Now Accepting Applications for the 2021-2023 Term!!
Want to make a difference in British Columbia? Interested in creating safe, healthy and inclusive communities for all? Want to network with other like-minded individuals and advance the principles of public health in BC? If you’ve answered YES to any of these questions, please consider applying to become a Board Member for the Public Health Association of BC! The call for board nominations is now open!
We’re looking for a number of passionate public health professionals who are interested in joining the board of directors for the 2021-2023 term. This year we have 2 executive positions, Secretary (2 year term) & Treasurer (2 year term), and 4 Director-at-large positions (2 year term), available for current PHABC members to apply for. We are eager to see representation on the board that reflects the diversity of our province and includes individuals from each major geographic region of BC.
PHABC Board members are expected to participate in monthly board meetings via videoconference, attend the annual conference & AGM (in person if possible/permissible by current public health protocol), join at least one PHABC committee, contribute to the annual summer institute and conference, and promote and advocate for the association’s mission, vision and strategic goals.
To apply to be a board member, you will need to be a current PHABC member as of the date of application, complete the below attached application form and submit it alongside a short biography of yourself and two letters of support from current PHABC members outlining your suitability for a position on the board. NEW FOR 2021!! If you do not know the requisite two current PHABC members, you may submit your application for consideration to our nominations committee for review and approval.
The call for nominations will close at 11:59PM PDT on Sunday September 26th, 2021 and only e-mail applications are accepted. A member of the Governance Committee or the Board of Directors may contact a candidate to answer any further questions regarding their application. Should we receive a sufficient number of applications, a slate of candidates will be prepared and the election process will commence in early October 2021.
New board members will be announced during our Annual General Meeting, happening online via Zoom in late November. Please check back on the website for more information about the AGM as it is released.
If you have an questions about the application form, your membership status, or anything else, please do not hesitate to contact us at ops.manager@phabc.org and we will be happy to help!
You can view the application form below. To download, click the ‘download‘ button on the bottom right, or click here.
We’re seeking members for the Nominations Committee!
The Nominations Committee reviews applications and provides nominations for individuals applying to the PHABC Board of Directors who do not have the requisite two nominators. Committee responsibilities include:
Reviewing application forms for potential board members; and
The Committee is made up of one Governance Committee member and between four and six general members of PHABC. Nominations committee members are excluded from running for the board during this election cycle to avoid any potential conflict of interest.
Members selected to serve on the Nominations Committee will begin reviewing applications to the board in September 2021 and conclude their responsibilities in October 2021 prior to the election for the 2021-2023 PHABC Board of Directors.
Eligibility
You are eligible to serve on PHABC’s Nominations Committee if you:
demonstrate integrity, inclusiveness and ethical conduct; and
demonstrate a clear understanding of PHABC’s vision, mission and mandate.
How to Apply
If you’re interested in becoming a member of the Nominations Committee, we look forward to hearing from you. To apply, please email ops.manager@phabc.org, highlighting the skills and experience you would bring to this role.
If you have questions about this committee or wish to contact a member of the Governance Committee, please feel free to email ops.manager@phabc.org.
The deadline to apply is 5:00pm on September 10th, 2021.
The Public Health Association of British Columbia was saddened to learn of the passing of our longtime friend, member, and PHABC Merit Award winner Dr. James Frankish.
Dr. Frankish had a passion and commitment to the promotion of public health. His distinguished career extended across three universities: the University of Toronto, the University of Victoria and lastly the University of British Columbia where he was Professor Emeritus at the School of Population and Public Health. He was an active mentor and educator to generations of public health professionals, having worked with students and colleagues from more than 34 disciplines. He was known to be a prolific researcher playing significant roles in more than 120 research projects.
As well as being a long serving member of PHABC, Dr. Frankish was also a well known community builder. He was also involved as a Member of the Board of Directors of the Lookout Emergency Aid Society, worked with the Impact on Communities Coalition for the 2010 Olympics, led projects on “high risk youth”, trained street youth as “Lay Health Ambassadors”; and served as the President of the Board of the Vancouver Crisis Centre. Most recently he was asked to serve on Mayor’s Task Force on Mental Health and Addiction for the City of Vancouver. Throughout his career he has practiced a philosophy of collaboration and partnerships with communities and community organizations, participation of people from vulnerable population groups, and participation of students in community-service learning – all to apply research knowledge to resolve important issues, such as homelessness.
