Exploring & Inspiring Health Advocacy
About
The primary aim of this symposium is to stimulate dialogue between those who will be working in health care, policy, and research towards greater equity and health outcomes for all. We also hope to support students in healthcare-related programs in their development as ‘health advocates’, one of the core CanMEDS competencies for future physicians.
We hope our symposium will be an opportunity to explore the skills needed for effective advocacy, ideas around why and how to advocate responsibly, various shapes and forms of health-related advocacy, and the myriad possible roles of health professionals (as care providers, administrators, researchers, policy makers, etc.) in working to enable and restore health at the individual, community, and international levels.
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Note: An IPE Exposure Credit is available for McMaster students attending this event! For more information, please visit the PIPER website.
Speakers
KEYNOTES
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JESSE THISTLE
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Jesse Thistle is Cree-Metis on his mother’s side and Scottish and Algonquin on his father’s side. Jesse is a P.E. Trudeau and Vanier Scholar, as well as a Governor General Silver Medalist. He is a Ph.D. student in History at York University. Jesse is the current Resident Scholar of Indigenous Homelessness at the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness where he recently drafted the National Definition of Indigenous Homelessness in Canada. His journey from homeless addict to successful university student is unusual among graduate students, but his lived- experience path has shaped the way he approaches homeless studies, Indigenous history, social work, and addiction studies.
DR. MONIKA DUTT
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Monika Dutt has been a Medical Officer of Health in Nova Scotia, northern Saskatchewan and Ontario. She was recently the Executive Director of a non-profit called Upstream, which focuses on changing policies to improve health. She has worked in health policy at the federal level and is on the Board and the past chair of Canadian Doctors for Medicare. She has been a family doctor in several First Nations, and has practiced in rural and remote settings across Canada and India as well as in larger centres. Her favourite place to be is outdoors with her seven-year-old son.
WORKSHOPS​
Violence in the Canadian Medical Industrial Complex: Imagining Alternatives and Futures
“Disability justice moves beyond rights- and equality-based approaches, beyond access and inclusion in unjust systems, instead working towards collective justice and liberation, towards transforming society as a whole.”
— Mia Mingus
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In this workshop, we will briefly go through the medical and social models of disability, and the intersections of disability with other systems of oppression such as race, class, and gender. Then, using the Disability Justice framework, we will look at the history and intersections of violence against people with disabilities, people of colour (specifically Indigenous and Black people and women of colour), and women. Then, in order to fully interrogate the Medical Industrial Complex in Canada, we will go through contemporary cases that will show how Disability Justice can go beyond the access and rights frameworks to imagine a transformed society.
SHANTHIYA BAHEERATHAN ​
Shanthiya is an anti-violence and disability justice organizer from the Disability Justice Network of Ontario. She has worked outside and within health systems as an advocate for individuals who have experienced medical violence and sexual violence and works to centre disability justice in all of her work. She is driven by a vision of a transformed society, where access and rights are just a starting point, where dignity, liberty, bodily autonomy and justice are an everyday reality for people with disabilities.
Cutting Through the Noise: Using New Media to Tell Stories for Change
Effective, ethical communication is a massive challenge in the era of fast-paced online news and social media. In this session, we'll consider how you can use modern communication tactics — social media, web presence, connecting with reporters and more — to break through the noise and engage the public on pressing medical issues.
ALLISON LEONARD ​
Most of the time, Allison Leonard is the managing editor at the Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI), where she focuses on making complex public policy issues accessible through engaging journalism. Outside of CIGI, Allison is a freelance writer and editor. She teaches non-profit communications at Conestoga College and occasionally writes about social and cultural issues. Her work has appeared in TVO, CBC, and a number of locally-focused publications.
The Opioid Crisis, Harm Reduction, and Hamilton: Building Skills to Respond
This workshop will be co-facilitated by a Public Health nurse, a harm reduction worker from The Aids Network, and a community member with lived experience. These three experts will provide a brief overview of the principles of harm reduction, as well as a survey of the current state of drug use in the Hamilton area, especially relating to opioid use. They will share practical strategies for working with clients who use substances, and will run workshop participants through a naloxone training so they can respond appropriately to an overdose.
CHRISSY HAWKINS ​
Chrissy is a person with lived experience. She has been a peer volunteer with the Elizabeth Fry Society for 15 years, and for seven years as a peer support volunteer with the AIDS Network's van needle exchange program. For seven years she's done peer support with the Mental Health Rights Coalition, where she is also currently the board chair. She has done numerous training programs in mental health and addictions, and is part of the Hamilton Opioid stakeholders committee and the supervised injections site committee.
LISA WARBURTON ​
Lisa is a harm reduction worker at The Aids Network in Hamilton.
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KATHY GUFFROY
Kathy is a public health nurse in the harm reduction program in Hamilton.
Health Equity Within Elementary and Secondary Schools: A Comprehensive Approach
This workshop will outline the highly complex nature of health equity, via a social determinants of health lens, and how certain frameworks structure the ways in which the education system functions for all populations. We will delve into preconceived biases and values, in order to challenge our ways of thinking, with respect to how we practice and work with respective clients/patients. A highly interactive session, with the hope of focusing on positive change, in a supportive and inclusive learning environment. All are welcome.
