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Keynote speakers and presentations

Plenary I

How Does Evidence Influence Public Health Policy? Tackling Health Inequalities in England

Donald Nutbeam, Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Head, College of Health Sciences, University of Sydney, Australia

Dr. Donald Nutbeam returned to Australia from England in 2003 to take up the position of Pro-Vice-Chancellor at Sydney University, and Head of the College of Health Sciences. The College comprises the Faculties of Dentistry, Health Sciences, Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy. With over 10,000 students, the College is the largest health sciences group in Australia, and the leading health and medical research institution. From 2000-2003 he was Head of Public Health in the UK Department of Health. His responsibilities included leading work within the Department and across government on addressing health inequalities. For the preceding ten years he was Professor of Public Health, and the Head of the School of Public Health at the University of Sydney.

Plenary II

Public and Population Health in Canada: Big Challenges; Too Little Investment

John Frank, Scientific Director, CIHR Institute of Population and Public Health, Professor, Public Health Sciences, University of Toronto, Senior Scientist, Institute for Work and Health

Dr. John Frank trained in Medicine and Community Medicine at the University of Toronto, in Family Medicine at McMaster University, and in Epidemiology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. He was the founding Director of Research at the Institute for Work & Health in Toronto from 1991 until 1997, and is currently a Senior Scientist. That Institute’s research program aims to identify and act upon major preventable causes of work-related disability- such as low back pain.

Dr. Frank is a Fellow with the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research Population Health Program, and Professor at the University of Toronto in the Department of Public Health Sciences. As a physician- epidemiologist, with special expertise in prevention, his main area of interest is the biopsychosocial determinants of health status at the population level. Dr. Frank was Provostial Advisor on Population Health at the University of Toronto from 1994 to 1997. From 1997 to 2001, he was Adjunct Professor at the School of Public Health at the University of California, Berkeley, where he received the Distinguished Teacher and Mentor of the Year Award. In December 2000, he was appointed Scientific Director of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research - Institute of Population and Public Health, located at the University of Toronto.

Plenary III

Finding the Balance – Sustaining Population Health in the Fight for Health Care Resources in Canada

Penny Ballem, Deputy Minister, BC Ministry of Health Services, Ministry of Health Planning

Dr. Penny Ballem is currently the Deputy Minister of Health Services. Prior to being appointed Deputy Minister, Dr. Ballem was a Special Advisor to the Deputy of Health Services and the Deputy of Health Planning in British Columbia.

Dr. Ballem has had a distinguished career in both health administration and specialized practice. In the 1980’s, she spent nearly a decade working as the Department Medical Director for the Canadian Red Cross Blood Transfusion Service. Over the last 10 years she has worked as a Vice President, managing diverse clinical programs at Children’s and Women’s Health Centre of British Columbia. She is also an Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of British Columbia.

Through her energy and vision as a senior administrator in academic health center in British Columbia, Dr. Ballem has been responsible for the development of an extensive network of interdisciplinary health services for women, both in Vancouver and through innovative and supportive partnerships with other communities throughout the province. She has a strong commitment to community capacity building, public responsiveness and accountability, in our health care system.

Plenary IV

Canadian Coalition for Public Health in the 21st Century – Panel Presentation

Senior representatives of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Canadian Medical Association, the Canadian Nurses Association and the Canadian Public Health Association are invited to discuss recent developments in public health, and highlight key challenges in the future.

Plenary V

Population Health in Our Communities – Moving from Research to Policy to Practice

Panel Discussion

Renee Bowers, RDt. CDE Diabetes Consultant

Renee Bowers is a Registered Dietitian and a Certified Diabetes Educator. She is currently working as a Diabetes Consultant for the Sheshatshiu Innu Health Commission and travels to two Innu communities, Sheshatshiu and Natuashish, NL to provide diabetes education and prevention activities. Ms. Bowers is a graduate of Mount Saint Vincent University and is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Adult Education for St. Francis Xavier University.

Lily LeDrew, Regional Health Promotion Coordinator, Health & Community Services Central, Springdale, Newfoundland and Labrador

A graduate of Western Memorial School of Nursing and Memorial University School of Nursing where she obtained a Diploma in Community Health and a Bachelor of Nursing. Ms. LeDrew has worked as a primary care nurse, nurse manager and a public health nurse. Her areas of interest are primary prevention and community development.

Joanne Rose, Provincial Director, Cervical Screening Initiatives

Joanne Rose received her BNRN in 1986 and MBA in 2001 and has worked extensively in women’s health over the past 17 years. She was a Public Health Nurse in Cape St. George then Stephenville from 1986 to 1996. She then became the Reproductive Health Consultant for Community Health Western, and then coordinator for the various cervical screening projects. Ms. Rose has also been a facilitator for the Canadian Breast Cancer Network and Stephenville/Bay St. George Breast Health Interest Group.

In 2002, Ms. Rose received the Award for LEADERSHIP IN WOMEN’S HEALTH from the MARITIME CENTER FOR EXCELLENCE IN WOMEN’S HEALTH, in recognition of her role in building and coordinating the provincial Cervical Screening Initiatives program.

Ms. Rose is the Provincial Director of the recently launched provincial Cervical Screening Initiatives Program. She has been instrumental in the establishment of an organized approach to cervical cancer screening for women of Newfoundland and Labrador. To this end, she has been the coordinator of three federal/ provincial/ regional projects in western Newfoundland SINCE 1996.


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