (CERIS), among others.
Read more information on Dr. Sakamoto's "Coming Together" project
October 3, 2007, 1:15- 2:45 PM
University of Toronto, University College Building (15 King's College Circle), Room UC177 – 1st Floor, West Wing
Presentation Title: The Contribution of ‘Green’ School Ground Design to Moderate Activity Levels
Anne Bell, (PhD), Project Manager of Research, Learning Grounds, Evergreen
Summary
The school ground represents an important built environment that provides children with regular opportunities for active play during the school day. What research methods are best suited to monitoring and measuring the relationship between school ground design and children's physical activity? This presentation reports on the findings of a methodological study, funded by CUHI, which explored a variety of quantitative and qualitative methods, including periodic scans of all children playing on the school ground, direct observations of individual children, accelerometry, mapping, guided walks and student interviews. Beyond purely methodological considerations, a selection of the data generated by the various methods will also be discussed, particularly as they relate to 'green' design elements.
Bio
Dr. Anne Bell is a researcher, writer and environmental consultant living in Toronto, Canada. She holds a Ph.D. and Masters in Environmental Studies from York University, an M.A. from McGill University, and a B.A. and B.Ed. from the University of Toronto. She has conducted research for many government and non-government organizations and is currently the Project Manager of Research for the Learning Grounds Program at Evergreen.
View a PDF version of "The Contribution of ‘Green’ School Ground Design to Moderate Activity Levels".
Wednesday, May 2nd, 2007, 1:10PM - 2:10PM
University of Toronto, University College (15 King's College Circle) Rm 256 - 2nd Flr, East Wing
Valerie Tarasuk (PhD), Dept. of Nutritional Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto
Title: Filling their Bellies: Community Initiatives to Feed the Homeless
Summary
While the origins of homelessness in
Biography
Valerie Tarasuk is a Professor in the Department of Nutritional Sciences at the
Wednesday, April 11th, 2007, 2:30-4:30PM
University of Toronto, Public Health Sciences Auditorium (155 College), 6th Flr.
Sarah E. Curtis (DPhil) Professor of Health and Risk, University of Durham, UK
Title: Variations in Adolescent Mental Health: The Significance of Social Factors at the Individual and Area Levels
Summary
This seminar concerns social factors associated with adolescent mental health and the findings are discussed in terms of theories about varying individual vulnerability to health risks posed by social conditions at the area level. This research used national survey data for young adults in England to explore empirically the relationships between social fragmentation in communities (measured for geographical areas), social support experienced by individuals from their immediate social circle, and psychosocial health of young adults, measured by the General Health Questionnaire.
Biography
Sarah Curtis was awarded a BA in Geography from Oxford University and DPhil in Urban and Regional Studies from the University of Kent. In 2006 she was appointed to the Chair of Health and Risk at the University of Durham, UK. She previously held posts at Kent University and in the Geography Department at Queen Mary, University of London, UK, most recently as Professor in Geography. She has extensive research experience and has published widely on geography of health and health care. Her research focuses especially on why and how places are important for inequalities of health and wellbeing and access to health care. In 2006 she is Visiting Professor at the University of Montréal, Département de Médicine Sociale and Préventive supported by the AnEIS programme. Her books include Health and Inequality: Geographical Perspectives (Sage, 2004). Other experience includes: research and consultancy for UK Health Authorities, the Health Development Agency; the World Health Organization. Sarah Curtis served as non-executive director of an NHS Community and Mental Health Care Trust 1995-1999. She is Senior Editor, Medical Geography for the international journal Social Science and Medicine.
Wednesday, February 28th, 2007, 2:15PM - 3:30PM
University of Toronto, Galbraith Building (35 St. George St.) Rm 119
Amy J. Schulz (PhD) School of Public Health, University of Michigan
& Angela Reyes (MPH), Executive Director, Detroit Hispanic Development Corporation
Title: Community-Based Participatory Research Partnerships for Health: Lessons Learned from the Healthy Environments Partnership
Summary
The presenters will describe the Healthy Environments Partnership (HEP), a community-based participatory research partnership made up of community-based organizations, health service organizations, and academic institutions that has been working to address disparities in cardiovascular disease in Detroit since 2000. Speakers will discuss the principles that guide HEP’s work, and illustrate the processes used to assure that all members of the partnership are engaged in all phases of the research process (defining the research question, development of research questions and processes, interpretation of results, dissemination of results, and decisions about how to apply research findings to improve cardiovascular health). Finally, speakers will discuss lessons learned and recommendations for conducting community based participatory research to promote health equity.
