Dalla Lana School of Public Health

“In the past year, there was an explosion of health applications leveraging artificial intelligence to advance predictive analytics, personalized medicine, clinical decision-making, and self-management tools. Much of the impact of the novel research focusing on AI to improve both mental and physical health will be realized in upcoming years, due to the need for validation and responsible implementation planning. I’m particularly excited by the potential to integrate data sources such as physiological, behavioural, and genetic data with traditional clinical data that is only possible through AI, in order to enable true individualized health management.”

“The United States Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) final report is relevant since exposure limits and guidelines for asbestos have not been updated in North America for over 25 years and there are still asbestos exposures experienced by the general public and workers due to legacy uses of asbestos in Canadian buildings; for example, including right here on campus. I am hopeful that this updated review will inspire both regulators and public health scientists to call for stricter controls on asbestos exposure, like we can find in many European countries. And since asbestos is still widely used in many low- and middle-income countries, it would be helpful to encourage bans and stricter exposure controls in many other parts of the world if they accepted the EPA’s findings.”

“By the end of 2024, 97 municipalities across Ontario had declared intimate partner violence (IPV) an epidemic. This represents a decisive action that, alongside calls from over 100 civil society organizations, has created important momentum on addressing gender-based violence in Ontario and in Canada. By framing IPV as a public health emergency, municipalities can leverage cross-sector collaboration – integrating health, housing, and social services while championing survivor-centered solutions. These approaches address fundamental issues of safety, housing security, and overall well-being.“Toronto (as one example) is already implementing practical, solutions such as matching donations to provide rent subsidies for women fleeing IPV. This targeted approach tackles one of the key consequences of IPV – housing insecurity and homelessness – by addressing immediate safety needs while providing a pathway to stability and economic security. Action on IPV at the municipal level signals an important shift in addressing IPV through systemic, equity-driven, and survivor-centred approaches in Canada.”

“Despite record high rates of opioid toxicity deaths in Ontario, in August 2024 the Province of Ontario announced its plan to close 10 supervised consumption sites by March 31, 2025. These will be replaced with Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment (HART) hubs that are expected to improve pathways to recovery through increased shelter beds, addiction care, primary care, supportive housing, employment support and more. The government’s planned investment of $387 million with at least 10 Hart Hubs are slated to open by March 31, 2025 is welcome and will increase access to needed services. However, the government’s plan for improved pathways ignores evidence showing that these pathways to improved health for people who use unregulated opioids most often start in the types of harm reduction settings that it proposes to close.”

“In February 2024, I had the privilege of hosting the inaugural Future of Health Leadership, Informatics and Policy (FHLIP) conference at the University of Toronto, bringing together patients, healthcare providers, policymakers, researchers, and industry leaders from across Canada. The conference served as a platform for discussing transformative health system solutions, particularly around integrating AI, data governance, and patient-centred care into the Canadian health landscape. The conference sparked new collaborations and set a bold agenda for modernizing health systems to transition from reactive to proactive modes in the years ahead.”

“There are two important highlights of 2024: the Changing Systems, Transforming Lives: Canada’s Anti-Racism Strategy 2024-2028 and the introduction of Bill C-72 the Connected Care for Canadians Act. Both of these federal legislations promise change to support Canadians with anti-racist action and health care data access, especially in the era of continued cancellation of DEI gains, globally.”

“The North American Conference on Integrated Care (NACIC24) was co-hosted by the North American Centre for Integrated Care at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health with the International Foundation for Integrated Care (IFIC) and IFIC Canada, in October 2024 in Calgary, Alberta.With the overarching theme ‘Creating Health and Wellbeing with Integrated Care’, the conference brought together leaders, researchers, clinicians, managers, community representatives, patients and caregivers from around the world who are engaged in the design and delivery of integrated health and care.In a fragmented and siloed health care system, people with complex health and social care needs fall through the many cracks. This conference provided many opportunities for sharing and learning from leading practices providing patient-centred integrated care and achieving better patient outcomes. The conference was co-chaired by DLSPH faculty members Dr. Walter Wodchis and Jodeme Goldhar.”