Student-led Events

The McMaster Health Forum Student Subcommittee oversees the coordination of a variety of events aimed at providing opportunities for professional growth, and fostering learning, interdisciplinary discussion and collective action among students to address pressing health challenges.

Since its establishment in 2009, the student subcommittee has organized panel discussions and debates, public talks, workshops and 'speed-mentoring' events that give students the chance to meet one-on-one with leaders in Canadian and other health systems. All events encourage active dialogue and debate between participants and presenters. For more information on they key elements of dialogues and debates, see Promoting discussion: Dialogue versus debate.

Convening these events gives students a chance to explore the issues, interact with leading doers and thinkers, and bring topical health challenges to the McMaster student community's attention.

Upcoming events:

Check back often for information on events planned for the Fall semester in 2013.

Past events:

2013

Public Talk: Putting the Patient First: A Cafe Scientifique on the Movement Towards Patient-Centred Care, March 21, 2013
Description: Dr. Nick Kates, acting chair in the Department of Psychiatry, McMaster University, and Charles Cunningham, a psychologist and McMaster's Jack Laidlaw Chair in Patient-Centred Health Care, shared their perspectives with students on the advantages, challenges and impact of implementing patient-centred care in healthcare delivery systems.

Workshop: Strengthening Health Systems in Canada and LMIC, March 18, 2013
Description: Facilitator John Lavis, director of the McMaster Health Forum and co-chair of the WHO Evidence-informed Policy Network, led students through the process of evidence-informed policymaking with the help of co-facilitators Jaime Ardila, a Health Policy PhD student at McMaster University, and Kaelan Moat, lead of Health Systems Evidence. Students had the opportunity to work in small groups to draft an effective evidence brief for policy under the theme of optimal aging.

Panel Discussion: Controlling Infectious Disease Outbreaks, March 14, 2013
Description: Panelists Dr. Fiona Smaill, a professor and chair of the Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine in the Faculty of Health Sciences at McMaster University, and Dr. Allison McGeer, director of infection control and a microbiologist and infectious disease consultant at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto, engaged students and community members in a discussion about controlling infectious disease outbreaks at a community, national and international level.

Workshop: Under the Lens: Healthy Student Living, February 26 and March 5, 2013
Description: In the first part of this two-part workshop, facilitator Sarah Glen, an instructor in the Arts & Science Program, led students through the photovoice methodology and process, while Dr. Katherine Morrison, pediatric endocrinologist and associate professor in the Department of Pediatrics at McMaster, helped students identify habits that promote optimal aging. Students were provided with a disposable camera and spent a few days practising the photovoice methodology as it applied to their lives, then regrouped a week later with Glen to analyze their photographs.

Public Lecture: The Genetics 'Revolution' and Personalized Healthcare: Why We Shouldn't Hold Our Breath, January 21, 2013
Description: Tim Caulfield, Canada Research Chair in Health, Law and Policy, and professor at the University of Alberta, explained the benefits and shortcomings of the ability for individuals to have their personal genomes mapped, and the alternatives that should be considered for improving an individual's health.

Public Talk: Drugs, Deception & Diets: Falsehoods of the Health Industry, January 21, 2013
Description: Tim Caulfield, Canada Research Chair in Health, Law and Policy, and Steven Hoffman, assistant professor in CE&B and a Fulbright and Knox Fellow at Harvard University, shared their views with students on deciphering the media hype and conflicting information on how to adopt a healthier lifestyle.

2012

Panel Discussion: Preventing Suicide in Canada, November 8, 2012
Description: Panelists Howard Chodos, Tim Wall and Richard Ramsay, who each have extensive experience in the mental health field, shared their views on the challenges and opportunities for preventing suicide in Canada, particularly among young people aged 15 to 24, for whom suicide is a leading cause of death.

Public talk: How Much is Too Much? Stress and Student Life, November  6, 2012
Description: Part of the Cafe Scientifique series funded by CIHR, this talk featured psychologist Randi McCabe and associate clinical professor Debbie Nifakis leading a student discussion about how to manage stress, and the short- and long-term effects stress can have on health.

Speed-mentoring Event with delegates to a Pan American Health Organization research meeting: October 17, 2012
Description: This invite-only gathering gave students with a particular interest in global health the opportunity to engage in discussions with delegates who were attending the 45th session of PAHO's Advisory Committee on Health Research.

Workshop: The New Age of Participation: A Workshop on Community Building; September 25, 2012
Description: Alexandre Sevigny, associate professor of communications studies at McMaster, and Forum Fellow Emily Milko facilitated this workshop to teach students the skills necessary for successful community building.

Speed-mentoring Event: Navigating a Career in Public Health, September 17, 2012
Description: Students with a particular interest in public health were invited to meet one-on-one with leaders in this field who also took part in the Forum's stakeholder dialogue on Promoting Healthy Weights Using Population-based Interventions.

Panel Discussion: Preventing Concussions in Hockey: Are Our Leagues Doing Enough? March 30, 2012
Description: Dr. Ken Bocking and former NHL player Ryan VandenBussche led this interactive presentation that examined the state of concussion prevention policy in professional and amateur hockey, and assessed whether new policy measures are needed.

Workshop: Strengthening Health Systems in Canada and in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Workshop on Evidence-Informed Policymaking; March 22, 2012
Description: Forum Director John Lavis and Assistant Director Mike Wilson led this workshop to teach students the steps of evidence-informed policymaking, including how to explore the best available research evidence and how to use Health Systems Evidence.

Discussion group: Student Mental Health at McMaster University, March 14, 2012
Description: This discussion brought together representatives from three of the mental health groups at McMaster University to examine this issue and possible options for addressing it, in preparation for a more in-depth student-led dialogue to be held in 2013.

Public Talk: International Perspectives on Peace, Health and Hope, February 8, 2012
Description: Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish, a peace activist and professor at the University of Toronto, led this talk which was organized in conjunction with the Peace Studies 4G03 class.

Workshop: Take the Lead: A Workshop on Project Management, February 1, 2012
Description: Two experts in project management, Kelly Ann Pauly and Ori Schibi, led this workshop to teach students how to manage complex projects, build leadership skills, network and share ideas.

Panel Discussion: Access to Medicines: Innovation, Industry and Advocacy, January 27, 2012
Description: Three Canadian experts who each work in a different area related to access to medicines shared their views on collaborations and innovative solutions needed in working towards universal access to medicines.