Biographies
Dr. Schulz received her Ph.D. in Sociology and M.P.H. from the University of Michigan. Her research focuses on social inequalities as they influence aspects of the social and physical environment, and their contributions to health disparities and health in urban communities. Current research efforts focus on understanding social determinants of health in urban communities; the contributions of social and environmental factors to racial and socioeconomic disparities in cardiovascular disease, obesity and related conditions, social aspects of community and their relationship to health, and interventions designed to increase access to healthy foods and environments conducive to physical activity in urban areas. In addition, she has been involved in projects concerned with: the effects of colonization on the health of Native Americans; community-based approaches to research and community change; the evaluation of community partnerships for health promotion; implementation and evaluation of community health worker interventions, and the role of grassroots environmental groups in addressing issues of environmental degradation and economic development. Dr. Schulz is PI for the “Lean & Green in Motown Project” addressing physical environments and their relationship to obesity; the “Community Approaches to Cardiovascular Health” planning project to engage community representatives in planning interventions for cardiovascular health, and is Co-PI for the Promoting Healthy Eating in Detroit project. She is Associate Director of the Center for Research on Ethnicity, Culture and Health, and Co-Director for the NIH funded "Promoting Ethnic Diversity in Public Health". Dr. Schulz co-facilitates the CRECH NIH predoctoral seminar on racial inequalities and health, and has taught courses on qualitative research methods and participatory action research. Dr. Schulz's work appears in Social Problems, American Journal of Public Health, The Journal of Health and Social Behavior, Social Science and Medicine, Health Education and Behavior, The Annual Review of Public Health, American Journal of Public Health and Health Education Research, among others.
Angela G. Reyes is the founder and Executive Director of the Detroit Hispanic Development Corporation, a community-based organization. She is a life-long resident of
View a PDF version of "Community-Based Participatory Research Partnerships for Health".
Wednesday, January 24th, 2007, 1:00PM - 2:30PM
University of Toronto, Galbraith Building (35 St. George St.) Rm 119
Lawrence Frank (PhD) ASLA, AICP Bombardier Chair in Sustainable Transportation University of British Columbia and Senior Non-Resident Fellow, Brookings Institution
Title: Meeting the Market for Walkable Environments: The Health and Environmental Benefits of Preference-Based Community Design
Summary
Research to date has shown that increased walkability of neighbourhoods is associated with more walking and transit, less auto use, reduced air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, and lower levels of obesity. However, recent evidence suggests that these associations are a function of preferences that shape travel patterns and residential location choice and not the design of neighbourhoods themselves. Research will be presented that addresses the question of whether it is the physical environment or preferences or both that explain travel and its related outcomes when adjusting for demographic factors while addressing the market for different types of community environments. Findings from several recent peer reviewed papers will be presented focusing on how physical neighbourhood design characteristics influence travel, environmental, and health factors when adjusting for demographic and residential preferences. Market demand for walkable versus unwalkable environments will be assessed and directions for future research will be discussed and policy implications based on new evidence will be conveyed.
Bio
Dr. Frank is the Bombardier Chairholder in Sustainable Transportation at the University of British Columbia and a Senior Non-resident Fellow of the Brookings Institution. He specializes in the interaction between land use, travel behavior, air quality, and health. He has co-authored numerous papers and two books in the past few years on these topics: Health and Community Design, The Impacts of The Built Environment on Physical Activity and Urban Sprawl and Public Health. In June of 2004, his study “Obesity Relationships with Community Design, Physical Activity, and Time Spent in Cars” was released documenting for the first time relationships between travel habits, neighborhood design characteristics, and the odds of being obese and was featured in Time Magazine, on CNN, ABC news, and over 300 media outlets worldwide. More recently, Dr. Frank and his colleagues have been evaluating relationships between community design, travel patterns, fuel consumption, and climate change. He has also been conducting research to document a causal link between built environments and health related outcomes.
Wednesday, December 6th, 2006, 1:10PM - 2:10PM
Patricia Erickson (PhD), Senior Scientist, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) and Professor of Sociology & Criminology, University of Toronto &
Katharine King, Project Coordinator, Youth in Transition Study, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
Title: Young Women in Transition in
Summary
Using a mixture of quantitative and qualitative methods, a multi-disciplinary team investigated the fluctuations in housing security over a one year period in a group of high-risk young women aged 16-20 years. A sample of 75 street-involved girls were compared with 30 girls still maintaining Children's Aid Society status to help determine what factors influenced successful transitions away from the street life.
