Date: Monday, February 05, 2024 - Thursday, March 28, 2024
Time: 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
Location
Online
In this time of intersecting crises, Interbeing Wellness emphasizes practices that acknowledges Healing Ourselves is intertwined with Healing Others and Healing our World.
The Wellness Impact Lab (WIL) will be running their signature initiative, the Interbeing Wellness series (formally known as Stress Busting), in an online format over the course of 8 weeks. The series will start Monday, February 5 and end Thursday, March 28. On Mondays and Thursdays, Harvey Skinner will lead Qi Gong practices from noon - 12:30 p.m. On Mondays, Susan Harris will lead a guided Mindfulness Meditation from 12:30 p.m. to 1 p.m.
This series is free and open to all. No prior experience is necessary.
[Postponed] Increasing Ambient Temperature Disrupts Sleep and Impairs Cognitive Function, with Godfred Boateng and Gabriel John Dusing
Local Time
Timezone: America/New_York
Date: Wednesday, March 20, 2024
Time: 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Location
Online
Cognitive decline and sleep disorders are prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa, but the role of extreme heat in these conditions remains poorly understood. In this seminar, Professor Godfred Boateng and Dr. Gabriel John Dusing will discuss their latest research findings analyzing extreme heat events which are increasing in frequency and intensity, and impacting the health of older adults. Their study explored the relationship between temperature, sleep quality, and cognitive function in Ghanaian adults over the age of 50, particularly women.
Using structural equation models and accounting for data clustering, they examined the direct and indirect relations between increasing average temperatures in the past, sleep difficulties, and cognitive impairment, while adjusting for appropriate covariates. They created a novel dataset by combining data from the WHO Ghana Study on Global Ageing and Adult Health (2014/2015) with temperature measurements derived from the Climatic Research Unit (University of East Anglia) gridded Time Series (CRU TS v.4.07). The speakers will then recommend the acceleration of climate mitigation and adaptation practices that aims to reduce the effects of global warming for Low- and Middle-Income Countries. Join us for this talk addressing global health inequities for socially disadvantaged populations, particularly those in sub-Saharan Africa, amidst a rapidly changing environment.
Speaker Profile
Godfred Boateng
Dr. Godfred Boateng is an Assistant Professor at the School of Global Health, Director of the Global and Environmental Health Lab, a Canada Research Chair in Global Health and Humanitarianism, and a faculty fellow at the Dahdaleh Institute for Global Health Research at York University. Dr. Boateng is an expert in the design and application of culturally relevant scalable methodologies to study the multidimensional factors and processes that shape health and health equity across spatial scales (household, community, institutional, national), and how they can be promoted and sustained. His research program is transdisciplinary and focuses on resource insecurity, health, and sustainable livelihoods; the socio-ecological determinants of cardiometabolic conditions in aging adults; social inequity in health systems; quantitative data analysis methods and survey scale development; and COVID-19-related health effects. Dr. Boateng’s research in these areas has been critical in transforming the understanding of the key social and structural determinants of health among vulnerable populations, including women, infants, children, and older adults.
Dr. Boateng’s research is supported through both internal and external funding sources from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council; Canadian Institutes of Health Research; Canadian Foundation for Innovation; International Development Research Centre; Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development; National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities; United States Health Resources & Service Administration; the National Institute of Transportation and Communities; and the Dahdaleh Institute for Global Health Research.
Gabriel John Dusing
Dr. Dusing's research utilizes linked longitudinal health administrative data and employs techniques such as survival analysis and difference-in-differences to examine complex social and health issues. He holds a PhD in mathematics from the University of Tennessee. His publications in journals such as, Psychological Medicine, Social Science & Medicine, PLoS One, and the American Journal of Psychiatry, highlight his expertise in addressing critical topics such as mental health, population health, and the social determinants of health.
Register below and join us on Wednesday, March 20, at 1 p.m.
From Planetary Urbanization to Planetary Health: A Conversation About Work in Progress, with Chiara Camponeschi, Hillary Birch, and Raphael Aguiar
Local Time
Timezone: America/New_York
Date: Wednesday, April 03, 2024
Time: 10:00 am - 11:00 am
Location
Hybrid
The phenomenon of ‘planetary urbanization’ has opened a crucial debate over how cities and their growth are implicated in the identification, emergence, and mitigation of global health threats. Systemic risks such as climate change, disease outbreaks and epidemics, and antimicrobial resistance bring to life the dynamic and multi-level relationship between urbanization and health, illustrating the urgent need to bring planetary urbanization and planetary health in conversation with one another. This session will provide an overview of a recent collaboration between three Dahdaleh Institute members whose work in progress explores the symmetries and opportunities between these epistemic domains. In preparation for the upcoming American Association of Geographers Annual Meeting, the presenters welcome feedback from the Dahdaleh community and invite participants to share their insights during the session.
Speaker Profiles
Chiara Camponeschi
Dr. Chiara Camponeschi is a Banting Postdoctoral Fellow at the Dahdaleh Institute. Her work is situated at the intersections of climate action, community engagement and health, with a focus on how the principles of wellbeing, solidarity, and care can provide a blueprint for building 'integrative resilience' in ways that are more equitable, inclusive, and just.
Hillary Birch
Hillary Birch is a PhD Candidate in Environmental Studies in the Faculty of Environmental and Urban Change at York University. Her PhD explores how projects of global health intersect with processes of urbanization in Lusaka, Zambia, shaping flows of water and changing its quality. Hillary is a Dahdaleh Global Health Graduate Scholar in Planetary Health, and her research is also supported by a SSHRC Doctoral Fellowship and an IDRC International Doctoral Research Award.
