The high school program components are designed to raise awareness of public health careers and empower youth to explore the field. Through interactive workshops, mentorship opportunities, and hands-on activities, students gain valuable insights into public health, develop essential skills, and are inspired to pursue careers that positively impact communities.

Semester Program

The Semester program is the foundation of the Outreach and Access Program and focuses on relationship building with mentors from diverse backgrounds who teach life and success skills through activity-based learning in weekly sessions throughout the academic calendar. Students meet and learn from experts like DLSPH faculty, visit U of T campus, attend workshops, and receive additional support.

A program participant confidently presents at the podium during the case study competition.

Program Details

  • The program consists of 8 one-hour sessions delivered in the Fall and 8 sessions in Winter/Spring, that covers public health topics and life skill building activities delivered to 6 different sites across Toronto.
  • Programming is informed by the unique demographics of each site and developed in collaboration with community partners.
  • Sessions delivered weekly during student lunch period or in the evenings where we provide food (from local vendors) to all participants.
  • Mentorship and public health education is delivered to students in Grades 10-12.

Summer Institute

Students spend a full week immersed in activity-based, team learning of public health disciplines centred around a case study to apply their learnings. The Institute allows participants to accelerate their learning using graduate-level scenarios and case studies.

A group of Outreach and Access Program students are working on their debate.

Program Details

  • The week-long program takes place at DLSPH with lectures and workshops facilitated by DLSPH faculty, alumni, and health professionals.
  • Case study challenges students to integrate learnings from the Semester Program and Summer Institute and apply them to real-world scenarios. Case study topics have explored the opioid crisis, bacterial and viral disease outbreaks, health and human resource crises.
  • Site visits to locations relevant to the case study to introduce experiential learning and lasting impact. Notable locations include Scotia Bank Arena, University Health Network, Parkdale Queen West, Anishnawbe Health Toronto, Li-Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, and Centre for Digital Therapeutics.
  • Students receive a modest stipend for their participation in the Summer Institute and lunch is provided for each session.

March Break Program

Health Professionals Career Week, held during March Break, is an initiative developed by the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, and the University of Toronto Scarborough Campus.

The program is designed to introduce high school students from the city’s east end to local healthcare settings and provide engagement with professionals from careers not frequently explored by youth. The goal is to create meaningful connections between healthcare pathways and the providers delivering those services. Students will learn on site in these healthcare settings to encourage learnings to resonate for years to come.

Learnings are centred on a case study that explores services and professionals accessed within healthcare pathways while discussions will be led by healthcare professionals from diverse backgrounds that model inclusive approaches to care.

An Outreach and Access Program student smiles during a class discussion.