Pre-Conference Sessions
While all pre-conference sessions are presented independently from the CPHA Centennial Conference, participants who wish to attend pre-conference sessions must register for at least one day of the conference. The registration rate for Sunday, June 13 is $160. In addition to attending pre-conference sessions, delegates may also attend the Partners Expo, Exhibit Hall, Opening Ceremony, Plenary I and the Welcome Reception.
All sessions require pre-registration due to
space limitations. Additional registration rates may apply.
SUNDAY JUNE 13 - FULL-DAY SESSIONS • 9:00 – 17:00
Public Health Education in Canada: Politics, Paradigms, Pedagogy and Pragmatics
[09:00–15:00]
The morning session will consist of an interactive “Debate and Dialogue” plenary session involving 4-5 leaders of the newly evolving School of Public Health and Public Health leaders in Canada. The session is designed to maximize interaction of the participants. The afternoon session will again be interactive but will address practical issues that all faculty in these new schools are encountering.
Additional registration fee ($50) required
Presented by the Canadian Association for Teachers of Community Health
Public Health Practitioners and Public Health Advocacy
The objective of this workshop is to explore the theoretical and practical implications of using advocacy strategies to influence healthy public policy. Advocacy is a key component of the newly released Core Competencies for Public Health in Canada. It stipulates that public health practitioners should be able to “advocate for healthy public policies and services that promote and protect the health and well-being of individuals and communities”. In addition, public health practitioners across Canada appear to be grappling with the concept of advocacy and their role(s) in influencing public health policies. During this pre-conference session, we will explore the concept of advocacy in a public health context. We will also debate about the role(s) of public health practitioners in advocating policy changes. Finally, we will discuss practical cases to identify opportunities and challenges in public health advocacy. This session will be composed of presentations, panel discussions, and group discussions.
Additional registration fee ($60) required
Presented by the National Collaborating Centre for Healthy Public Policy
Strategic Risk Communications: Application in Public Health
Strategic risk communications is a collaborative process that advocates the integration of communications into risk management, resulting in well-informed decisions, policies and communications about public health, leading to better health outcomes. This session will explore the basic principles and elements of strategic risk communications and explain the process that the Public Health Agency of Canada uses to guide the development of its risk communications strategies. Participants will learn the benefit of approaching public health risks from a psycho-social science perspective with a focus on addressing the gap between stakeholders’ perception of risk and the health experts’ assessment of risk. This approach results in risk communications effective in motivating behaviours and achieving desired public health outcomes. This interactive session will feature examples of the challenges and successes in public health strategic risk communications and the opportunity for participants to apply their new knowledge in two group work exercises.
Presented by the Public Health Agency of Canada
Strategic Training in Population Health Intervention: “Integrated KT” and “Engaged Scholarship” Approaches
This full-day workshop is a training opportunity for graduate students and new investigators interested in the study of population health interventions and their effective implementation. The focus is on knowledge translation and exchange (KTE) for population health interventions. It includes practical strategies to incorporate KTE into the research process and examination of ethical and communication issues. Participants will explore theory, methods and experiences related to KTE, including strategies for sustaining interaction across disciplines and sectors that enable the generation and use of population health intervention science. This workshop is an event of the Population Health Intervention Research Initiative for Canada (PHIRIC) and is co-sponsored by the Propel Centre for Population Health Impact, the Canadian Population Health Initiative of the Canadian Institute for Health Information, the CIHR Strategic Training Program in Population Intervention for Chronic Disease Prevention: A Pan Canadian Program, the CIHR Strategic Training Program in Public Health Policy, and the CIHR Strategic Training Program in Transdisciplinary Research on Public and Population Health Interventions: Promotion, Prevention and Public Policy (4P).
Presented by the Partners working on behalf of the Population Health Intervention Research Initiative for Canada
Strengthening Evidence-informed Public Health Programs and Policies: Practical Tools and Processes
The Ontario Public Health Association and the Public Health Agency of Canada are partnering to offer a combination of presentations and hands-on small group exercises for participants to learn about the main steps in evidence-informed decision-making. Participants will learn how to apply field-tested tools to search and apply accessible, credible and relevant sources of evidence such as the Canadian Best Practices Portal among others. Participants will gain knowledge, skills and access to practical tools to help them strengthen public health programs and policies.
