Strengthening Our Collective Capacities Against COVID-19 Stigma
Quick Info
Gallery & Workshop
Date: Tuesday, March 11, 2025
Gallery Time: 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM EST
Workshop Time: 6:00PM - 9:00PM EST
Location: In-Person @ VPD ADERSIM Lab (Room N004 Basement Floor) – Schulich School of Business, 111 Ian MacDonald Blvd, North York, Ontario, M3J 1P3
Participants Registration:
If you are interested in attending the workshop, please register here by March 4th at 4:30PM EST.
No registration is needed to attend the drop-in gallery portion of the event. If you would like to submit a photo for the gallery, please visit the submission page here. Submit photos by March 1 at 4:30PM EST.
March 11, 2025 marks the fifth anniversary of the World Health Organization's declaration of the COVID-19 pandemic. Join us on this day between 9am-9pm to reflect on where we were, and where we have come since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Let us become a more informed, conscious, and empathetic collective as we look ahead.
- Gallery (9am-6pm)
- Share pictures highlighting both the challenges faced during COVID-19 and moments of resilience.
- Participate in an immersive experience as you browse submitted photos.
- Community members will be able to visit the gallery all day to see submissions.
- Workshop (6pm-9pm)
- Learn about the impacts of stigma during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Explore the detrimental impacts of stigma faced by Emergency Management personnel.
- Participate in cultural-bias reduction and trauma-informed training.
BACKGROUND
Not only did COVID-19 cause a public health emergency, it also ushered in a wave of stigma that transformed in nature and intensity throughout the course of the pandemic. What began as anti-Asian stigma across the world, soon evolved into broader discrimination faced by those testing positive, those associated with ‘hot-spots’, and those with varying access to PPE, amongst others. Stigma related to misinformation and disinformation amplified feelings of exclusion, judgment, and alienation throughout the pandemic. These impacts were compounded for those in decision-making positions within the emergency management and public health sectors, as those tasked with managing COVID-19 had to make decisions and execute policies that had strong implications for people’s values and belief systems, including their own.
March 11, 2025 marks the fifth anniversary of the World Health Organization's declaration of the COVID-19 pandemic. Join us on this day from 6-9pm to reflect on the negative impacts of stigma during COVID-19, and to learn how to become a more informed, conscious and empathetic collective moving forward. We will hear first-hand experiences of the adverse impacts of stigma at the community level, and also get a glimpse into the lived reality of emergency management leaders within the Greater Toronto Area as they managed all aspects of the pandemic, from policy decisions regarding mask-wearing and social distancing, to testing and vaccine rollout. What can we learn from the most difficult moments of COVID-19 to help us better recognize our shared humanity, and how can this help us enhance community cohesion?
TARGET AUDIENCES/PARTICIPANTS
- York University community members (students, staff, faculty)
- EM professionals in the GTA
- Grad & Undergrad students in York’s DEM programs
- Researchers at York U interested in stigma issues, public health & emergency management
WORKSHOP PROGRAM
TUESDAY MARCH 11 6:00PM - 9:00PM EST
5:30PM - 6:00PM: Dinner and Reflective Gallery of COVID-19 Lived Experiences
6:00PM - 6:20PM: A Framework for Understanding Stigma impacts in the Emergency Management
Presenters: Drs. Aaida Mamuji, Jack Rozdilsky, and Mac Osazuwa-Peters, Disaster and Emergency Management, York University
6:20PM - 7:00PM: Experiences of Canada’s Chinese Community during the Pandemic
Community Lived Experiences: Anna Victoria Wong, Executive Director, Community Family Services of Ontario
Information Sharing, and Reduced COVID-19 Infections in Chinese Communities in Canada: Terri Chu, Communication & Culture Doctoral Candidate, York University
COVID-19 & Immigrant Health (In)security: Recognizing Cognitive Dissonance: Drs. Charlotte Lee and Doris Leung, Toronto Metropolitan University
7:00PM - 7:40PM: Experiences of Canada’s Emergency Management Community during the Pandemic
- Chris Spearen, Division Chief & Director, York Region Paramedic and Seniors Service
- Sonia Singh, Robert Garland and Nick Patel, Markham Fire and Emergency Services
7:50PM - 8:50PM: Workshop: Reducing Unconscious Bias and Trauma-Informed Care Training
Facilitator: Treena Reilkoff, Trauma Informed Conflict Management & Resilient Risk Consultant
Workshop Registration
Important Notes:
There is no registration fee for attending the workshop.
