A message from PHABC’s new President, Paola Ardiles: ‘A creative and courageous year ahead’
A happy and healthy 2016 to our members, collaborators and colleagues!
As a woman of colour who came to Canada as a refugee when I was a child, I have been reflecting on what an honour it is to be serving as the new President of the Public Health Association of BC (PHABC). As I start this journey, I feel gratitude for the support to date from the association’s staff and board members, as well as appreciation for the mentorship I received from the past Presidents: Marjorie MacDonald, Ted Bruce and Shannon Turner and past Vice President Irving Rootman. They have all given me the confidence and strength to take on this challenge.
Key transitions in 2016. While Marjorie and Shannon will continue playing an important role on our board, Irv will be stepping down as Co-Chair of the Capacity Building Committee but will continue to provide his expertise and guidance as we plan our year’s activities. After many years of providing leadership support to PHABC, Ted Bruce has stepped down from the board, yet we know that he will very much remain a strong champion for PHABC and public health in the province and beyond. We are all indebted for both Ted and Irv’s tremendous contributions to the Association and wish them the very best on their well-deserved retirement. I have served the board of PHABC for the last 5 years in various roles, and I continue to be very impressed with the calibre of people we have as members and as leaders of this organization. This year I am very pleased to introduce our new Board of Directors that bring diverse perspectives and expertise in wide range of areas including sustainability, business development, communications and community engagement.
Strengthening our youth engagement. During my term, I am committed to creating a public health community for young people to build their own leadership skills, to enable them to become our future leaders. We have some new board members that will bring us perspectives from a younger generation of leaders who understand how engagement and collaboration are truly at the heart of public health. I hope that you will find ways to connect with our board, our committees and find a place where you can engage, contribute, and learn as well.
Sustainability: a key focus for 2016 and beyond. Thanks to Marjorie’s leadership over the last few years PHABC has been engaging in a strategic planning process. We will be soon be sharing our new strategic plan, which establishes the organization’s key priorities and investments for the next 3-5 years. Throughout this process we have taken into consideration member interests and concerns, and we are looking forward to working with you on this foundational plan. PHABC is focusing on the association’s sustainability, with a goal to build a member driven, thriving organization. This plan will guide the work of the committees and we’ll all have an active role in its implementation. In addition, we have hit the ground running this year: planning for PHABC’s 2016 Summer School is already underway and we are co-hosting public events throughout the month of February. Stay tuned for details two public events related to Collective Impact: one in Surrey on February 10th related to Food Security, and another one on Feb 11th in Prince George, in partnership with the National Collaborating Centres, Northern Health Authority, and regional community partners.
My ongoing commitment. My commitment is to you is to serve with courage, creativity and innovation to strengthen our presence in the province and to better represent our strengths and diversity…because it’s 2016! I look forward to working with you in the next years to continue PHABC’s ongoing efforts to promote the health and wellbeing of all British Colombians.
Sincerely,
Paola Ardiles
President, Public Health Association of BC