Additional registration fee ($85) required
Presented by the Ontario Public Health Association and the Public Health Agency of Canada
SUNDAY JUNE 13 – MORNING SESSIONS
Bed Bugs and Public Health: A Re-emerging Scourge for the New Public Health
[08:30–12:00]
The re-emergence of bedbugs has perplexed and even stymied public health authorities across Canada. Travel and crowded indoor environments, often effectively communal, have increased the entry of bedbugs, and traditional insecticidal approaches are no longer available. Individual actions are often insufficient to control bedbugs, and their presence is a source of personal stress and social exclusion. Here we explore the biology of bedbugs and the science and art of their control, along with options for public health and municipal involvement in eradication, reduction, and mitigation.
Presented by the National Collaborating Centres for Public Health
Building Effective Platforms for Intersectoral Action on the Social Determinants of Health
[09:00–12:00]
The objective of this workshop is to facilitate identification and discussion of best practices for making a comprehensive, inclusive case for intersectoral action on the social determinants of health to improve health equity in Canada and globally. Through informal presentations and discussion with representatives from sectors typically distant from health policy efforts, this workshop aims to shed light on what it takes for the health sector to both earn a legitimate seat at non-health planning tables and to bring about intersectoral action on the social determinants of health and health inequity. Lessons learned from this session will contribute directly to the larger project of developing policy coherence between local, national and global agendas that address health inequalities through the social determinants of health.
Presented by the Health Promotion and Chronic Diseases Prevention Branch, Public Health Agency of Canada
Comparing Core Competencies for Public Health and Catalyst Competencies for Global Health Research
[08:30–12:00]
In September 2007, the Public Health Agency of Canada published the document “The Core Competencies for Public Health in Canada (Release 1)”. In October 2009, at the annual general meeting of the Canadian Coalition for Global Health Research (CCGHR), a new strategic plan (2010-2014) was approved by the general membership of the Coalition. This plan includes a set of capacity development programs, within which a set of “catalyst competencies” were identified. Upon comparing these two sets of competencies, some similarities—and indeed some direct duplications—can be identified. For example, both sets include competencies such as: partnerships and leadership. The objectives of this workshop are to:
- Describe the history and context in which both sets were developed
- Analyze both sets, looking for synergies
- Explore which competencies are particularly relevant to strengthen research in public and population health in low and middle-income countries, drawing upon the strengths of Canada’s public health community.
Environmental Exposures for Vulnerable Populations
[09:30–12:00]
Join the Canadian Network for Human Health and the Environment (CNHHE) for a discussion regarding environmental exposures and how they affect specific vulnerable populations. The populations to be addressed include Native/Northern, women, children and those from lower socio-economic groups. In addition to the presentations, CNHHE will also host a Network meeting, thereby giving an opportunity for members and potential members to meet and network in person to discuss Network business.
Presented by the Canadian Network for Human Health and the Environment
A Mental Health Strategy for Canada: Public Health Dimensions
[08:00–12:00]
In November 2009, the Mental Health Commission of Canada released “Toward Recovery and Well-being: Framework for a Mental Health Strategy for Canada.” The vision and goals described in the framework are the foundation for the strategy that is being developed by the Commission over the next two years. This interactive session is an opportunity to provide input into the development of this strategy. We will engage the public health community in a discussion of the 7 goals, with a focus on the interplay between the goals and public health functions, and the role of public health as partners in implementation of the strategy.
Presented by the Mental Health Commission of Canada
PHIRN: Health Equity and Interventions Research Priorities and Opportunities in Ontario
[08:00–12:00]
The Population Health Improvement Research Network (PHIRN) is divided into two, co-led, research programmes: Patterns and Pathways of Inequity; and Population Health Intervention. In autumn 2009, both programmes consulted with diverse stakeholders to discuss pressing research questions to be considered by each programme. One of PHIRN’s aims is to formulate linkages and knowledge transfer/exchange of research findings with system and community partners. Co-leads of the programmes will share the research questions they have begun to address. This session will also allow stakeholders to further provide input and better understand opportunities for them to connect with this Network.
Five 20-minute presentations on PHIRN are planned; one on PHIRN’s mandate, funding opportunities and membership possibilities, and four others on anticipated outputs of the two research programmes and the opportunities within these. Depending on the number of attendees, a question-and-answer session and/or small-group discussions will follow for the exchange of ideas.
