Social Determinants

338 articles:
Inequity
Indigenous
LGBTQ
Gender
Disability
Racism
by Marianne Apostolides

Lessons learned, mistakes repeated: From HIV/AIDS to COVID-19

Many infectious disease practitioners pivoted from HIV to COVID when the pandemic struck. Now, some of them are sharing their views on what we’ve learned, where we’ve repeated mistakes, and how we can move forward.
by Stephanie Ragganandan Karen Lawford

Challenging oppressive maternity health care in Canada

Improving health care must begin by recognizing the interconnected webs of colonization woven into all health-care systems in Canada. A good place to start would be at the beginning – with maternity care and birth.
by Camille Gauthier Jamie Thompson

Ontario’s position on midwifery puts rural and Indigenous communities at risk

For the Ford government, midwives' demands for equitable pay are unacceptable. But instead of using tax dollars to fight midwives in court, Ford should recognize gender-based inequities, address the pay gap and invest in rural and northern midwifery programs.
by Marianne Apostolides

Digital therapeutics and the social determinants of health are on divergent pathways. Can they be reconciled?

Two significant trends in health care are at cross-purposes: the boom in digital devices that tackle diseases at the individual level, and the growing recognition of the importance of social determinants of health. Can these two trends be reconciled?
by Anthony Fong

Inuit communities bracing for return of RSV in babies

Health advocates are raising alarm that infants in Nunavut, and especially Inuit infants, face grave risks as a potent respiratory virus – deadlier than COVID-19 and influenza – re-emerges after a one-year hiatus. Health officials now fear serious outbreaks in Canada’s North.
by Surbhi Kalia Paula Rochon

Promoting gender equity in healthy aging matters

Longer lives are one of the greatest achievements in medicine. Yet we see a diminished quality of life for many older adults, especially women, due to inequities institutionalized in health care. So how do we de-institutionalize these inequities?
by Anthony Fong

Study debunks ‘women choose to work less’ myth behind health-care pay gap

A recent Ontario Medical Association reaffirmed that male doctors in Ontario are paid 13.5 per cent more per day than women, and it highlights where the issue is most acute: for example, in the supposedly gender-blind fee-for-service payment system.
by Sanchit Gupta

Students the driving force behind innovative food-share program

Food insecurity has increased during COVID-19, even as lots of food is wasted in Canada. MealCare is addressing both problems by diverting surplus food from grocery stores, cafeterias and caterers to homeless shelters, food banks and soup kitchens.
by Mathankki Ramasamy

COVID-19 and the starving student

Food insecurity among post-secondary students is not new, nor has it been caused by the pandemic. Rather, it has been a severe issue in Canada for quite a while. The image of the starving student has, in fact, been romanticized for decades.
by Max Binks-Collier

‘We’re deviating from what makes us Canadian’: An interview with Stefan Baral

Physician-epidemiologist Stefan Baral opposes vaccine certificates on the grounds that they further sideline marginalized groups and strain the relationship between public health and the public it serves.
by Seema Marwaha

‘We had to find our way in the dark’: Physician helps remote Sioux Lookout First Nations navigate through pandemic

Lloyd Douglas worked as part of the Sioux Lookout First Nations Health Authority to protect Indigenous communities in northern Ontario from COVID-19. We're profiling him as a Pillar of the Pandemic.
by Celina Carter

Palliative care doctor bridges health-care worlds

Michael Anderson, a doctor of Mohawk and English-Canadian ancestry, is drawing on Indigenous knowledge to not only improve palliative care – but also discover his culture and himself.
by Rachel Watts

Community advocate ‘unrelenting in making good trouble’

Angela Robertson, executive director of Parkdale-Queen West Community Health Centre in Toronto, is a determined advocate for homeless, racialized and disadvantaged communities. We're profiling her as a Pillars of the Pandemic honouree.
by Tracey Millar Jeannette Campbell Jennifer Gilson

Labour shortage? Opening doors to young workers with disabilities can help fix the issue

As companies struggle with a labour shortage, it's time for them to zero in on one enormous, skilled and very under-tapped pool of talent: youth with disabilities.
by Keeley Watt Rachel Tkach Kyra Thompson Riley White Kathryn Preiss Jordyn Stratychuk Lisa Guirguis

Are pharmacists really the most accessible health-care providers?

Pharmacists claim to be the most accessible health-care providers – but recent research has found that pharmacies in Alberta are often not very accessible to people with disabilities or mobility issues.

by Maddi Dellplain

Vaccine Hunters looks forward to the day it isn’t needed anymore

During the pandemic, Vaccine Hunters Canada became a household name because the group worked around the clock to help Canadians get vaccinated. We're profiling the group as a Pillars of the Pandemic honouree.
by Fredrick Martyn

Telemedicine proves its value for trans and non-binary community

The pandemic has led to a rise in virtual care, which has increased access to primary care for the transgender and non-binary communities. But this trend highlights the relative lack of gender-affirming care available through traditional primary care.
by Miranda Caley

Musician, aspiring writer – and one of Ontario’s toughest medical officers of health

Lawrence Loh, Peel Region’s medical officer of health, worked tirelessly to promote public health in one of Ontario's worst-hit COVID-19 hotspots. We're profiling him as a Pillars of the Pandemic honouree.
by Miranda Caley

‘We’re doing this together’: Researcher advocates for transparency and community involvement

Kate Mulligan, member of the Toronto Board of Health, has kept the public informed of discussions and debate at the board while also helping empower front-line community health leaders. We're profiling her as a Pillars of the Pandemic honouree.
by Tim Li

To eliminate food insecurity, we must dismantle anti-Black racism

A recent study broke down how race is connected to factors that lead to food insecurity. The findings point to anti-Black racism as the underlying reason for the disparity in food insecurity between Black and white Canadians.

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