Symposium photo

2022 Inaugural Symposium

"Seizing the Opportunity: Child Health Equity Research in Post-Pandemic Recovery"

Auditorium

Our inaugural Symposium "Seizing the Opportunity: Child Health Equity Research in Post-Pandemic Recovery" took place in Toronto on November 18, 2022. It gathered leading Canadian and international academics and policymakers to discuss the role that research should play in addressing equity in children’s health outcomes in an era of pandemic recovery.

The Edwin S.H. Leong Centre for Healthy Children welcomed guests including: First Nations Child and Family Caring Society Executive Director Dr. Cindy Blackstock; Bradford Institute for Health Research Director John Wright; Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Child and Family Engagement in Health Research and Healthcare Professor Roberta Woodgate; the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute Director for Population Health Sharon Goldfeld; and Dnaagdawenmag Binnoojiyag Child and Family Services Executive Director Amber Crowe.

Our day of conversation and learning included:

  • Equitable implementation of policies and programs in post-pandemic recovery
  • Guidance relevant to equitable sampling of participants in biomedical research
  • Engaging youth in participatory research and evaluation
  • Building effective collaborations between academics and implementing agencies
  • Advancing health equity in large-scale cohort studies

Recordings for each session can be found below.

Opening Remarks

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Dr. Ronald Cohn, President and CEO of The Hospital for Sick Children, reflected on the founding of the Centre. 

Drs. Astrid Guttmann and Eyal Cohen, Co-Directors of the Edwin S.H. Leong Centre for Healthy Children, highlighted the priorities of the Centre and its role in addressing widening inequities for children. 

Keynote Speaker

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Dr. Cindy Blackstock, Executive Director, First Nations Child and Family Caring Society, spoke on the rights of First Nations children and need for advancing culturally-based, equitable solutions. 

Post-Pandemic Recovery: Experiences Across Jurisdictions 

This panel discussed the lessons from various jurisdictions about implementing successful, and equitable policies and programs to improve child and youth well-being in post-pandemic recovery.

Moderator: Reporter Wyatt Sharpe, Anchor and Host of The Wyatt Sharpe Show

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Speakers include:

  • Caroline Alphonso, Education Reporter at The Globe and Mail
  • Dr. Mary Daly, Professor of Social Policy and Sociology at University of Oxford
  • Dr. Sharon Goldfeld, Theme Director for Population Health at the Murdoch Children's Research Institute
  • Olivia Lam, UNICEF Canada Youth Advocate

Equity and Engagement in Large Research Cohorts

This panel discussed the importance of engagement in large-scale longitudinal cohort studies of children.

Moderator: Dr. Astrid Guttmann, Co-Director of the Edwin S.H. Leong Centre for Healthy Children

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Speakers include:

  • Dr. Ruth Gilbert, Professor of Clinical Epidemiology at the University College London Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health
  • Dr. Sharon Goldfeld, Theme Director for Population Health at the Murdoch Children's Research Institute
  • Dr. John Wright, Director at the Bradford Institute for Health Research

Equity in Research Sampling 

These speakers discussed the challenges and innovative solutions related to their experiences in trials and genomics/biomarkers.

Moderator: Dr. Catherine Birken, Child Health Intervention at the Edwin S.H. Leong Centre for Healthy Children

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Speakers include:

Community Engagement & the Youth Voice

These speakers discussed why community engagement with youth matters; how to plan and design the process; and lessons learned from their community engagement initiatives.

Moderators: Drs. Samantha Anthony, Health Clinician Scientist at The Hospital for Sick Children; and Priscilla Medeiros, Knowledge Mobilization Specialist at the Edwin S.H. Leong Centre for Healthy Children.

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Speakers include: 

  • Raissa Amany, Youth Representative at the Young Canadian Roundtable on Health
  • DeShawn Hibbert, Neighborhood Ambassador for the Centre for Research and Innovation for Black Survivors of Homicide Victims
  • Stacie Smith, Executive Director at the Young Canadians Roundtable on Health
  • Dr. Tanya Sharpe, Professor in the Faculty of Social Work at the University of Toronto
  • Dr. Roberta Woodgate, Professor in the College of Nursing at the University of Manitoba

Bridging Research Gaps Through Impactful Partnerships

These speakers discussed the power of research partnerships between academics and implementing agencies, such as government, NGOs, and coalitions; and how its impact can result in changes to policy.

Moderators: Dr. Patricia O’Campo, Executive Director at the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute and Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Population Health Interventions; and Antonia Antonopoulos, Research Program Manager at the Edwin S.H. Leong Centre for Healthy Children. 

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Speakers include:

  • Manvir Bhangu, Founder of the Laadliyan Celebrating & Empowering Daughters
  • Dr. Marni Brownell, Professor in the Department of Community Health Sciences at the University of Manitoba
  • Amber Crowe, Executive Director at the Dnaagdawenmag Binnoojiiyag Child & Family Services
  • Dr. Barbara Fallon, Professor in the Faculty of Social Work at the University of Toronto
  • Dr. Susitha Wanigaratne, Senior Research Associate at the Edwin S.H. Leong Centre for Healthy Children