Presented by the Population Health Improvement Research Network
SUNDAY JUNE 13 – AFTERNOON SESSIONS • 13:00 – 17:00
Best Practices Related to Injury Prevention
[13:00–14:30]
The Public Health Agency of Canada and Ontario Neurotrauma Foundation are partnering to offer an interactive workshop – a combination of presentations and group exercises for participants to learn about effective injury prevention interventions. We will present an example of a best practice intervention related to injury prevention and examine the continuum from program design, evaluation and best practice definition to dissemination. We will share examples and lessons learned from injury prevention programs/models being implemented across Canada. Our secondary focus is to set the stage for highlighting the Canadian Best Practices Portal for Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention (CBPP). This searchable database provides a means to access effective evidence-based interventions in injury prevention and many other topic areas.
Presented by the Public Health Agency of Canada and Ontario Neurotrauma Foundation
Breaking the Intergenerational Cycle: Collaborative Approaches in Support of First Nations, Inuit and Métis Health and Well-being
This workshop will host a panel of researchers that will explore the latest knowledge on the approaches in Social Determinants of Health and on the lifecourse model in relation to the health and well-being of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples. Small group discussions will provide the opportunity for participants to explore these models and share their expertise addressing specific issues facing First Nations, Inuit and Métis health, including the chronic disease crisis in Canada, the health inequities facing Aboriginal children in Canada, and structural issues related to access and control.
Presented by the National Collaborating Centre for Aboriginal Health
Chronic Disease Surveillance Data Cubes: A New Analysis Tool for Public Health
[13:00–15:30]
Data cubes are interactive databases that quickly allow users to create tables and graphs based on stored variables, using an Internet browser. Cubes are much like spreadsheets, however they are dynamic and can have more than two dimensions through the use of nesting. It’s like having hundreds of summary cross-tabulations and graphs at your fingertips. This half-day pre-conference session will demonstrate to participants how to access and use this Internet-based technology for surveillance purposes. It will include training on how to manipulate dimensions in data cubes, how to modify graphics and how to export tables and graphics. Participants will be provided with documentation that they can use to access this freely available, public health information from any computer with an Internet browser.
Presented by the Centre for Chronic Disease Prevention and Control, PHAC
Of Ethics and Pandemics: Workshop on Public Health Ethics Theory and Practice
[13:00–16:00]
Public health decision-makers/physicians frequently encounter challenging ethical dilemmas in their work, yet many have identified that they have no formal training in Public Health Ethics or feel the need to augment their knowledge and skills in this area. This workshop will review and demonstrate several approaches to ethical analysis in public health practice. Current theoretical frameworks and recent empirical data will be discussed using a combination of didactic, interactive and group exercise methods. The workshop will conclude with reflections on the development of a Canadian Public Health Physicians’ Code of Ethics based on experience with the American College of Preventive Medicine Code of Ethics Project. Participants should think of an ethical dilemma (real or semi-imagined) to use for this workshop. This workshop is accredited and is intended for community medicine specialists and public health physicians.
Additional registration fee (Resident - $15; Physician - $50) required
Presented by the National Specialty Society for Community Medicine
Future Priorities and Challenges in Canadian Public Health:
The Student Perspective
[13:00–16:30]
This will be a student-based panel discussion moderated by Dr. Nancy Edwards, the Scientific Director of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research’s Institute of Population and Public Health. The panel discussion will address the future priorities and challenges facing current and emerging Canadian public health professionals and how we can prepare to face them. The public health community is invited to attend and we are extending a special invitation to students in public health-related studies. This forum provides a rare opportunity for students of public health to discuss relevant issues from a student perspective. Breakout sessions, which will be held after the panel discussion, will engage audience members by putting theory into practice through collaboratively developing recommendations that will be submitted for publication to a peer-reviewed journal. It will be a great experience for all those involved!
Presented by the Canadian Public Health Association
Grey Matters: Population Health from Mid-life through Old Age
Canadians over 65 represent the fastest-growing age group in Canada. In fifteen years, ‘seniors’ will constitute over one in five Canadians. Soon after, all baby boomers will be between 65 and 83 years of age. This dramatic demographic shift will have consequences on individual and community life. It also heralds improved health promotion strategies targeting not only older Canadians, but also those currently at mid-life. This session will spotlight aging as a determinant of population health, considering genetics, healthy weights, chronic disease, mobility, and physical and cognitive fitness. The complexity of interactions influencing healthy aging, especially those involving gene-environment, lifestyle, social and employment status will be demonstrated. Speakers will also show how this demographic shift is driving innovations in research as well as policies, programs and products that ultimately benefit all age groups. An open discussion on the efforts of the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA) in accelerating such progress will follow.