View a PDF version of "Young Women in Transition in
Wednesday, November 1st, 2006, 1:10PM - 2:10PM
Winston Husbands (PhD), Director of Research and Program Development, AIDS Committee of Toronto
Title: Drugs and Sex: Community-based Research at the AIDS Committee of
Summary
In 2001 – 2004, the AIDS Committee of Toronto and five other AIDS service organizations in
Biography
Winston Husbands, PhD., is Director of Research and Program Development at the AIDS Committee of Toronto (ACT) and co-Chair of the African and Caribbean Council on HIV/AIDS in Ontario (ACCHO).
View a PDF version of the "Drugs and Sex" presentation
Tuesday, October 17th, 2006
9:30 am- 12:00 noon (9:00 refreshments)
Michael Wright
Title: Mobilizing Social Change through Policy Relevant Community-Based Research
Summary
Michael's areas of specialty include participatory action research (CBR), HIV/AIDS prevention, evaluation and preventative measures and the role of non-government organizations in disease prevention. Michael is currently a Research Fellow in the Research Group on Public Health at the Social Science Research Centre in Berlin. He will speak on his research and experience in the field.
Also speaking will be Sean Rourke, Scientific and Executive Director of the Ontario HIV Treatment Network (OHTN), who will share OHTN's work in CBR, and Bob Gardner, the Wellesley Institute's Director of Public Policy, will share our experiences and examples of our work and the work of our partners.
Biography
Dr. Michael T. Wright,
Location
University of Toronto, Munk Centre,
1 Devonshire Place
**Co-sponsored by the Wellesley Institute
Wednesday, October 4th, 2006, 1:10PM - 2:10PM
Patricia O'Campo (PhD), Director, Centre for Research on Inner City Health
Title: Healthy Neighbourhoods: New Frontier or Passing Fad?
Summary
Research on whether and how neighbourhoods influence health is flourishing within sociology, geography, social epidemiology, community psychology to name a few. Yet many theoretical, methodological and policy challenges remain unaddressed. These challenges (and their solutions) will be the topic of this presentation.
Biography
Dr. O’Campo is a social epidemiologist. She has been conducting research on the social determinants of health and well-being among women and children for over 17 years. She pioneered the application of multilevel modeling in the field of maternal and child health in the early 1990s to understand the effects of urban residential neighborhoods on the risk of intimate partner violence during the child bearing year and on low birth weight. She has conducted a number of clinic and community based evaluations of programs concerning smoking cessation, prevention of perinatal transmission of HIV, and prevention of infant mortality. She has also focused on methods development as part of her research including application of multilevel modeling to understand residential and workplace contexts on health and development of monitoring methods for rare health events in small areas.
The audio recording of this seminar can be found here:
Tuesday, May 2nd, 2006, 1:10PM - 2:10PM
Audrey Smargiassi (PhD), Quebec Institute of Public Health
Title: Urban Population Exposure to Environmental Hazards: Approaches and Utilities
Summary
A major challenge in assessing the health impact of environmental hazards in our urban environments is to estimate exposure of individuals in large populations. In population exposure assessment, few studies have taken into account exposure in both time and space. Dr Smargiassi will present in-development methodologies to estimate population exposure in space and time, to urban environmental hazards (such as to indoor heat, to industrial air emissions and to firework emission plumes). Such methodologies are being developed to evaluate the health impact of urban exposure to environmental hazards and to characterize environmental inequity. They are also being developed for modeling activities to orient urban development interventions to minimize population exposure.
Biography
Audrey Smargiassi obtained her Ph.D. in environmental sciences in 1996. Supported by the Medical Research Council of Canada, she pursued postdoctoral studies in neurotoxicology in Italy. With the Quebec Institute of Public Health since 2000, her research is now focused on ways to assess environmental exposure in population health studies as well as on ways to assess determinants of exposure to better target interventions in environmental health. She is an adjunct professor at the University of Quebec in Montreal and a member of CUHI and of the Lea Roback research Centre on Social and Health Inequities.
Wednesday, April 5th, 2006, 3:10PM
Dr. Wendy Mendes, CUHI Post-Doctoral Fellow
Title: Food policy and urban governance in Vancouver: Considering social and health dimensions
Summary
After decades of estrangement, food and food systems are once again being conceptualised as an urban governance concern. This reconciliation is being felt in many Canadian cities where food is reappearing on the agenda of a growing number of local governments. Such a shift reflects changes in the ways that food, and other social and health dimensions of urban life are recognised and managed in local governance arrangements that are themselves undergoing transformations in their social, political and spatial composition. This seminar talk will present findings derived from my doctoral research on one Canadian city, Vancouver, set within the context of Canada’s shifting urban realities. The talk will include reflections on the ways in which food policy may shape development outcomes in neighbourhoods.
