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Snowy tracks | Photo: S. Archer

February 27 2020

Quality Assessment of Community Evidence (QACE) Tools

Webinar 9 March 2020, 1:00-2:00 EDT

Join the National Collaborating Centre for Methods and Tools as they launch their new tools for assessing the quality of community evidence. The QACE tools will help you answer the question: “Is the quality of this evidence about community needs and preferences good enough to influence decision making?”

These tools can be applied to evidence for local health issues and context, such as surveillance data and community health status reports, as well as evidence for community and political preferences and actions, such as the expressed needs and interests of community members and support from public or government officials.

More information and webinar registration


Partner Profile

Every month, we highlight one of our PHESC partners. This month, we're pleased to introduce Dr. Susan Bondy from the Dalla Lana School of Public Health.

Sue Bondy

Where do you live?

I live in midtown Toronto which feels less “me” over time with redevelopment. Toronto, though, I adore because it will always be made up of so many villages. Not just unique neighbourhoods and green spaces, but there are so many human networks based on culture, interests, activities, stage of life, politics, values, anything. There is something of interest to nerdiest professor or family with toddlers. Toronto is also a city where there is a lot of good will to be inclusive and to see that everyone has the chance to live a good life.

Where do you work?

I work at the University of Toronto's Dalla Lana School of Public Health and I’m really proud of its history and contributions.  

What are some current projects that you’re working on?

I’m involved in a few initiatives trying to boost surveillance and research in areas of mental health and student well-being. As an educator, I feel we are about to enter a period of deep re-thinking and critical review of how we train the future workforce in public health. It’s hard to even imagine how much roles are going to be changing and how we are going to be able to develop the hard and soft skills essential for those new roles.

What are you most excited for as a PHESC partner?

As a PhD student, and in early jobs as a more applied scientist, I got to observe and learn from people who really were generous mentors to the entire public health ecosystem. I remember the regional Ontario Health Intelligence Units, Teaching (public) Health Units and close partnerships between the university and Public Health Branch of the Ministry. People who had the knowledge and skills were listening and available to front line staff. Solutions could arise in any part of the province, be shared and draw additional resources for support and peer training.

Public health has been some rough times since then, but agencies partnering with PHESC have maintained those values. All voices and perspectives are valid. Knowledge and skills are empowering. The PHESC partnership has a lot of energy and optimism about (re)creating resources and networks that can be both sustainable and refreshed.

What long-term impact do you hope PHESC will have on the public health workforce in Ontario?

Front line staff have a tough job – in full eye contact with the public and policy makers while trying to make sense of information arising from evermore advanced (and always imperfect) scientific approaches and technologies. Long-term impact would be seen if a larger proportion of staff feel less intimidated by evidence and data, and when they feel confident and supported when using and generating knowledge about the people they serve, and about the impact of the programs and systems in which they work.

Would you rather have the ability to time travel or be invisible?

Invisible?  How could I connect with everyone? I would be using time travel to try to fix everything and protect people I love from pain. Historians understand. Most things are done with good intentions, but narrow interests. We don’t know what we don’t know. Maybe I would flit back and forth trying to keep climate change from happening and checking the results. Nobody would listen and I’d go insane. Instead, I wish to fly and breathe underwater.

Kayaks


Beyond PHESC: Other Resources and Professional Development Opportunities


This week: join the NCCDH-led Community Discussion / Cette semaine : participez à la discussion de la communauté animée par le CCNDS

24-28 February 2020 (all day) in the Health Equity Clicks: Community | la communauté de Cliquez pour l’équité en santé

Join your fellow community members from February 24-28 to talk about stigma from a health equity perspective.

The discussion will be facilitated by Health Equity Clicks: Community member Dianne Oickle, MSc., Knowledge Translation Specialist, NCCDH.

Drawing from the newly released Chief Public Health Officer's report, Addressing stigma: towards a more inclusive health system, which describes the impact of stigma on health through multiple pathways, we are asking you, the members of Health Equity Clicks: Community, to reflect on the topic of stigma, how it interferes with public health action to address health inequities, and how it can be mitigated within the context of public health work. In this online discussion, we will highlight the CPHO report and explore what public health actors can do to address the role of stigma in our work.

We look forward to your contributions | On vous attend


Webinar: Applying a Health Equity Lens to Program Planning

18 March 2020, 1:30pm-2:30pm EDT

Jointly hosted by the National Collaborating Centre for Methods and Tools and the National Collaborating Centre for Determinants of Health, this webinar will explore the Community Planning tool: Applying a health equity lens to program planning resource available from Fraser Health Authority in British Columbia. The resource will serve as an example of how to apply a health equity lens to complement current program planning practices. Speakers will reflect on practical examples where this tool has been applied and offer guidance on how to approach each of these steps.

More information and registration