Presented by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Health Indicators: Building on Equity Dimension and Improving Data Access – Recent Developments
This presentation will provide an overview of the Health Indicators project including background on framework, data sources, geography, and current activities around developing new indicators, as well as building on the equity dimension. The hands-on aspect of the workshop will showcase recent developments on the CIHI and Statistics Canada Websites which have been designed to help users find and use health information.
Presented by Statistics Canada and the Canadian Institute for Health Information
Integrating Health Impact Assessment into an Equity-oriented Health Technology Assessment Toolkit
In light of the ever-increasing rate at which health technologies are available, it is crucial for policy-makers and health-care workers to ensure their optimal use in ways that are both beneficial to consumers and economically responsible. It is important that these decisions are evidence-based and needs-based to avoid choices driven by the interest of stakeholders. Additionally, it is known that health technologies do not benefit all populations to the same extent and can exacerbate health inequities. The equity-oriented toolkit is a Health Technology Assessment (HTA) model that encompasses all of the above. However, it is also necessary to ensure that the suggested changes and policies be explicitly assessed for their impact on health in different populations before these are implemented. Thus, the goal of this workshop is to bring together different stakeholders to explore the inclusion of health impact assessment (HIA) into an equity-oriented toolkit for HTA.
Presented by the Centre for Global Health, University of Ottawa
An Overview and Discussion of Initiatives and Ongoing Work of the Pan-Canadian Public Health Network
This workshop will provide an overview of the Pan-Canadian Public Health Network (PHN), including a discussion on the role and purpose of the PHN in advancing public health priorities. It will also include a discussion regarding initiatives within the PHN related to the conference theme of Shaping the Future Together. Canada’s Federal, Provincial and Territorial (F/P/T) Health Ministers announced the establishment of the Pan-Canadian Public Health Network (PHN) in April 2005, thereby creating a new mechanism for different levels of government and experts to work together to improve public health in Canada.
Presented by the Public Health Network
Plain Writing for Health Professionals
[13:00–16:00]
This 3-hour session will take you to the next level of clear and effective writing. You will be engaged in learning and doing processes to help you understand:
- why plain writing makes a difference to patients, to the public, and to all the audiences you communicate with, and
- how to apply plain writing principles right away.
- Define plain language and discuss health literacy.
- Learn and practice 5 plain writing tips.
- Complete written and group exercises on passive voice and jargon/idioms.
- Apply a readability formula to a short text to determine its grade level.
- Discuss the importance of usability testing and clear design.
Sustaining Life on Earth: Eco-epidemiology, Values, Ethics and Law for Inter-generational Equity
Interdisciplinary evidence for calamitous harms to life and civilization through declines in over-stressed ecosystems consequential to business-as-usual ways of avoidance will be discussed. Instead of costly adaptations to system-wide collapses, hope for a paradigm shift is seen in revised constitutional law, adoption of the Earth Charter’s values and ethical principles, and awareness through education.
Additional registration fee ($45) required
Presented by the Canadian Society for Epidemiology and Biostatistics
The Future of Community Health Workers/Lay Health Workers in Canada and Internationally: Opportunities, Challenges and Risks
This session brings together researchers and practitioners to share expertise, ideas, and concerns about the contribution of community health worker models to reducing health inequities; strengthening health human resources; implementing health care delivery, health promotion and education interventions; and catalyzing system changes and community empowerment. Participants will: increase knowledge about the range of community health worker models; consider health human resource planning issues in relation to these models; review pros and cons of using community health workers/lay health workers to address health inequities; and identify policy and practice options at the local, regional, pan-Canadian and international levels. A discussant will provide an overall response to five 20-minute presentations on different aspects of the topic, identifying common themes and points for further discussion. Small-group discussions and/or a question-and-answer session will provide the opportunity to deepen learning and exchange ideas among all participants in the final part of the session.
Presented by the Population Health Improvement Research Network
Toward a Public Health Approach to Tobacco Control
In this interactive session, participants will learn about and contribute to CPHA’s project, The Next Stage: Delivering Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Knowledge through Public Health Networks. Participants will share information on evidence-informed and practice-based strategies, including “what works” in prevention and cessation programs and policies. Challenges, gaps and promising practices at local and regional levels will be discussed. Participants will have an opportunity to provide input on public health’s approach to tobacco control which will inform the “next generation” of tobacco control policy in Canada. Funded by Health Canada, the Next Stage project will enhance knowledge exchange among public health practitioners on tobacco control programs and policies, promote the integration of tobacco use reduction information into public health curriculums at postsecondary institutions, and generate an agenda for public health and its approach to tobacco control.
Presented by the Canadian Public Health Association