Recent and Upcoming Events
Health Inc: Corporations, capitalism, and commercial determinant of health series
This panel is co-hosted by the Centre for Global Health, Dalla Lana School of Public Health and the Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing at the University of Toronto.
About This Series
The corporation is arguably the most powerful social and economic institution globally, with unprecedented power to shape scientific evidence, public policy, and lifestyles. Corporations share practices including advertising, public relations, and lobbying that are common across industries and which impact population health and health equity. For example, non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are currently the leading cause of mortality globally and account for 71% of all deaths according to the World Health Organization (WHO).1 The main risk factors for developing NCDs as identified by the WHO include harmful alcohol drinking, tobacco use, physical inactivity, and the consumption of unhealthy diets rich in overly processed foods.2 The United Nations has addressed NCDs in their Sustainable Development Goal target 3.4, which is to reduce premature mortality from NCDs by a third by 2030.3 At the same time, medically-related industry, including pharmaceutical, medical device, infant formula, and health technology companies have pervasive influence over the production of health evidence, the dissemination of health innovations, and the development of clinical practice and health policy. Critical public health analysis of the power of the corporate sector in influencing public health outcomes informed the field referred to as the commercial determinants of health. The Lancet Global Health defines the commercial determinants of health as “strategies and approaches used by the private sector to promote products and choices that are detrimental to health”.4 Corporate practices can thus be critically examined and strategically challenged in order to contribute to healthy, evidence-based public policy solutions. The Dalla Lana School of Public Health’s Centre for Global Health in partnership with the Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing at the University of Toronto are hosting a seminar series entitled Health Inc: Corporations, capitalism, and the commercial determinants of health. The objective of this seminar series is to create a forum to promote conversations, research training and collaboration across sectors and disciplines regarding the impact of corporations on health. Themes that will be explored during the seminar series include but are not limited to industry’s role in harm reduction, public-private partnerships, conflicts of interests, industry sponsorship and conduct of research, health data and data justice, sustainable health care, and the role of corporations in the climate crisis and inequities.
Season 2 Series Schedule
- October 6th – Seminar 2.1 – The urgency of studying corporate influences on health and healthcare
- November 16th – Seminar 2.2 – Capitalism and Labour: Gig economies, precarious work, and urban poverty
Season 1 Series Topics (Completed)
- Seminar 1.1: Corporate Influences on Health and Healthcare
- Seminar 1.2: Part of the problem or part of the solution? Industry and harm reduction
- Seminar 1.3: Regulating corporations: The interface between corporations and the public sector
- Seminar 1.4: Manufacturing evidence: Industry sponsorship and conduct of research
- Seminar 1.5: The Shared Strategies of Health-Harming Corporations to Influence the Policy Process
- Seminar 1.6: A critical examination of Food Industry Partnerships and Practices
For more information and registration please visit our event page
Global Health & AI Challenge
The Global Health & AI Challenge, a partnership between the Dalla Lana School of Public Health and Vector Institute will engage students in critical dialogue and problem-solving scenarios on some of the most complex global health challenges of our time. Threats to global health exist due to complex, interrelated economic, political, social, cultural, environmental, and historical factors, and thus demand creative, interdisciplinary and intersectoral solutions. Technological innovations and interventions such as AI offer the potential to disrupt these complex threats.
The 2020 winning team includes Collaborative Specialization in Global Health students Miranda Loutet (PhD Epidemiology), Archchun Ariyarajah (PhD Epidemiology), Lauren Hamill (Master of Public Health – Health Promotion), Sam Kochhar (MBA) and Nafisa Kanji (Global Executive MBA). Their approach addressed a Dengue, a disease that affects up to 400 million people annually. Their proposed solution involves an AI based platform to predict future outbreaks and help local health and government authorities with response preparedness.
For more information about the 2020 Global Health & AI Challenge click here
#GHAICHALLENGE #GLOBALHEALTHDLSPH #VECTORINST
Careers in Global Health
Are you interested in learning more about the different career pathways in global health? Then, this series is for you. Come share your experiences and burning questions and interact with our speakers working in academia, government, entrepreneurship, consulting and NGO sectors.
Model World Health Assembly (WHA)
The Centre for Global Health at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health (DLSPH), University of Toronto has worked with the Office of International Affairs for the Health Portfolio, Government of Canada on a simulated Model WHA for global health graduate students.
