This webinar is presented by HDRN Canada as part of their Big IDEAS about Health Data speaker series.
In this talk, Dr. Kwame McKenzie and Jemal Demeke of the Wellesley Institute explore the use and governance of sociodemographic data in Canada. With sociodemographic data increasingly recognized as a significant tool to track disparities and advance equity for marginalized populations, they discuss how the Wellesley Institute has been strengthening dialogue in the health sector on how to collect, use and govern these data ethically and responsibly.
#About the speakers
Dr. Kwame McKenzie is CEO of the Wellesley Institute, a full Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto, and an international expert on the social causes of illness and the development of effective, equitable social policy and health systems. He is also Director of Health Equity at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health and a practicing psychiatrist. As a policy advisor, clinician, educator and academic with over 240 peer reviewed papers and six books, Dr. McKenzie has worked to improve population health and health services for three decades. His work with colleagues at Wellesley Institute has influenced local and national social policy and his academic research and collaborations have changed teaching, clinical practice and policy in psychiatry.
Jemal Demeke is a researcher at the Wellesley Institute. His research spans topics such as infectious disease epidemiology, implementation science, organizational change and equitable health interventions. He has worked for human rights centres, community-based organizations, Ivy League universities and hospital networks. Black and other racialized communities have a continued presence in his professional focus. He has founded equity initiatives in large organizations, led workshops to educators, healthcare providers and policymakers, and built relationships between community stakeholders and health agencies. His work at the Wellesley Institute leverages these experiences to inform policy change in data management and governance across Canada.
#About the Series
The Big IDEAs About Health Data Speaker Series features a variety of experts discussing how data can be used to advance health equity. It aspires to create a space for conversation about whether and how data can be used to advance equity in Canada; specific uses of and guidelines for the use disaggregated data (sex and gender, race and ethnicity, disability, income, housing, language etc.); and advancements in data research practices and methods that embed inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility in algorithms, distributed analytics, community involvement and equity assessment tools.
PLEASE NOTE: This presentation is in English. The webinar will be recorded and posted on hdrn.ca.