Upstream is a place: Linking health, ecosystems and society for public health

EcoHealth 2014: PRE-CONFERENCE WORKSHOP

Upstream is a place: Linking health, ecosystems and society for public health

This one day workshop will focus on the interface between ecosystem approaches to health (ecohealth) and core competencies in public health practice, as outlined by the Public Health Agency of Canada. Contemporary examples of the social-ecological context for public health will be explored through a dynamic, interactive and applied learning environment, drawing on the experience of workshop participants and benefitting from an offsite tour of an urban Montreal ecosystem. Workshop participants will explore the relevance and merit of developing their core public health competencies by attending to the principles of ecosystems approaches to health.

Key themes that will be returned to throughout the day include: the importance of the interactions between humans and animals within a range of ecosystems including the urban milieu; how built, natural and social environments interact to influence the health of ecosystems, animals and humans; and the strengths and opportunities of addressing public health problems and solutions in relation to other disciplines, sectors, types of knowledge and practices.

By the end of the day, workshop participants will have gained theoretical and practical insights into how ecohealth can be used to enhance public health research, education, field practice and workforce development with a combined focus on health, ecological and equity concerns, and will have experienced new ways of working toward the converging goals of fostering healthier individuals, communities and environments whether in Canada or around the world.