Conference 2024 – Scientific Program Committee

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.