November 12 - 13, 2016
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Simon Fraser University- Harbour Centre Campus (Downtown Vancouver)
Planning Committee.
Nicola Toffelmire
BSc, MPH (c)
Canadian Coalition for Global Health Research student network
Current location: Vancouver, Canada
Life motto: If you can dream it, you can achieve it
Nicola Toffelmire
BSc, MPH (c)
Canadian Coalition for Global Health Research (CCGHR) Board of Directors
International Development Research Centre (IDRC)
Current location: Vancouver, BC, Canada
Nicola Toffelmire is a Master of Public Health Candidate at Simon Fraser University and holds an Honours Bachelor of Science, Health Studies degree from the University of Waterloo. She has been a member of the GHSYPS planning committee since it formed in 2014 and sits on the Local Organizing Committee of the Fourth Global Symposium on Health Systems Research. Nicola is actively involved in the global health community through various capacities. She currently sits on the Board of Directors of the Canadian Coalition for Global Health Research (CCGHR), is an executive member of the CCGHR Student and Young Professional Network, and acts as an advisor to the institutional CCGHR Student Chapters across Canada. Her prior work experience includes research conducted at the Department of Global Health at Queen’s University and in the Faculty of Applied Health Sciences at the University of Waterloo. Nicola also has experience working at the Canadian Institute for Health Information and most recently at the International Development Research Centre in Ottawa. Her primary research interests are in health systems strengthening, maternal and child health, emergency response and global health security.
Yipeng Ge
Bachelor's of Health Sciences (Hon.), MD (c)
Medical Student- University of Ottawa
Previous involvement in McMaster CCGHR Student Chapter and Population Health Research Institute
Current location: Ottawa, ON, Canada
Yipeng Ge is a first year medical student at the University of Ottawa and previously studied in the Honours Bachelor of Health Sciences Program at McMaster University. Yipeng has a strong passion in international public health and health policy as a result of past experiences and exposures to global health topics through public health work (World Health Organization Headquarters), epidemiological nutrition research (Population Health Research Institute) and involvements with particular interest groups (McMaster’s CCGHR Student Chapter). During his undergraduate academic career, Yipeng had the opportunity and privilege in exploring global health topics through a local lens gaining a significant interest in the area of indigenous health. Above all, Yipeng is looking forward to learning, growing, and collaborating with like-minded individuals.
Andrea Tang
David Werstler
BSc, MSc (c)
Former Executive of University of Waterloo CCGHR Student Chapter
Research Fellow- Harvard Medical School
Current location: Toronto, ON, Canada
David Werstler is currently completing a MSc in Pharmaceutical Science at the University of Toronto under the supervision of Dr. Jillian Kohler. David is also pursuing a collaborative program in public health policy at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto. His research focuses on the evaluation of transparency and accountability in Canada’s pharmaceutical sector, fair access to essential medicines, and corruption of health systems in developed and developing countries. His prior work experiences are as a research associate in the pharmaceutical industry and as a research fellow at Harvard Medical School focusing on cancer drug delivery systems. He is a student member of the Canadian Coalition for Global Health Research (CCGHR) and a former executive member of the University of Waterloo CCGHR Student Chapter.
Paisly Symenuk
BScN(Hon.) Certs: Comm. Eng., Int'l Learning (c)
Co-Founder, Global Association of Student and Novice Nurses (GASNN)
Global Health Chair, Canadian Nursing Students' Association (CNSA)
Current location: Edmonton, AB, Canada
Paisly is entering her fourth year of her Bachelor of Science in Honors Nursing program at the University of Alberta in Edmonton. She will graduate in April with certificates in both International Learning and Community Engagement and Service-Learning. She is in her second term as the Chair of the Global Health Committee for the Canadian Nursing Students' Association (CNSA), and is a Co-Founder of the Global Association of Student and Novice Nurses (GASNN). This summer she has been working full time leading a research project exploring the roles and perceptions of community health volunteers on gender-based violence in rural Zambia through focused ethnography. Upon graduate in April, Paisly plans to pursue graduate studies in nursing leadership and global health.
This is Paisly's 3rd SYP summit and she is excited to be a part of the planning committee for the 2016 event!