ALISON SCHURE ​
Alison completed her Honours Bachelor of Arts in Health Studies from McMaster, then continued with a Masters in Public Health from the University of Toronto's Dalla Lana School of Public health, and finished with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from McMaster University (accelerated stream). Currently, she is a part-time faculty member within McMaster's School of Nursing, with a focus on the Social Determinants of Health. She is a Public Health Nurse, with a large focus on social justice and health equity, within the community, with a focus on priority populations and schools. Currently, her work focuses on the difficult task of balancing health equity, and the structure of institutions, and systems, in order to guarantee equitable health outcomes for all.
Migrants and Newcomers in Hamilton: Providing Psychiatric Care
This workshop will explore best practices as well as the challenges of providing mental health care to newcomers. Specifically, the presenter will discuss her role in working collaboratively with a primary care clinic (Refuge Hamilton Centre for Newcomer Health) to deliver psychiatric services to newcomers in Hamilton..
Dr. RACHEL ERSTLING ​
Dr. Rachel Erstling is an Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences at McMaster University. She completed her MD training at the University of British Columbia in 2004, and her Postgraduate training in Psychiatry at McMaster University in 2010. She has a strong interest in working with marginalized populations. In addition to her work as the Consulting Psychiatrist with Refuge Hamilton Centre for Newcomer Health, Dr. Erstling also works as a Consulting Psychiatrist for the Shelter Health Network, and on an Assertive Community Treatment Team in the Niagara Region.
Testimonials
Mac Health Advocacy Symposium was stimulating, engaging, and an all-around great experience! Come if you’re interested in getting involved in advocacy work and learning from people leading exciting initiatives in the area, no matter what discipline/profession you are from.
— MD Candidate, Class of 2018
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Motivating, inspiring, organized beautifully. I loved the progression of speakers; it was logical and supportive of our growth as advocates. It has allowed me to be more critical of my advocacy/activism techniques and biases.
— MD Candidate, Class of 2016
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The speakers and workshops had excellent, on-point, focused, relevant topics that were valuable. Having a wide variety of speakers with different & practical experiences gives valuable insight into how advocacy can be practiced. The food and environment/classrooms were also excellent.
— MSc (Global Health) Candidate
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It was a great opportunity to learn about exciting resources, along with meeting innovators that are bridging the gap between clinical medicine and health advocacy.
— David, MD Candidate, Class of 2018
Past Events
Sponsors
KEYNOTE SPONSORS:
WORKSHOP SPONSORS:
EVENT SPONSORS:
EVENT SUPPORTERS:
Accessibility
The Health Advocacy Symposium is committed to hosting an event that is accessible to people with a variety of abilities and disabilities, people of all gender identities, people with a range of dietary needs, and people of all socioeconomic statuses.
We welcome you to get in touch if an accessibility-related measure could support your participation in this symposium! Let us know if you’ll be bringing kids, need ASL interpretation, accessible parking, specific dietary requirements, free admission for a support person, assistance with admission fees, or any other accessibility-related measure on the eventbrite registration form or by contacting Jane Tooley, symposium co-chair, at 416.839.5933 or jane.tooley@medportal.ca. No one will be turned away for lack of funds. We will do our best to arrange any other accessibility supports you require. The earlier you contact us, the more likely it is we will be able to meet all of your needs; please let us know before September 9, 2018.
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Note: The ChromeVox extension can be used as a screen reader with this website in the Google Chrome browser.
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Venue
Please see the map below for the event location. There is accessible parking on the north side of the building, an entrance with power-assisted doors, and an elevator up to the symposium area.
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David Braley Health Sciences Centre
100 Main St W
Hamilton, ON L8P 1H6
Accessibility for deaf and hard-of-hearing participants
We will have Communication Access Real-time Translation (CART) during the opening and closing keynotes and welcome and farewell remarks. CART offers live close captioning of speech and projects it onto a large screen at the front of the room.
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If you require ASL interpretation to participate in the workshops or question and answer period of the keynote presentations, please email us before September 9, 2018 and we will do our best to arrange this.
Low-Scent Event
To provide a chemical and fragrance free event for people with multiple chemical sensitivities, we request that participants refrain from using colognes, perfumes, or scented body care products before or during the event. Please wear something that has had limited exposure to the items above, as well as chemical based and scented laundry detergents or fabric softeners. Finally, please limit exposure of other attendees to scents associated with smoking by washing your hands after smoking and wearing clothing that have limited exposure to smoke. If you’d like more resources to learn about how to go low-scent or scent free, you can check out this helpful link: http://www.peggymunson.com/mcs/fragrancefree.html.
We request that participants do their best to respect others’ pronouns — for information on what pronouns are and how to make sure we’re all using the right pronouns for other people, check out this link: http://everydayfeminism.com/2014/11/pronoun-etiquette/.
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