The COVID-19 pandemic was initially portrayed as a "great equalizer," implying that everyone would be equally susceptible to both the virus and the economic consequences of the lockdown imposed to contain its spread. With increased data and understanding about the COVID-19 pandemic, it became apparent that people did not experience the pandemic in the same way, and that like other pandemics, COVID-19 would amplify many pre-existing inequalities.
The collection of sociodemographic data (SDD) is vital for identifying and addressing health inequities, as well as tailoring public health policies and interventions to diverse populations’ needs. In this PHO webinar, the presenters will discuss lessons learned from the collection of SDD during the COVID-19 pandemic from 34 Ontario public health units and provide recommendations for the improvement and scale-up of SDD collection beyond COVID-19 to other public health programs and services. This study was supported by funding from the Locally Driven Collaborative Projects (LDCP) Program.
Intended audience: Community health centres, community resource centres, community service agencies, system agencies such as Ontario Health, Ontario Ministry of Health, and Statistics Canada
By the end of this session, participants will be able to:
- Understand enablers to SDD collection for PHUs during the COVID-19 pandemic
- Understand barriers to SDD collection for PHUs during the COVID-19 pandemic
- Consider lessons learned from the application of SDD collection during COVID-19 to support ongoing SDD collection and reporting
Presenter(s): Monali Varia, Aideen Reynolds, Dr. Andrew Pinto
Monali Varia, MHSc, CIC, is the Director, Public Health Intelligence at Peel Public Health where her portfolio includes the work under the OPHS Foundational Standards - public health surveillance, population health assessment, evaluation and emergency management. Monali is an alumna of the Canadian Field Epidemiology program and holds a Certification in Infection Control. She also completed a 2-year Executive Training and Research Application (EXTRA) fellowship program with a focus and interest for developing public health capacity to use health data for decision-making.
Aideen Reynolds, MPA, is a Knowledge Exchange Specialist at Ottawa Public Health and has 20 years of experience contributing to health equity in academic, community-based, and public health settings. Her current work focuses on expanding the collection and use of sociodemographic data (SDD) for service quality improvement and program decision-making; and influencing standard SDD collection among local, regional and provincial health system partners.
Dr. Andrew Pinto, MD, CCFP, FRCPC, MSc, is the founder and director of the Upstream Lab, a research team focused on tackling social determinants of health, population health management, and using data science to enable proactive care. He holds the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Applied Public Health Chair in Upstream Prevention. He is a Public Health and Preventive Medicine specialist and family physician at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto and an Associate Professor at the University of Toronto.
Disclaimer
The opinions expressed by speakers and moderators do not necessarily reflect the official policies or views of Public Health Ontario, nor does the mention of trade names, commercial practices, or organizations imply endorsement by Public Health Ontario.
Accessibility
Public Health Ontario is committed to complying with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). If you require accommodations to participate in this event, please contact 647-260-7100 or capacitybuilding@oahpp.ca.
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