News

Public Health Summer Institute 2021 – Agenda Released!

Posted on June 11, 2021

Public Health Summer Institute 2021

Fake or Fact? Promoting Digital Health Literacy in an Era of New Media and Misinformation

June 24th & 25th, 2021 8:45am – 2:00pm PT

ONLINE EVENT – TICKETS $50.00+tax

Registration is on now: Click Here to Register

Agenda Released!

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!

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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:

phsi2021.eventbrite.ca

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.

Joint Report on First Nations Health and Wellness Is Now Available

Posted on June 7, 2021

A groundbreaking joint report from the Office of the Provincial Health Officer and the Office of the Chief Medical Officer is now available.

Titled First Nations Population Health and Wellness Agenda (PHWA), it is the fruit of a unique and multi-year partnership between the province and the First Nations Health Authority (FNHA), providing an eagle-eye view of the health and wellness of First Nations people living throughout BC.

“The PHWA is much more than just a health status report,” explains Acting Chief Medical Officer Dr. Shannon McDonald. “It is an act of self-determination. First Nations are controlling our own data and telling our own story in a way that reflects our strengths and resilience.”

Read the report HERE.

PHSI2021 – Think Piece Released & Speakers Announced!

Posted on June 4, 2021

Public Health Summer Institute 2021

Fake or Fact? Promoting Digital Health Literacy in an Era of New Media and Misinformation

June 24th & 25th, 2021 8:45am – 2:00pm PT

ONLINE EVENT – TICKETS $50.00+tax

Registration is on now: Click Here to Register

Think Piece Released & Speakers Announced!

We’re excited to announce the release of our think piece for the 12^th Annual Public Health Summer Institute, “Fake or Fact? Promoting Digital Health Literacy in an Era of New Media and Misinformation,” happening June 24^th and 25^th, 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.

To read the think piece, follow this link: phabc.org/think-piece-2021/

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!

To register today, follow this link: phsi2021.eventbrite.ca/

We will be releasing the agenda next week and the full program soon after, stay tuned for the announcement!

An Open Letter to Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc Nation

Posted on June 1, 2021

An Open Letter to Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc Nation

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.

Peaceful Homes: A Guide to the Prevention of Violence in the Home During and After Lockdowns

Posted on May 10, 2021

Peaceful Homes: A Guide to the Prevention of Violence in the Home During and After Lockdowns was developed by the Canadian Municipal Network on Crime Prevention.

This document has been developed as a practical resource for decision-makers, municipal stakeholders, and organizations to better understand the increased risk of family violence during COVID-19, highlight the potential long-term effects of violence, and identify approaches and programs that can help prevent violence in homes.

CMNCP PEACEFUL HOMES A Guide to the Prevention of Violence in the Home During and After Lockdowns_april_Final_AODA

Save the Date for the 2021 Public Health Summer Institute – Fake or Fact?

Posted on May 7, 2021

Public Health Summer Institute 2021

Fake or Fact? Promoting Digital Health Literacy in an Era of New Media and Misinformation

June 24th & 25th, 2021 8:45am – 2:00pm PT

ONLINE EVENT – TICKETS $50.00+tax

Registration is on now: Click Here to Register

PHABC is proud to announce our 12^th annual public health summer institute, “Fake or Fact? Promoting Digital Health Literacy in an Era of New Media and Misinformation,” happening Thursday June 24^th and Friday June 25^th, 2021. Once again, we have partnered with Saskatchewan Public Health Association, Public Health Agency of Canada, and Yukon Public Health Community of Practice to host this event across Canada.

As a result of the ongoing pandemic, we will be hosting our summer institute entirely online, so no matter where you are in the country you can join us virtually. Registration is on now via Eventbrite, for only $50 plus taxes you can join us online to explore the population health challenges and opportunities related to the dissemination, diffusion and promotion of health information in the digital age.

To register today follow this link: phsi2021.eventbrite.ca

As an added bonus, registrants who are located within BC, Saskatchewan or Yukon will receive a complimentary one-year membership to their region’s public health association!

We are excited to have Dr. Lorie Donelle, associate professor at the Arthur Labatt Family School of Nursing at Western University, and Dr. Simon Carroll, adjunct professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Victoria, as scientific program co-chairs for this year’s school on digital health literacy. Dr. Irv Rootman, chair of the BC Health Literacy Network and BC representative for Health Promotion Canada, will serve as our honorable co-chair.

We will be releasing more information on the summer institute; it’s agenda, featured speakers, etc., in the coming weeks. To keep up to date on everything summer institute related follow the link below:

phabc.org/public-health-summer-institute-2021/