Pre-Summit Webinars 

Prior to the Summit, six webinars focused on a different research theme that gave researchers an opportunity to reflect on what they have learned through their CIHR-funded project and discuss where they would like to go next with their research.

Urban Form and Health
February 27 | 3:00 - 4:30 p.m. (ET)
 Watch webinar recording

The way cities are built have a significant impact on our health. From land-use mix to transportation infrastructure and housing, the physical features of communities influence the health-seeking behaviours of their residents, and contribute to opportunities to incorporate physical activity in their day-to-day lives. To better understand these connections, the CIHR funded three projects to look at a variety of aspects of the urban form and urban development and how they impact public health. In this webinar, learn what researchers have discovered and where they plan to go next.

Resource Development
March 9 | 12:00 - 1:30 p.m. (ET)
Watch webinar recording

Health is influenced by resource development through interrelated socioeconomic, ecological, cultural, and political pathways, which demand upstream, intersectoral responses. These relationships are especially important in Canada where the economy is tightly coupled with the development of natural resources and the rate and scale of social and environmental change occurring in resource-rich regions is fueling debate regarding health impacts. In this webinar, learn about the three CIHR funded projects that look at the health impacts of climate change, and the relationship between a healthy natural world and healthy people.

Obesity and Environment
March 27 | 12:30 - 2:00 p.m. (ET)
Watch webinar recording

Obesity is recognized as a significant public health concern, especially as 20th century urban development encouraged more sedentary lifestyles and car-dependent transportation. A result of the interaction of genes, lifestyle, and the environment, obesity is an important issue for public health researchers and practitioners to understand. In this webinar, learn about the two CIHR funded projects to study the gene-environment causes of obesity, and the environments and health research consortium that supports environments and health research more broadly. 

Microbiome Research
March 29 | 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. (ET)
Watch webinar recording

The microbiome is the collection of all microbes, such as bacteria, fungi, viruses, and their genes, that naturally live on our bodies and inside us. Although microbes are so small that they require a microscope to see them, they contribute in big ways to human health and wellness. A person’s core microbiome is formed in the first years of life but can change over time in response to different factors including diet, medications, and environmental exposures. In this webinar, learn about the three CIHR funded projects that consider the interactions between the environment and the microbiome.

Child Health
April 3 | 2:00 - 3:00 p.m. (ET)
Watch webinar recording

Children’s health is particularly sensitive to the environment. What they are exposed to during early years can have a significant impact on their healthy development. To better understand these health pathways and how to improve children’s health outcomes, the CIHR funded three research projects considering different aspects of child health: obesity, IBD and asthma & COPD. In this webinar, learn what the researchers discovered through their project and what they plan to do next.

Agri-Food and Water Nexus
April 5, 2023 | 1:00 - 2:30 p.m. (ET)
Watch webinar recording

A changing climate will affect food through a range of effects on agriculture, livestock, water systems, and wildlife, which have implications for food security, foodborne disease, and malnutrition. As part of our everyday lives we are exposed to a wide variety of chemicals derived from consumer products that enter our food and drinking water. Most of these chemicals are present at very low concentrations. In this webinar, learn about the three CIHR funded projects considering the impact of the environment on agri-food, the food-water nexus and health. 

Steering Committee

The steering committee for this Summit consists of a multidisciplinary group of researchers funded through the Environments and Health Signature Initiative. Every Principal Investigator was invited to sit on the steering committee, and from that initial invitation, nine researchers joined. Additionally, the National Collaborating Centre for Environmental Health was invited to join the committee.

Meeting regularly on a weekly or bi-weekly basis, the committee decided the goals, format, speakers, guests, and agenda for the Summit. 

Members:

• Jeff Brook, Scientific Director, Canadian Urban Environmental Health Research Consortium
• Dany Doiron, Managing Director, Canadian Urban Environmental Health Research Consortium
• Allan McKee, Communications Specialist, Canadian Urban Environmental Health Research Consortium
• Natalia Calijorne, Administrative Assistant, Canadian Urban Environmental Health Research Consortium
• Mary Speck
• Heather Castleden, Professor, University of Victoria
• Margot Parkes, Professor, University of Northern British Columbia
• Lydia Ma, Manager, National Collaborating Centre for Environmental Health
• Brent Hagel, Professor, University of Calgary
• Alberto Martin, Professor, University of Toronto
• Padmaja Subbarao, Professor, University of Toronto
• Lise Gauvin, Professor, University of Montreal
• Daniel Fuller, Associate Professor, University of Saskatchewan
• Nazeem Muhajarine, Professor, University of Saskatchewan
• Dave Stieb, Public Health Physician, Health Canada
• Raissa Marks, Principal, Lily Mark