Raphael Aguiar
Raphael Aguiar is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Dahdaleh Institute for Global Health Research, earning his PhD in Health Policy and Equity from York University. He is currently engaged in projects supported by the Public Health Agency of Canada-Infectious Disease and Climate Change Fund and SSHRC-New Frontiers in Research Fund, focusing respectively on the development of a One Health governance system addressing infectious diseases and climate change and on jointly analysing governance of emerging global health threats (infectious diseases, antimicrobial resistance, food insecurity, and climate change).
Register below and join us on Wednesday, April 3, at 10 a.m.
Building a Career with the World Health Organization - My Journey! with Firdosi Mehta
Local Time
Timezone: America/New_York
Date: Wednesday, April 03, 2024
Time: 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Location
Hybrid
In this seminar, Dahdaleh adjunct faculty fellow Dr. Firdosi Mehta will share his journey leading to his extensive career in public health in six diverse countries. With over 30 years of experience, learn from his first-hand experiences working with the World Health Organization on polio eradication efforts, communicable diseases control, Tuberculosis, NCDs, etc. to contribute towards a healthier and equitable world.
Dr. Mehta will impart some key lessons including how kindness, compassion and empathy are at the roots of public health necessary to create effective health interventions. He will also highlight the necessity for patience, perseverance, passion, and perspiration – the indomitable foursome – essential for navigating the challenges in any field.
Participants will gain practical networking and reputation building tips, as well as key insights into emergency and humanitarian action, communicable disease control, mental health, and noncommunicable diseases prevention and control. Register to join the discussion and hear more about Dr. Mehta's illustrious career in global public health.
Speaker Profile
Dr. Firdosi Mehta has over 30 years of Public Health experience, more than half of which were with the WHO. He has worked in several countries and regions of the world. Dr. Mehta completed his medical education in India after which he served in the Indian Navy Defense Services. He then served in the Ministry of Health, Sultanate of Oman in various capacities for 10 years, the last being Director of Surveillance and Disease Control.
Dr. Mehta then joined the World Health Organization and worked in Somalia from 1998 – 2002, where he was responsible for supporting the control of TB and all other communicable diseases in a complex emergency situation. He moved from Somalia to Indonesia in 2002 in the capacity of Country Advisor Tuberculosis Control program (Mega High burden country) for seven years.
Dr. Mehta then moved to Sri Lanka in 2009 as the WHO country Representative until 2014. His experience in emergency and humanitarian action, communicable disease control, health system issues, mental health and a keen focus on addressing non communicable diseases in Sri Lanka have been well recognized and acknowledged. He is an Adjunct Professor & Fellow at York University and University of Toronto in Canada, as well as a senior Mentor on several mentoring platforms. In recognition of his contributions to the Global Health Program at York, a Global Health student prize has been named after him in 2022.
He is a member on the Governance and Advisory committee on Human Trafficking at the Peel Institute on Violence prevention, Family services Peel Toronto. Also a member on a Lived experience Advisory committee on research at the Centers for Addictions and Mental health (CAMH) Toronto. Member on the Steering Committee on Research for Mental Health Equity in the Asia Pacific – Digital (REMAP-D) based at the University of British Columbia (UBC). Advisor on “The Young Innovation Leaders Fellowship” Nigeria, which is a platform created by Hutzpah Centre for Innovation and Development - a social enterprise aimed at promoting innovation across sectors in Africa. Inducted onto the Stop TB Canada Steering Committee in end 2023. Stop TB Canada brings together individuals committed to ending TB at home and abroad, including TB researchers, TB advocates, TB practitioners, and TB survivors.
Register below and join us on Wednesday, April 3, at 1 p.m.
Our Fall/Winter 2023-2024 global health interns will be giving a short 3-minute presentation summarizing their experience working on research and global health projects at the Dahdaleh Institute under the guidance of Institute faculty staff and fellows. They will cover their research findings and results, what they learned in their role, and how they will apply their experiences in a future opportunity.
Please join us at to celebrate the work of our interns participating in the Dahdaleh Institute Internship Program. The presentation topics is as follows:
Presentation Title
Presenter
Assisting Social Science Research in Tuberculosis
Gurher Sidhu
Developing Methodologies for Analyzing Experiences with Chronic Pain
Yashi Papola
Global Health: Wellness Impact Lab
Shamim Samadi
Overview of Internship Experience at the Dahdaleh Institute
Shaista Alokozai
Drinking Water Systems and Issues in the Canadian North
Ravjot Chana
Building Equitable and Resilient Community-Based Emergency Response Strategies in Rural Guatemala
Amen Okungbowa
Association Between Housing Insecurity and Respiratory Diseases in Kenya
Hafsa Ugas
From Learning to Working: My Journey as an Intern at DI
Gaurika Agarwal
RSVP
Register below and join us on Wednesday, April 17, at 11 a.m.
Join us for the 2024 World Health Assembly Simulation beginning virtually on May 1, 2024 and in-person from May 2 to May 3 in Toronto, Ontario. This immersive experience replicates the highest level of governance at the World Health Organization. Students will engage in captivating discussions on urgent global health matters, connect with an array of diverse experts, and gain valuable insights into potential global health career paths and more. The theme for the WHA SIM 2024 is "One Health", which emphasizes the interconnected nature that binds together human, animal, and environmental health. This event is brought to you by the School of Global Health.
Seats are limited, so don't delay and secure your place today to be a part of this transformative event!