Biography
Wendy Mendes is an urban geographer with primary interests in local participatory governance, urban planning, sustainability and food policy. Her research interests combine insights from urban and social geography, urban planning, sustainable development and policy-oriented literatures. Her dissertation on food policy and local governance in Vancouver has been nominated for two national awards. Dr. Mendes is a practicing Social Planner for the City of Vancouver where she continues to be intensively involved with the development and implementation of the City’s evolving food policy mandate. Her work extends to the international arena including on-going work with the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) in Ottawa. In July 2006, she will begin her tenure as CUHI’s Postdoctoral Fellow at the Centre for Urban Health Initiatives.
Wednesday, March 1st, 2006, 3:10PM
João Alberto Tomacheski, Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Sociology, University of Brasilia (Brazil); Civil Servant, Brazilian Federal Government (Health Ministry); Research Fellow, Centre for Urban Health Initiatives
Title: Health Policies in Brazil and Canada: Physicians and State Bureaucracy in the Policy-Making Process
Abstract:
In Brazil, the official public health system grants every citizen the right to comprehensive health care. Nevertheless, this universal and public legal landmark (the health system) is a mix of private and public initiatives.
Citizens in each socioeconomic social class use the official health system, but for different reasons: for the poor, it is the only way to get health care; for the middle and upper classes it is used only to cover highly complex treatments and more expensive illnesses (such as AIDS). The two-tier system in Brazil is a reality; the government and private sector organizations provide a separate health system for their staff.
My research tries to understand the social conditions behind the creation of this universal landmark by focusing on the role of bureaucracy and physicians in shaping health policies in Brazil. It simultaneously investigates the role of these same agents in the Canadian Health System. This presentation will include a brief retrospect of Brazilian health policies, and will highlight my ongoing research in
Wednesday, December 7th, 2005, 1:10pm
Dr. Ito Peng, Department of Sociology,
Margot Lettner, Dept of Politics and Public Administration,
Title: Social Research and Public Policy: Emerging Frameworks for Community Engagement and Policy Response
Abstract
This research looks at how the HIV/AIDS and homeless communities in
Wednesday, October 5th, 2005, 1:10pm
María Páez Victor, MA, Ph.D
Title: Misión Barrio Adentro: Venezuelan Success Story on Bringing Health Care to the Marginalized
Abstract:
For decades the Venezuelan people suffered compounded neglect of its health needs, both in terms of medical care as well as in terms of the social and economic determinants of health. The democratic government of Hugo Chávez, recognizing the immediate health needs of the Venezuelan people, bypassed ineffective governmental ministries and, with the help of
Dr. María Páez Victor is a Venezuelan-born sociologist and consultant who has taught Sociology of Health and Medicine at the
Wednesday, May 4th, 2005, 1:10pm
Robb Travers, PhD Candidate, Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Toronto; Co-Principal Investigator, Youth Migration Project
Title: HIV vulnerability among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, transsexual (LGBT), and 2-Spirit youth who migrate to Toronto: A community-based research project
Abstract:
The principles of community-based research as articulated by the International Network for Community-Based Research on HIV/AIDS, include ensuring equitable research collaborations between researchers and community, ongoing capacity building for community partners, community ownership of data, empowerment throughout all stages of the research process, and social change. To contextualize the importance of HIV community-based research in a large and complex urban setting like Toronto, we will draw on a local initiative – the Youth Migration Project.
This community-based research project brought together university-based researchers who have experience with/commitment to community work and representatives of community-based organizations who are interested in research. Toronto is a magnet for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, transsexual (LGBT) and 2-Spirit people. As such, it draws youth from smaller communities and cities, and from other countries who are searching for community and who may lack social, emotional, personal, financial and health supports. Funded by Health Canada’s Community-Based HIV/AIDS Research Fund and Wellesley Central Health Corporation, the Youth Migration Project emerged out of increasing community concern for these youth and sought to understand their vulnerability to HIV.
Drawing from 95 interviews with youth and key informants, this presentation will highlight the social determinants of HIV vulnerability for migrant LGBT and 2-Spirited youth, and the implications for service delivery and prevention programming.
Robb Travers has been involved in community-based research for more than 15 years through Central Toronto Youth Services, the HIV Social, Behavioural and Epidemiological Studies Unit at the
Recognized across
Wednesday, April 6th, 2005, 1:10pm
Carolin Taron, CUHI Community Intern
Title: Urban Gardening Research Opportunities Workgroup (UGROW)
Abstract:
Carolin Taron is a community intern with CUHI, health care practitioner, community organizer, eco-activist and artist. She has written and published numerours articles and stories related to health, food, gardening and environment in not for profit publications. She has developed and facilitated numberous workshops related to self care, gardening and food. She has a strong interest in community based research involving, engaging and empowering community participants so that their voices can be heard.
