A critical 21st Century paradox is growing concern for “good living” and “collective health” alongside the globalization of unhealthy modes of living and deteriorating ecosystems. In such a context, an understanding of social determination of health can become a critical guide for responsible science and knowledge in the health, environmental and social fields. In contrast, excessively narrow reductionist and functional thinking has distorted this concept into popularized notions of “social determinants of health”.

Talking from the perspective of the “South” we need not only share the challenges, but also the strengths of our theoretical-methodological reasoning (many times neglected by mainstream public health); Latin American critical epidemiology provides a rationale and methodological tools for understanding those differences and building innovative North South collaboration.

Speaker: Jaime Breilh, Md. MSc. PhD
Dr. Breilh is a leading Ecuadorian scientist in the field of social epidemiology and collective health, as well as a senior member (and president-elect) of the Ecuadorian Academy of Medicine. He has fostered a new school of Latin American thought in public health and the development of critical (social) epidemiology. His publications, widely distributed in Spanish and Portuguese throughout Latin America, have pioneered a series of theoretical, methodological and empirical advances in the area of social epidemiology, research methodology and epistemology of science. He is also a leader in “an ecosystem approach to health”. Dr. Breilh has also pioneered innovations in health surveillance, creating instruments for participatory monitoring like the stress scale that is now used for research on social determinants of stress. He co-authored a system for participatory research on neurotoxic and psychotoxic disturbances produced by exposure to pesticides; incorporating those monitoring standards to ensure appropriate internationally recognized agro-industrial practices. And he is leading advances in new paradigms for promoting a transdisciplinary approach to health. In addition to being the Director of the Health Area at the University of Andina Simon Bolivar in Quito (which serves not only Ecuador but the entire Andean Region), Dr. Breilh is the Director of the PhD program in Collective Health, Environment and Society. Dr. Breilh has received many prizes and awards for his work and has been a Visiting Research Scholar at many universities across Latin America and the United States.

Opportunity for students to get to know some of our faculty and their research. This year featuring an understanding about the School’s themes.


THEME PRESENTER(S)

• Public Health, Emerging Treats and Rapid Response: Jane Buxton, Marcus Lem


• Epidemiology and Biostatistics: Joel Singer


• Global and Indigenous Health: Charles Larson, Jerry Spiegel


• Health Care Services and Systems: TBD


• Maternal-Child Health: Patti Janssen


• Occupational and Environmental Health: Mike Brauer, Mieke Koehoorn


• Social and Life Course Determinants of Health: Chris McLeod

Speaker: Alan Whitehead, President & CEO, Radon Environmental Management

Professor Cam Donaldson, Yunus Chair in Social Business & Health, Glasgow Caledonian University

Publicly-funded health care is frequently under attack, and no less so in these times of relative austerity. Yet, perhaps ironically, there are sound economic arguments as to why systems like Medicare should be protected, even expanded, and supplementary 'revenue raisers', like user charges, abolished. Many of these arguments were developed here in Canada and will be outlined in Dr. Donaldson's talk before he then turns to the unpalatable and unspoken truth still often not recognised in health care - that, despite public funding, we need to recognise and more-explicitly manage scarcity of resources. Dr. Donaldson will also outline a collaborative research and implementation agenda for scarcity management in health care which, if followed, can only further strengthen the efficiency and fairness of Medicare.

RSVP required.

Speaker:
Dr. Cam Donaldson, the Yunus Chair in Social Business & Health at Glasgow Caledonian University, is an internationally acclaimed health economist with over 25 years experience in the field. His current research focus is microcredit and other forms of social business as interventions to improve health and well-being.

Dr. Donaldson has held faculty positions in Canada (University of Calgary), Australia (University of Sydney), and the United Kingdom (Universities of Newcastle and Aberdeen). In Newcastle he was the inaugural Health Foundation Chair in Health Economics and Founding Director of the Institute of Health & Society, and in Calgary was appointed as the Svare Chair in Health Economics.

Over the course of his career Dr. Donaldson has published over 200 scientific papers and authored or edited several books on aspects of health economics and public service delivery. In this lecture Dr. Donaldson will draw on the ideas presented in his latest book, ‘Credit crunch health care: How economics can save our publicly-funded health services.’

Students interested in Global Health are invited to join SPPH Global Health faculty on Sept 14, 5-630 p.m. for a potluck in the SPPH foyer.