Organizers are unable to support travel & accommodation for participants.
Research Team
Dr. Aaida Mamuji
Dr. Mamuji is an Associate Professor in the School of Administrative Studies in the Disaster & Emergency Management program. Her areas of interest are social vulnerability and capability in the disaster context, hosting and resettlement, international responses to natural disasters, and risk assessment. She has received excellence awards for her research and teaching, and is the recipient of a number of internal and external research grants. In 2020, she was named a York Research Leader, and was nominated for the Minister’s Award of Excellence by the Ministry of Colleges and Universities, Ontario. Dr. Mamuji is currently working on a book project capturing the lived experience of various vulnerable groups facing disasters across Canada. Prior to joining York University, Dr. Mamuji was a policy advisor and researcher in the former Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development (now Global Affairs Canada). She completed her Ph.D. in Public Administration from the University of Ottawa.
Dr. Jack Rozdilsky
Dr. Jack L. Rozdilsky is an associate professor in the Disaster and Emergency Management program at York University in Toronto, Canada. Dr. Rozdilsky’s professional duties include research, teaching, and service in topics related to disaster social science, emergency management, and homeland security practice. Some of his recent research includes a study of the 2018 Toronto van attack, which was published in the Canadian Journal of Emergency Management. Prior to joining the faculty at York University, Dr. Rozdilsky was a university professor of emergency management in both Illinois and Texas. He also worked in the public sector in land use planning, and he has directed regional hazard mitigation planning efforts. He holds a doctorate in resource development and urban studies from Michigan State University.
Dr. Mac Osazuwa-Peters
Dr. Mac Osazuwa-Peters is a Postdoctoral Researcher at York University. He has an interdisciplinary social science background with academic training in public policy, public administration, sociology, and political science. Dr. Osazuwa-Peters graduated with a PhD in Public Policy from the University of Regina and an MSc. in Emergency Management and Disaster Science from the University of North Texas. His research interest is in the social and cultural dimensions of disaster, including organizational culture, vulnerable populations in disasters, disaster risk governance, climate change mitigation, health impacts of disasters, and the intersection of low-carbon transition and emergency planning. Most recently, he worked as a Senior Planning and Performance Improvement Consultant with the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA).
Organizers
CIFAL York is part of UNITAR's global network of training centres for knowledge-sharing, training, and capacity-building for public and private leaders, local authorities, and civil society. CIFAL Centres are local and regional hubs for innovative, participatory and co-creative knowledge exchange opportunities to support decision-making processes, build capacity, and accelerate the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals. Established in 2020, CIFAL York started its operation in June 2021 as the first CIFAL Centre in Canada. Health and Development training and knowledge sharing is among the key focusing areas of CIFAL York.
For more information or questions please contact: cifaldirector@yorku.ca
The goal of the Advanced Disaster, Emergency and Rapid Response Simulation (ADERSIM) is to evaluate and enhance disaster and emergency planning and rapid emergency response strategies by governmental, non-governmental and private sector organizations in Ontario, across Canada and around the world. ADERSIM conducts disaster research and training and provides supports to its governmental, non-governmental, and private sector partners through its state-of-the-art Emergency Operations Centre (EOC). ADERSIM developed state of the art simulations and applications for mass vaccinations during COVID-19.
Emergency Management for All is a research program that aims to amplify the voices of socially vulnerable groups affected by disasters, with the goal of maximizing the impact that emergency management can have on communities. It applies a broad and holistic understanding of Disaster and Emergency Management (DEM), and sheds light on the lived experiences of diverse groups impacted by natural and human-made hazards.
EMforAll’s current focus is on developing social counter measures to mitigate the impact of stigmatization on both emergency management professionals and the people that they serve during emergencies.
Sponsors & Additional Information
If interested sponsoring this event or have questions about the symposium program please contact Dr. Ali Asgary: asgary@yorku.ca