Wednesday, March 2nd, 2005, 1:10pm
Loren Vanderlinden, Research Consultant, Environmental Protection Office, Toronto Public Health
Kara Griffin, PURE Project Coordinator
Title: Pesticide Use Reduction Evaluation (PURE) Project
Abstract:
Evaluation of the effectiveness of approaches to environmental exposure reduction remains a relatively under-developed area of research relevant to human health and environments. Toronto Public Health and
Loren Vanderlinden, Research Consultant with the Environmental Protection Office of Toronto Public Health, comes from a broad background in social and health sciences. She received a doctorate in biological anthropology from the University of Toronto, and postdoctoral training in environmental health at the McMaster Institute of Environment and Health. She has taught courses in human population biology and environmental health at the University of Toronto. Loren has done applied environmental health research with academic, health and environmental institutions for over a decade. Her work at Toronto Public Health has focussed on exposure and health effects from pesticides.
Kara Griffin has a Masters degree in Community Psychology from
Wednesday, February 2nd, 2005
Charles Z. Levkoe, Community Researcher, Food and Health Research Interest Group, Centre for Urban Health Initiatives; Urban Agriculture Coordinator, The Stop Community Food Centre
Title: “Mobilizing for Food Security and Health Research in Toronto”
Abstract
Currently, ten percent of Canadians say that they experience food insecurity – they worry about not getting or can’t get enough of the food they need to live a healthy life. Food security research looks at food policies (such as regulations), programs (such as community gardens) and environments (such as where grocery stores are located) that affect people’s ability to get the food they need for a healthy life. This project brings together community organizations (like Foodshare), government (like Toronto Public Health) and university researchers (Ryerson and University of Toronto), to talk about blockages to the implementation of food security programs and policies that could be addressed by research. From this process a research map identifying up to 10 food security strategies will be created and will guide plans for seeking external research funding to influence food policy, programs and environments.
Charles Z Levkoe holds a Magistrate in Environmental Studies from York University in Community-Based Food Security Education. He is currently working as a community researcher with CUHI on a project focusing on policy and food security. Charles also works with the Stop Community Food Centre as the Urban Agriculture Coordinator. The project uses community gardens, a community greenhouse, an outdoor bake oven and an environmental education program as tools to build food security in the Davenport West community. As an organization, The Stop strives to increase access to healthy food in a manner that maintains dignity, builds community and challenges inequality.
Wednesday, January 12th, 2005
Brent Berry, Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology, University of Toronto
Title: "Repeated Visual Identification: A New Methodology to Estimate Street Populations in Downtown Toronto"
Abstract
Estimating the number of homeless is an ongoing problem facing urban health researchers. Rather than focus on the degree of shelter the homeless have, this presentation reconceptualizes the population by its exposure to the street. While not all "street people" are homeless, they all share the distinct risks of sustained exposure to life on the street. This shift to a street-centered definition allows for a novel ecometric approach to estimate the number of street people in urban areas. Despite limitations, this approach represents one of the few alternatives to conventional estimates from shelter use.
Brent Berry obtained a PhD in Sociology from the University of Michigan in 2002. He is now an Assistant Professor in the Sociology Department at the University of Toronto. His research to date reflects four topics: Intergenerational financial support in U.S. families, socioeconomic and neighbourhood inequalities in health, economic and racial/ethnic residential segregation, and the measurement of white racial ideology in the U.S. Most recently he has been studying trends in physical activity since 1965, and is also working on an ecometric visual capture-recapture method to estimate the number of homeless on the street in downtown Toronto.
Wednesday, December 1st, 2004
Miriam Diamond, Professor, Department of Geography; Cross-appointed to the Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry and Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Toronto
Title: “Contaminants around Us: the Toronto Experience”
Abstract
By virtue of their large populations and multitude of activities that take place within a restricted geographic area, cities are home to relatively high contaminant emissions and concentrations in virtually all media. The built environment tends to increase the mobility of contaminants and can result in increased exposures. We will contrast two contaminant classes in terms of their emission sources and hence exposure pathways and potential health risk to typical urban Torontonians. The compounds are polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons that are produced from combustion sources and polybrominated diphenyl ethers that are inadvertently released from plastics and foam products.
Miriam Diamond is a Professor in the Department of Geography. She is cross-appointed to the Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry and Department of Public Health Sciences. Her research involves chemical contaminants, from emissions to environmental movement and finally potential health effects.
http://www.geog.utoronto.ca/info/facweb/mdiamond/index.html