The Office of International Affairs (OIA) manages Canada’s relationship with the World Health Organization (WHO) in close collaboration with Global Affairs Canada (GAC). In particular, OIA is responsible for leading preparations and supporting Canada’s participation in WHO governing body meetings such as the World Health Assembly.
2017 – Maternal, infant and young child nutrition
2018 – Global Mental Health
2019 – Universal Health Coverage
John R. Evans Lectureship in Global Health
The John R. Evans Lectureship in Global Health was established by Dr. David Naylor, when he was The University of Toronto’s Dean of Medicine. The lectureship acknowledges the major role Dr. Evans played in the University of Toronto’s history and his global contributions to the advancement of human health and well-being.
May 20th, 2022 – Deep Medicine and the Care Revolution featuring keynote speaker Dr. Rupa Marya and remarks from Blake Poland and Carlos Sanchez Pimienta
PAST
April 21st, 2021 – Dr. Rene Loewenson, keynote speaker, will delivered a talk titled “Fundamental choices for the future of public health – what is COVID-19 exposing?” it was followed by reflections from Lisa Forman and Sharmila Mhatre as well as a Q&A from the audience.
February 28th, 2020 – DLSPH welcomed visiting scholar Nísia Trindade Lima who spoke about her experience as the President of the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation in educational initiatives in universal health care coverage. The title of the talk is Brazil’s Unified Health System: history and perspectives
Global Health Speakers
Tuesday October 1st, 2019 12pm – 1pm HSB 574 Seminar Talk – Child and Adolescent Health and Development with Donald A.P. Bundy
Tuesday October 22nd, 2019 12pm – 1pm HSB 208 Seminar Talk – Managing Risks of Corruption to Advance Health, How to Make Global Anticorruption Efforts Work with Mostafa Hunter
Tuesday November 5th, 2019 12pm – 1pm HSB 574 Lecture –Primary Health Care and Regionalization in Brazil with Aylene Bousquat
Wednesday November 13th, 1pm – 2pm HSB 208 Seminar Talk – What it Means to be an International Expert for the World Health Organization with Dr. Natasha Crowcroft, Dr. Shelley Deeks & Dr. Arlene King
Universal Health Coverage (UHC) Lecture Series
Universal health care coverage, a critical issue in global health
The importance of Universal Health Care coverage cannot be understated.
- According to the WHO universal health care coverage means that all people and communities can use the preventive, curative, rehabilitative and palliative health services they need, of sufficient quality to be effective, while also ensuring that the use of these services does not expose the user to financial hardship.
- There is a growing recognition, however, that many countries are not able to deliver optimal health outcomes within current health systems structures. In LMICs, between 5.7 and 8.4 million deaths result from poor quality of care.
- There are seven characteristics necessary for achieving quality health care including “effectiveness, safety, people-centeredness, timeliness, equity, integration of care and efficiency.”
More information on events to be announced.
Webinars
April 15, 2020 – Equity, Rights & Global Health during COVID-19
The COVID-19 crisis has brought to light the already pre-existing and underlying inequities in our health, social, economic and political systems. This webinar is moderated by Ross Upshur and the panelists include Erica Di Ruggiero, Lisa Forman,Paula Braitstein, Sarah O’sullivan and Arjumand Siddiqqi.
May 20, 2020 – The Intersection of Mental Health and Culture During and Post-COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought an increasing amount of uncertainty to our lives. The mental health impacts of the pandemic, while universal, are also unique to individuals and communities that experience them. Culture and social contexts, while not the only determinants, shape and give meaning to the mental health experience of individuals and communities. This webinar is moderated by Erica Di Ruggiero and the panelists include Akwatu Khenti, Renee Linklater, Elli Weisbaum and Corey McAuliffe
June 4, 2020 – Exploring the Human Rights Dimensions of COVID-19
The human rights impacts of COVID-19 are significant and wide-ranging: from the legitimacy of restrictions of individual rights in emergency measures for COVID-19, to people’s ability to access existing and future COVID-19-related prevention, treatment and care, to the social safety nets necessary to mitigate the economic hardships of lock downs.
September 21, 2020 – How does a public health crisis impact the education sector?
