Commercial Determinants of Health:
Moving from Harmful to Healthy
November 18th and 19th, 2024
Sutton Place Hotel, 845 Burrard Street, Vancouver
All sessions are in person. Register now.
Scientific Program Committee
We are pleased to introduce Dr. Claire Betker and Tina D. Purnat as our Scientific Program Committee Co-Chairs for our 2024 conference.
Tina D. Purnat – SPC Co-Chair
DrPH student, TH Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University
Visiting Scholar, School of Public Health, University of Memphis
Tina D Purnat is a Doctor of Public Health student and Prajna Leadership Fellow at TH Chan School of Public Health at Harvard University. Her DrPH studies focus on improving services to vulnerable and at-risk communities experiencing social, commercial, economic and health information inequities and barriers to health and wellbeing.
Tina is an accomplished health informatician whose global footprint spans over two decades of public health work. She has worked across academia, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the frontlines of public health organizations, consistently pushing the boundaries of health information and evidence, digital public health, AI technologies, and addressing health misinformation. Tina believes modernizing the business of public health means integrating cutting-edge technology and human-centered approaches to solving the world’s most wicked problems. She is a sought-after conference speaker and academic lecturer, especially in health misinformation and AI for health.
Dr. Claire Betker – SPC Co-Chair
Scientific Director, National Collaborating Centre for Determinants of Health
Claire is a Registered Nurse and, since March 2019, has been the National Collaborating Centre for Determinants of Health’s (NCCDH) Scientific Director. Prior to coming to the NCCDH, Claire was the Executive Director of the Population and Public Health Branch with Manitoba Health, Seniors and Active Living.
Her career has included roles in rural and urban public health, home health, primary health care, a regional health authority and the Public Health Agency of Canada, as well as previously serving as a Senior Knowledge Translation Specialist with the NCCDH.
Claire is a Past President of the Canadian Nurses Association and of the Community Health Nurses of Canada. Her PhD work focused on the capacity for public health leadership to advance health equity, a knowledge base that informs her contributions to the NCCDH, the public health field and community.
Claire brings a wealth of expertise, rich networks, and a passion to translate knowledge and evidence, especially to position public health to advance health equity.
Scientific Program Committee Members
Shannon Turner | Executive Director Public Health Association of BC |
Ginelle Smith | Operations Manager Public Health Association of BC |
Selenna Ho | Communications Director Public Health Association of BC |
Kelsey Pienaar | Conference Planner Public Health Association of BC |
Becky Meyer | Administrative Coordinator Public Health Association of BC |
Cheryl Christopher | Administrative Coordinator Public Health Association of BC |
Dr. Simon Carroll | Adjunct Professor School of Public Health and Social Policy, University of Victoria |
Melinda Markey | Manager Healthy Public Policy Unit, Vancouver Coastal Health |
Dr. Trevor Hancock | Retired Professor and Senior Scholar School of Public Health and Social Policy, University of Victoria |
Allysha Ram | Policy Analyst Population and Public Health, Fraser Health Authority |
Lara Frederick | Regional Manager Public Health Practice, Northern Health |
Dr. Theresa Healy | Assistant Professor School of Environmental Planning Adjunct Professor Gender Studies, University of Northern BC |
Thank you to Monika Kosinska, our Special Advisor.