Grant: CIHR Café Scientifique Program

The Public Health Social Justice Collective (PH SJC) is excited at the prospects of engaging in efforts which increase access to academic knowledge on public health issues. In this Cafe Scientifique grant application, we outline a proposal for facilitating important discussions between health researchers and residents of the Thorncliffe Park community on the role of the sociopolitical environment in shaping patterns of health and disease. In a two part series, we will explore important health-related issues affecting the largely immigrant population at Thorncliffe Park, including food insecurity, lack of access to health services, precarious employment and substandard housing conditions. Focusing particularly on the latter two concerns, and grounded in the social determinants of health literature, we will arrange two panels of speakers to present their research findings on the health consequences of these social conditions. We intend to frame these discussions within the current political climate of economic austerity, which represents a common response by many governments to the 2008 economic crisis. We expect that the academic insights of our panelists will generate valuable input from community residents who we recognize as experts on issues concerning their community life. We hope that by putting publicly funded academic knowledge back into public hands, we can democratize access to academic knowledge while at the same time, inform efforts of community residents to improve neighbourhood conditions which negatively impact their health.