Astrid Guttmann and Susitha Wanigaratne bring Canadian perspectives to the Mi-CARE Workshop on pediatric migrant health in Switzerland
In early June, Leong Centre Co-Director Astrid Guttmann and Senior Research Associate Susitha Wanigaratne were invited by former Leong Fellow Julia Brandenberger to take part in the Migrant Child & Adolescent Health Research in Europe (Mi-CARE) Priority Setting Partnership Workshop in Basel, Switzerland. The four-day workshop brought together healthcare professionals, researchers, and individuals with lived experience to identify the top 10 research priorities in pediatric migrant health.
Following the meeting, our Knowledge Mobilization Specialist Priscilla Medeiros met with Astrid and Susitha to hear their reflections and key insights from the meeting.
Read the full interview below to learn more about her experience at the meeting.
Q: You recently attended the Migrant Child & Adolescent Health Research in Europe (Mi-CARE) Priority Setting Partnership Workshop in Basel, Switzerland. This workshop brought together a group of healthcare professionals, individuals with lived experience and researchers to identify the 10 top key research questions in pediatric migrant health. Can you share a bit about your experience at the four-day event?
Susitha: Overall, the experience was overwhelmingly positive. I had never been to Switzerland before, so Basel was an adventure – it is a beautiful and charming city, and easy to get around. The workshop was well organized by Julia and her colleagues, and from the very beginning we felt welcomed and included. The facilitators from the James Lind Alliance brought tremendous energy and enthusiasm, which really shaped the atmosphere of the event.
As observers, we had many opportunities to connect with healthcare providers, researchers, and people with lived experience. What stood out most to me was their generosity, empathy, and humour, even while often sharing difficult experiences and stories of migration. Hearing such a wide range of perspectives was both moving and inspiring. It emphasized for me how important this work is, and it gave me hope to see so many people so deeply committed to improving the lives of migrants in meaningful ways.
Astrid: The migration context in Europe is very different from Canada. For example, Greece has large refugee camps, and healthcare providers there often do humanitarian work with asylum seekers. Hearing first-hand about the challenges they face, including being asked to do age assessments for refugee minors, was eye-opening. That is not something we encounter in Canada, and I still think often about those comments. Many of the attendees were refugees themselves, including some physicians, and their stories were both moving and important to hear. What struck me most was people’s deep commitment in their belief that research should inform national policies and improve how migrants are integrated and cared for.
Q: How did your personal and professional experiences with migrant health in Canada shape your contributions to the discussions at the workshop?
Susitha: While we did not formally participate in the priority setting discussions, on the first day we were asked to share why pediatric migrant health matters to us. For me, I spoke about my personal experiences as the daughter of Sri Lankan immigrants who migrated to Canada in the 1970s, during a period when policies had shifted to admit largely highly educated immigrants from non-European countries. Despite their education and ability to speak fluent English, my parents’ settlement experiences iwere incredibly challenging. As a child, I did not fully recognize the weight of those struggles, but as an adult I came to understand them more clearly, especially as I witnessed the health and social care my mother received later in life. These personal experiences highlighted for me the importance of having providers who understand the migration experience and within that, the importance of culturally safe and responsive care is for migrant families.
At the workshop, I also had conversations with attendees around issues of racism in healthcare settings. Many shared experiences of anti-Black racism and Islamophobia and the impact on health and healthcare access, and we reflected on how these experiences resonate with some of what is known from the academic literature.
Astrid: My perspective has been shaped by sponsoring a Syrian refugee family. Their resilience, despite many challenges in Canada, deeply influenced how I think about strength-based approaches to research. I also believe Canada’s private sponsorship program is remarkable. It directly engages citizens in integration. While not perfect, it is a model I would love to see in other countries.
Q: What were your biggest takeaways from the European approach to migrant child and adolescent health discussed at the workshop, and how do these approaches compare to what you see in the Canadian context?
Susitha: I came away with the feeling that there is a strong sense of urgency to care for pediatric migrants in the European context. Because of the large and continuous flow of asylum-seeking populations in Europe, migration is not only a humanitarian issue but also a very political one. Immigrants have been an important part of Canada’s growth for decades but since we share only one border, immigration can be more structured and controlled so pressures feel less immediate. Inequities exist in Canada also, but I think there is greater acknowledgement of their existence and impact, and the also a willingness to work towards closing these gaps.
Astrid: What struck me most was the European Union’s effort to work collaboratively across countries. Even though policies are set nationally, there is an attempt to identify shared challenges and priorities in pediatric migrant health. That kind of coordinated approach is a real strength, though it will not be easy given the diversity of national contexts. The migration landscape in Europe is also very different from Canada’s. For instance, Europe is managing large numbers of unaccompanied minors and asylum seekers, while in Canada, we see more resettled refugees and in much smaller numbers. I also think Canadian society is more diverse socially, culturally, and institutionally, which shapes how migration and integration unfold here.
Q: The Mi-CARE project was launched by the REACH Group of the European Academy of Pediatrics, with Dr. Julia Brandenberger, a former Leong Fellow, a steering group member and workshop lead. What does continued collaboration with Dr. Brandenberger and the REACH Group mean for the Leong Centre in advancing pediatric migrant health research?
Susitha: It was inspiring to see Julia take the approaches and methods she worked with during her fellowship at the Edwin S.H. Leong Centre for Healthy Children, such as the James Lind Alliance approach and the use of administrative data, and adapt them to a European context. To me, this shows the broader impact of the Centre: when fellows carry forward their training to new settings while continuing to collaborate with us.
Astrid: Julia continues to collaborate with us on Canadian migrant health projects, including a recent study on emergency department use. One of the great strengths of the Edwin S.H. Leong Centre for Healthy Children is training fellows who go on to lead international programs while maintaining close ties with us. That ongoing partnership helps expand our reach and build meaningful global collaborations.
Q: Looking ahead, what are some opportunities or priorities for future work in migrant child health at the Leong Centre and collaboration with international leaders in this area?
Susitha: Migration touches so many children’s lives in Canada. One-third of Canadian children have at least one foreign-born parent, and in Toronto that number is even higher – about 75% of infants are born to migrant parents. This scale means there is tremendous opportunity for research that reflects migrant children’s lived realities.
Astrid: We want to stay focused on applied research that informs policy. For example, we are doing more work on international student health and mental health, which is relevant both in Canada and abroad. International collaborations are important, but it is equally important to recognize how much local contexts matter. Canada’s migration history and available data make it possible to do world-class research in this area, and continuing our collaboration with Julia and others will only strengthen that work.