His knowledge and commitment to issues in vulnerable communities had been recognized by the Canadian Government and various national organizations. He was sought after for both his professional public health and local community knowledge to join high-level Committees and Boards, such as the Advisory Committee of the National Collaborating Centre on Determinants of Health, the Canadian Consortium for Health Promotion Research and the Board of the Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention. He made significant contributions to the important work of all these bodies to improve the public health of people throughout British Columbia and across Canada.
The Public Health Association of British Columbia extends its heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of Dr. James Frankish. His loss will be felt not only by those within our community, but across British Columbia, Canada and the public health academic world he loved so much.
We thought we’d give you a little teaser of what to expect for this year’s Public Health Summer Institute, “Fake or Fact? Promoting Digital Health Literacy in an Era of New Media and Misinformation” before the weekend. So we’re excited to release our agenda for the two-day event!
This summer institute, happening Thursday June 24th and Friday June 25th, is designed to address current public health issues and support the ongoing needs of the public health workforce through capacity building continuing education. Participants attending the institute will spend the two days learning about the socio-economic and cultural forces that encourage the spread of health disinformation and their implications for population health – including digital health literacy, health equity, and health literacy, and what positive health impacts and other co-benefits can be developed when accurate health information is disseminated efficiently.
We’ve got an all-star lineup of speakers for the two-day event and an interactive agenda that should leave you well positioned to promote accurate heath information and combat misinformation online in your personal and professional lives. Visit to learn more about the summer institute, Click Here
If you haven’t read the think piece yet, what are you waiting for?! The document provides a common understanding of the goals of the summer institute and contains a ton of further reading resources for those particularly interested in different aspects of digital health literacy. To check it out, Click Here
Registration is still on for the institute and is only $50 plus Eventbrite fees for the two-day event. If you are worried about missing some of the sessions due to other work commitments, don’t be! We will be recording the sessions to be released to registrants afterwards. Plus, if you register from BC, Saskatchewan or Yukon you also get a complimentary 1-year membership to your region’s public health association. Talk about a win-win situation! To register today, follow the link below:
Are you interested in the summer institute but unable to cover the registration fee? Please contact Christina at ops.manager@phabc.org to learn about current volunteer opportunities.
We’re excited to announce the release of our think piece for the 12th Annual Public Health Summer Institute, “Fake or Fact? Promoting Digital Health Literacy in an Era of New Media and Misinformation,” happening June 24th and 25th, 2021 ONLINE!
This year’s summer institute aims to bring together public health professionals and providers, students and researchers across numerous health and social service sectors to explore the population health challenges and opportunities related to the dissemination, diffusion and promotion of health information in the digital age. The think piece serves as an introduction to the main themes of the summer institute and is designed to foster a common understanding of the goals of the institute in advance. It also contains a number of references for further reading for those who have a particular interest in the themes.
We are also excited to release our list of featured speakers and organizations at the institute:
Simon Carroll, Adjunct Professor, Department of Sociology, University of Victoria, & SPC Co-chair
Lorie Donelle, Associate Professor, Arthur Labatt Family School of Nursing, Western University, & SPC Co-chair
Anatoliy Gruzd, Canada Research Chair, Social Media Data Stewardship, & Director, Social Media Lab, Ryerson University
Elizabeth Wilhelm, Co-lead, Vaccine Confidence Team, COVID-19 Task Force, US Centres for Disease Control
Darryl Quantz, Public Health Consultant, Fraser Health
Tim Takaro, Professor, Faculty of Health Science Simon Fraser University
Media Measurement Ltd., A Digital Research Consultancy & Architect of the Vaccine Acceptance Tracker
Sarah Ball, Head of Research
Lucy Lavery, Senior Analyst
Amy Wright, Digital Media Research Expert
Speaker TBA, Social Media and Engagement Division, Ottawa Public Health
Registration for the two-day event is only $50.00 plus Eventbrite fees, and as an added bonus, participants from BC, Saskatchewan, and the Yukon will receive a complimentary 1-year membership to their region’s public health association with their registration!
As we enter into National Indigenous History Month it is important to reflect on the recent events in Kamloops regarding the discovery of 215 children in unmarked graves on the grounds of the Kamloops Residential School. We have released the following open letter as we stand in solidarity with the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc Nation and all Indigenous communities while they grapple with this unconceivable tragedy.
This letter contains sensitive content that may be triggering. For crisis support here in BC please contact the KUU-US Crisis Line at 1-800-588-8717 or visit the Indian Residential School Survivors Society’s website at www.irsss.ca for additional support services.
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