The education of children, youth and other learners has been interrupted as governments and their public health officials sought to contain the pandemic. According to UNESCO, school closures impacted over 60% of the student population. While remote learning strategies were put in place to mitigate the impacts, not all communities benefited equally. As economies around the globe start to re-open, questions are being raised about the safety of students and their teachers. Join us for a panel discussion on how different jurisdictions are handling these concerns, while trying to ensure continuity of learning.
November 2, 2020 – The Impact of COVID-19 on Gender Equality
Join the Centre for Global Health, DLSPH, the Collaborative Specialization in Women’s Health, DLSPH and Women’s College Hospital for a panel discussion on how COVID-19 has impacted progress made towards achieving Gender Equality.
The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the health of women in a significant and wide-ranging manner: from the disproportionate representation of women in front-line health care positions; to a lack of economic security as women choose between childcare and returning to work; to a stark increase in violence against women. What policy and governmental responses are needed in order to get back on track to achieving gender equality, both during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic? What is the role of grassroots organizations in supporting women who have experienced these impacts? What can the public do to support women now?
December 2, 2020 – Environmental Health Approaches to COVID-19 Part 1
Organized by the Centre for Global Health, DLSPH, and the Centre for Sustainable Health Systems, IHPME COVID-19 pandemic has clearly disrupted our economic, social and health systems. But it had also shown us the benefits of reducing our consumption patterns, which if sustained, can have positive effects on the health of our planet. Unlike COVID-19, climate change is not a new global emergency. During this webinar, the global, political and economic drivers of climate change and environmental degradation will be discussed, alongside the relationship between infectious disease patterns and climate change. The role of different sectors, including the health sector in responding to these crises through environmentally sustainable solutions will also be discussed.
February 10, 2021 –Building Back Better: Sustainable Health Systems after COVID-19 Part II
Organized by the Centre for Sustainable Health Systems and the Centre for Global Health. Can health systems be part of “building back better” in the face of COVID-19, the climate crisis, and growing inequality? Our panelists will discuss the responsibility of health systems to purchase with a view to a sustainable future, build a more resilient medical supply ecosystem, and invest in ways that support our net zero ambitions.
February 11, 2021 –Implementation Research to Achieve Health-Related SDGs
The webinar will introduce the Seven Approaches to Investing in Implementation Research in Low and Middle-Income Countries document, which will then be followed by comments from funders that focus on improving health and health systems, particularly in LMICs. These funders will reflect on how they increasingly use innovative frameworks and methodologies that underpin IR with the aim to understand and bridge the gaps between ‘knowing and doing’ through a vital collaboration between researchers, policymakers and health practitioners. The session will end with an interactive Q&A session.
March 11, 2021 –Book Launch – Global Health: Ethical Challenges
The Joint Centre for Bioethics and the Centre for Global Health, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto are pleased to co-host this virtual book launch of Global Health Ethical Challenges (2nd edition) by Solomon Benatar and Gillian Brock, eds.
This talk will feature reflections on the book from Eric M. Meslin followed by three brief commentaries from authors Ross Upshur, Angela Mashford-Pringle, and Isabella Bakker who contributed chapters to it. The session will be introduced by Jennifer Gibson, and the Q&A will be facilitated by Erica Di Ruggiero.
March 24, 2021 – Shaping Canada’s Global Health Future
If anyone thought Global Health was only about health in developing countries, then the COVID-19 pandemic will have taught them differently. We can no longer afford to separate our own health from that of others. If countries do not act collectively on global health, then we all lose. And this does not only apply to pandemics. The triple crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, and persistent inequities present major challenges for all countries, including wealthy ones such as Canada. Canada’s domestic needs are linked to health and health equity across the globe, priorities that can be addressed by linking Canada’s domestic and foreign policy. Undertaking these challenges will require the involvement of many sectors, support for multilateralism, inclusion of health considerations in trade agreements, a range of foreign and economic policies, and financing global public goods. What are experiences from other countries? What kind of strategies could help move a global health agenda forward? Join us for a keynote speaker, Ilona Kickbusch with discussant Dr. John Kirton. The event will be moderated by Dr. Erica Di Ruggiero and Dr. Garry Aslanyan.
The Centre for Global Health also collaborates, supports and promotes activities by other students groups including Public Health Student’s Association (PHSA), University of Toronto International Health Program (UTIHP), and Juxtaposition Global Health Magazine.
To stay informed about the Centre for Global Health events, updates, stories and global health career opportunities please subscribe to our newsletter or e-mail globalhealth.dlsph@utoronto.ca