Donald Sutherland
MD, M.Comm.H, MSc Epidemiology
Consultant, International Public Health
Former Executive Director of International Public Health Strategic Policy Directorate, Public Health Agency of Canada
Current Location: Vancouver, BC, Canada
Donald Sutherland has had a very full and interesting career in international public health, initiating and supporting community programs and national initiatives around the world. He holds a medical degree from the University of British Columbia, a Masters in Community Health and an MSc in Epidemiology from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Don’s first experience in international health was working as a District Medical Officer with CUSO in a rural hospital in Malawi for 2 years. Upon his return to Canada, Don settled on Pender Island in BC, working as the sole GP. In 1981, Don worked as a medical officer for Oxfam in a refugee camp in North Somalia. He returned to Somalia over a two year period, working as senior technical advisor on refugee health for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Don moved to Geneva in 1984, to work as the senior technical advisor to the International Red Cross Child Health Program, developing the Child Alive Program, which developed diarrhea prevention and treatment projects in Latin America, Africa, and Asia. In 1988, he joined the World Health Organization (WHO) newly formed Global Program on AIDS. He worked in Uganda for 2 years as team leader/epidemiologist, just as the enormity of the epidemic was becoming apparent. He returned to Canada working as Chief of the HIV/AIDS Division, followed by Director of the Bureau of HIV/AIDS, STD and TB at Health Canada’s Bureau of Communicable Disease. Don then became Senior Advisor on Scientific Affairs in the Center for Infectious Disease Prevention and Control. In 2003 he and his family returned to WHO in Geneva for four years, to coordinate the HIV Department’s Strategic Information including HIV/AIDS Surveillance, Monitoring and Evaluation, Operational Research and the WHO HIV Drug Resistance Global Strategy. In 2007, he returned to Canada to become Executive Director of International Public Health, at the Public Health Agency of Canada based in Ottawa. Don continues to sit as a member of the Research Ethic Board for Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada, and volunteers as Senior Advisor on Public Health to the Canadian Society for International Health. Don continues to be involved and provide inspiration on issues around Global health in many capacities, as an independent consultant, speaker, volunteer and mentor. In addition he is an active father of four children, a loving husband, an enthusiastic trumpet player, and a phenomenal potato farmer.
Advisory Committee
The 2016 Planning Committee would like to thank members of the advisory committee for their support and expertise through out this event. We recognize the success of this conference comes from the strength and passion of this great team.
Thank you.
Geneviève Bois
MD
Family Medicine Resident, McGill University
Current location: Montréal, Canada
Life motto: Time to be bold
Geneviève is resident in Family Medicine in Montréal, and has worked in tobacco control, mainly as the spokesperson for the Québec Coalition for Tobacco Control, and as YP-CDN Community Director.
She spent a one-year with the Copenhagen School of Global Health working on projects for the NCDs unit, but also involved curriculum development for pre-departure training and global health ethics. Geneviève is passionate about NCDs, building healthy cities and using the urban environment to influence health.
She is the past Vice-President of Internal Affairs of the world’s largest medical student, the International Federation of Medical Students' Associations (IFMSA) and she has served on the Student Committee of the Global Health Education Consortium (GHEC) for over 2 years.
Caity Jackson
HBHSc, MSc
Director, Jackson Consulting International (Director of European Engagement for Child Family Health International, among others)
Current location: Stockholm, Sweden
Life motto: The answer will always be no if you don't ask!
Caity has her own consulting company where she serves as Director of European Engagement at Child Family Health International and International Development Manager at Fuzia. She consults with the Swedish Healthcare Academy and other companies helping them streamline their global health communication and build educational programmes. She lives in Stockholm, Sweden after completing her Masters of Medical Sciences (MSc) in Global Health at Karolinska Institute.
In her free time, Caity serves as the Co-Director of the Canadian Society for International Health's MentorNet program, Director of Communications for This Week in Global Health, Communications Coordinator for the Women in Global Health movement and various consulting projects. Caity has organized panels and events on the Canadian Conference on Global Health (CCGH) for many years now and ran the 2014 GHSYP summit. You can often find her at events around the world or on a beach with a nice glass of wine.
Thomas Piggott
BScH, MD, MPHE (c)
PHPM Resident, McMaster University
Current location: London, UK
Life motto: Better busy than bored.
Thomas is completing medical specialty training in Public Health and Preventive Medicine and Family Medicine at McMaster University, and his Masters in Public Health Economics at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. His research interests include public health program evaluation, global public health, disaster preparedness and response, climate change and health, and addressing health inequities of underserved populations through public health and primary care. In his spare time he enjoys rock and mountain climbing, swimming, running, reading, travelling, learning languages and great conversations. Most of all he enjoys meeting new people.