Conceptualizing digital public health in Canada: What are the implications for practice?

Our goal is to enhance participants’ recognition of the role of digital public health (DPH) and the growing need to think carefully about its role in public health practice. The session will consist of three presentations that (a) share findings of a scoping review which describes a conceptual framework for DPH in Canada, building on the European Public Health Association’s (EUPHA) conceptual framework for digitalization of public health and the CPHA’s conceptual framework for public health; (b) review the EUPHA’s perspectives, progress and challenges in conceptualizing and implementing DPH in Europe; and (c) explore the implications of DPH for public health practice in Canada. The session will conclude with a discussion of the practical implications of this framework for public health practitioners and institutions regarding advocacy, capacity building, and resource investment priorities. The session will be interspersed with interactive statements to capture the “pulse” of the session and enhance engagement.

Learning objectives:
• Recognize the role of digital public health and the growing need to think carefully about its role in public
health practice.
• Describe the concept of digital public health and identify its application in participants’ practice.
• Recognize opportunities and challenges of digital public health through the experiences of other public
health practitioners.

Speakers:
• Ihoghosa Iyamu, School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia; Clinical Prevention
Services, BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC)
• Stefan Buttigieg, Digital Health Section at the European Public Health Association (EUPHA); Ministry for
Health, Malta
• Shaila Jiwa, Office of Virtual Health, Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA), British Columbia

Moderator:
• Francisco Ibáñez-Carrasco, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto