Global Community Health Annual Workshop – third edition 2023

MODERATOR

Goof Buijs is the manager of UNESCO Chair / WHO Collaborating Centre Global Health & Education. From 2019 he is director of Global Health & Education Consultancy. His field of expertise is bringing health and education together. He is an experienced networker, expert in creating and leading international projects focused on prevention and youth, innovator, trainer and facilitator of events and conferences. He supports cooperation among people, focusing on everyone’s talents and uniqueness.

Pr. Isabelle Richard – Since 2022, Pr Richard is the dean of the French School of Public Health. This appointment comes after a long academic career as a university professor and hospital physician (PU-PH), working in physical medicine and rehabilitation. As an expert, she has also contributed to several national councils and committees and held the prestigious position of Chief advisor on health and training issues to the French Minister of Higher Education, Research and Innovation, between 2017 and 2019. Before moving to Rennes for the EHESP, she was First Vice-Chair of the University of Angers in charge of equality

Sarah Chaput – As director of the Americas section of the « Réseau francophone international pour la promotion de la santé (RÉFIPS) » (International Francophone Network for Health Promotion), Sarah Chaput works with many stakeholders on capacity building health promotion projects. Sarah has completed a bachelor’s degree in Nutrition and a master’s degree in Public Health from the “Université de Montréal”, and has worked as a scientific advisor for the “Institut national de santé publique du Québec”. While she initially worked on food access issues, her scope of practice has broadened in the last years to include more comprehensive approaches to health promotion. Sarah values the sharing of knowledge and expertise in health promotion in a perspective of sustainable health and win-win relationships between stakeholders.

Liane Comeau has been the Executive Director of the International Union for Health Promotion and Health Education (IUHPE) since April 2018. She has worked in a pan-Canadian NGO, Invest in Kids, as Director of Research and Evaluation, and as Specialized Scientific Advisor at the “Institut national de santé publique du Québec” (INSPQ), focusing on health promotion initiatives targeting children, adolescents and families. She holds a doctorate in developmental psychology from McGill University (2004). She has published scientific papers on various topics including mental health and child development, and co-authored several reports on policy-relevant public health topics while at the INSPQ.

Nicola Gray is the Co-Chair holder of the UNESCO Chair on Global Health & Education. She is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Huddersfield, UK. Registered as a pharmacist in 1991, she has worked in hospital, community and academic pharmacy. She is a Trustee of the UK Association for Young People’s Health and Vice-President for Europe of the International Association for Adolescent Health. Nicola is also a Governing Council Member of the global coalition NCD Child, and chairs their Task Force on Essential Medicines and Equipment. She has published a number of papers and opinion pieces regarding the safe reopening of schools during the COVID-19 pandemic, including the challenges for children and young people living with a long-term condition.

Didier Jourdan is full Professor and the Chair Holder of the UNESCO Chair “Global Health and Education” and Head of the WHO Collaborating Centre for “Research in Education and Health” which are focused on knowledge production and sharing from an intersectoral perspective. He is the former Director of the Prevention and Health Promotion Division of the French National Public Health Agency. He has formally held positions as Director of the Graduate School of Teaching and Education (ESPE), Head of the Centre for lifelong learning and Vice-President of Blaise Pascal University. In addition, he held the position as President of the “Prevention, Education and Health Promotion” Commission of the French High Council for Public Health and President of the Network “Universities for training in health education”.

Glenn Laverack is a social scientist and a leader in health promotion and community empowerment with a distinguished career for 40 years as a practitioner, an academic, researcher and consultant in more than 50 countries. He has been an advocate for the value of ordinary people in the development of innovative solutions to co-create successful programs in different cultural contexts. He has managed several large-scale health programs including in Ghana and India and has a wide range of publications including 26 books in 13 different languages. He has held an academic position at 8 universities and his PhD investigated the collaborative role of communities in health programs in Fiji. He is presently an independent adviser with governmental and international development agencies.

DISCUSSANT

Eric Breton, a Canadian, is professor of health promotion at the EHESP School of public health. Before settling in France, he acquired a broad international experience in research in Canada, Australia and the United Arab Emirates. His main research interests focus on policy advocacy strategies in the prevention of NCDs, evaluation of complex community-based interventions, and on local capacity building strategies for health and equity. He is an affiliated researcher of the UNESCO Chair Global Health & Education, and sits on different national and regional expert groups such as the High Council for Public Health (HCSP). In 2020, he published with three other editors the second edition of the first health promotion handbook in French, a publication that has mobilized contributions from 40 authors from 6 countries.

Nastaran Keshavarz Mohammadi is a Professor in Health Promotion at the School of Public Health, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Iran. She is also a core group member of the Scientific Committee of the UNESCO Chair Global Health & Education. For more information about Professor Nastaran Keshavarz Mohammadi please visit her website: https://nastaran-keshavarz.com.

Raul Mercer is a pediatrician with a master’s degree in epidemiology from the University of Madison, WI, US. He was coordinator of the Maternal and Child Program of the Ministry of Health of the Province of Buenos Aires and at the national level. He currently coordinates the Program of Social Sciences and Health at FLACSO (Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences). He was a member of the Lancet-WHO-UNICEF Commission for the report ‘A future for the world’s children?’. Member of the CAP-2030 (Children in All Policies) initiative (www.cap-2030.org). He participates in the ALAPE Social Pediatrics Committee and the International Society of Social Pediatrics (ISSOP) (www.issop.org). At FLACSO he develops activities related to health promotion, child rights and health, gender and childhood, life course approach, early childhood development, and comprehensive sexual education. Recently, we addressed the commercial determinants of health and the consequences of harmful marketing products for the health of children and adolescents.

Mariela Alderete is a physician, graduated from the National University of Córdoba, Argentina. She completed her training as a Family Physician at the Italian Hospital in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She did a Master’s Program in Health and Social Security Systems at Universidad Isalud, Buenos Aires (thesis pending). She is a member of the Social Sciences and Health Program at FLACSO, Argentina. Leader in the development of research and education projects for the promotion of public health policies at the National and Regional levels. Relevant background: Regional Project for the promotion of public policies for tobacco control in Latin America. M. Bloomberg Foundation, NY USA and CTFK (Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids) Washington DC USA; Coordinator of the pilot study for the monitoring of the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes with the support of PAHO, UNICEF and SAP. Member of the network for the formulation of a law that regulates the marketing of BMS in Argentina.

Grace Gatera is a lived experience mental health advocate, living in Kigali, Rwanda. She is a Wellcome Lived Experience Advisor, a young leader with UNICEF Leading Minds, and is also a young leader with My Mind Our Humanity, a youth campaign for the Lancet Commission on Global Mental Health and Sustainable Development. Grace is passionate about young people especially those in vulnerable and marginalized communities across the world’s access to specialized and quality mental health care and medication, as well as their involvement in high level policy and decision making involving mental health.

Diana Medina is a clinical psychologist, Master’s in Public Health from the San Francisco University anad Master’s in Epidemiology from the Catholic University of Ecuador. I have worked for more than 9 years in mental health, addictions, disabilities from the national and local level.

Ashley Lashley – Executive Director of the Ashley Lashley Foundation and Founder of the HEY Campaign, Barbados

Ria Harrison – Project manager of the Ashley Lashley Foundation and Founder of the HEY Campaign, Barbados

Ojistoh Kahnawahere Horn is a Mohawk / Haudenosaunee woman whose mother is from Kahnawake, and father is from Akwesasne. She works as a family physician taking care of her people through all stages of the lifecycle. She teaches medical students and family medicine residents the complexities of providing primary care to Indigenous peoples and their communities. Drawing on both Western and Traditional paradigms, working with likeminded physicians across the country, with a focus on the effects of the environment and pollution on health, she promotes the inclusion and support of traditional knowledge and ‘ways of being’ into a framework for providing wholistic and primary care to her people.

Dr. Edith Madela-Mntla is an academic and researcher on transdisciplinary research, health management, medicines regulatory affairs and mental health. She holds a Doctoral degree in Mental Health Nursing. She currently holds a position as Senior lecturer and senior researcher at the University of Pretoria (South Africa), where she is also the coordinator for Community Engagement in the School of Medicine and serves in the Health Faculty Ethics Committee. She serves as Deputy Director of the Community-Oriented Primary Care Research Unit, which delivers integrated health care to disadvantaged communities (using a transdisciplinary approach). She is affiliated to Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University as Associate for post-graduate research supervision. She has been involved in Africa’s SDG processes (including climate change) since 2011 when she assumed a position as Regional Director of the International Council for Science (ICSU), heading its Regional Office for Africa, which was hosted by the Department of Science and Innovation. She is currently serving in the Africa Regional Mechanism Of The Major Groups and Other Stakeholders (ARMMGOS) as coordinator for academia.

Camila Ait-Yala, is the project leader of the “IEC Santé” team at GRAS (Unité de Recherche en Anthropologie de la Santé), located at the University of Oran 2 (Algeria). She holds a doctorate in language science from the University of Oran 2 and specialises in the analysis of verbal interactions in professional situations, particularly in hospitals. Camila is the Algerian coordinator of the UNESCO Chair in Education and Health.

Jean-Christophe Azorin currently teaches at the Montpellier Faculty of Education in a master’s programme dedicated to health promotion and sustainable development. He also teaches at the University of Paris Saclay as part of a DU in Cancer Prevention Education.
He works with various organisations involved in community health, notably in sub-Saharan Africa and Vietnam.
He advises local authorities on setting up health action programmes aimed at local populations.
Jean-Christophe Azorin is editor-in-chief of the journal Santé Scolaire et Universitaire, published by Elsevier.

Catherine Chabot is a project officer at the UNESCO Chair Global Health & Education. She has a master degree in urban studies from l’Institut national de la recherche scientifique (Montreal, Canada) and a bachelor degree in geography from Université Laval (Québec, Canada). Her collaborations with the UNESCO Chair and with the Chair in Community Approaches and health inequalities have led her to explore intersectoral action as a key strategy to reduce health inequalities.

Somto Chike-Obuekwe is a licensed pharmacist from Nigeria, where she has practiced for over 5 years. She got her MSc degree in Advanced Pharmacy practice with Hospital Placement at University of Huddersfield, where she continued with her PhD on suicide prevention. Her research focuses on the Contribution of Community Pharmacy in Suicide Prevention in Nigeria.

Oumar Bella Diallo, Senegalese, holds a Master’s 2 in Teaching Life and Earth Sciences, a professional degree in Education and Health Promotion and a Bachelor’s 3 in Biology, Chemistry and Geosciences. I studied Science and Technology, majoring in Life and Earth Sciences at the Faculty of Science and Technology at Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar. I teach life and earth sciences and promote health. I am currently a junior researcher and a member of the advisory committee of the HIRA (Héberger, Informer, Re-socialiser et Accueillir) action research project, run by the LASPAD (Laboratoire d’Analyses des Sociétés et des Pouvoirs /Afrique Diaspora) at the UGB _Saint Louis. The project examines the political and social challenges of caring for adolescent victims of sexual and gender-based violence in Senegal.

Rosalie Aduayi Diop is a teacher/researcher at the Institute of Population, Development and Reproductive Health at Cheikh Diop University in Dakar (IPDSR/UCAD). She has a PhD in sociology from the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM). Dr Diop is involved in a wide range of teaching and research activities in Senegal, focusing on issues such as changes in the family, adolescents and young people in vulnerable situations, violence and reproductive health, and maternal health. She is also an active member of the Association internationale des sociologues de langue française (AISLF); research committee No. 28 Sociologie de la Jeunesse; the International Sociological Association (ISA); and recently a committee member of the International Union for Health Promotion and Education (IUHPE).

Ange-Marie Nicodème Esse, Beninese, he is Community Health Advocate, founder of the National Network of Community Health Activists in Benin and Co-founder of Non-Governmental Organization “HEALTH ACCESS INITIATIVE (HAI)”. He has completed a Master’s degree in Health Promotion and a Bachelor’s degree in Nutrition and Agro-Food Sciences, he is also involved as a member of the “International Francophone Network for Health Promotion”. He is a public health project manager and research assistant at the American organization Justice & Empowerment Initiatives (JEI) in Benin. He is the author of the podcast “LES ÉCHOS DE SANTÉ COMMUNAUTAIRE”.

Jean Paul Ilunga Mulaja has a Masters degree in Health and Development, and a diploma of Advanced Studies in International Relations. He is the Executive Director of the NGO Equilibre International Democratic Republic of Congo, International Member of Public Health, Consultant and Expert, International Facilitator, Senior Executive of Public Administration, Teacher, Researcher and author of books and articles. International member of societies, unions and of the UNESCO Education & Health Chair.

Valérie Ivassenko is project officer at the UNESCO Global Health & Education. A nurse for 15 years on hospital services, with Master’s degree in Practical Philosophy, and degrees in Anthropology and Health Promotion, she is particularly interested in the ethical and anthropological issues of health. She is currently involved in the implementation of several international capacity-building and knowledge-sharing projects in health promotion.

Abdou Khaly Mbodj holds a master’s degree in community health from the Université Alioune Diop in Bambey, Senegal. He is the General Manager of the Rao Bussiness Kheweul company and the Saint Louis global coordinator of the Rawal Ak Diam platform, a project to improve maternal and child health. He is also a lecturer on the professional degree course in Education and Health Promotion at the Université Cheikh Anta Diop in Dakar, with the UNESCO Chair Global Helath & Education and Health.

Fatemeh Mohammadi–Nasrabadi, Ph.D. in Nutrition (Minor: Economics). Research Associate Professor (In Research), Research Department of Food and Nutrition Policy and Planning Research, National Nutrition and Food Technology Research Institute, Shaheed Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Iran.

Research Interests: Food security and its determinants and consequences; Food and nutrition policy analysis and evaluation; Food patterns and consumption surveys; Preparation of Iranian food composition tables; Nutrition related NCD risk factors in vulnerable population; Prevention of obesity in childhood and adolescents; Socio-economic status in relation to nutrition.

Tenia Prokalamou has been working as a Biomedical Scientist for the Greek NHS in both Primary and Secondary Health Care. She has a Msc degree in Applied Dietetics and Nutrition spec in Sports and Nutrition. She is a PhD Candidate at Harokopio University in healthy ageing and a Research Associate at the same University working in DigiCare4You project. Her research interests are in the areas of Health Promotion & Public Health and NCD, Diabetes & Obesity  Prevention in young children and their families.  

Amets Suess Schwend, PhD in Social Anthropology, MA Arts Therapies and BA/MA Sociology. They work in research, teaching and consultancy at the Andalusian School of Public Health, Area of International Health, Granada, Spain, and collaborate as PhD supervisor at the University of Granada. Their recent publications focus on trans and intersex studies, human rights, depathologization and research epistemologies, methodologies and ethics. 

MinChien Tsai PhD in Psychology. She is an affiliated researcher of the UNESCO Chair Global Health & Education. Her research interests are in the areas of health promotion, occupational health and safety, and career development. She is also a career development advisor, particularly on the topic of healthy ageing at work. Previously, she worked as a project coordinator at the Health Promoting School International Network Center for the past 10 years.

Gildas Vieira, doctor of Public Health, is the Managing Director of the Institut Renaudot and the FRAPS-IREPS Fédération des Acteurs en Promotion de la Santé. He is a teacher and researcher, President of the Ecole de l’Espoir and a municipal and community counselor. His work focuses on interculturality and community health. As coordinator of a French-speaking network, he believes that health promotion is a major factor in reducing social inequalities in health. He is commited to genuine participation through political and professional advocacy aimed at developing the power to act.

Silvia de Ruiter, project officer at the UNESCO Chair Global Health & Education. She has a Master’s degree in Communication Sciences from the University of Twente (Netherlands). She has worked on several European health promotion programmes, including the Schools for Health in Europe (SHE network). She has also been involved in the development and implementation of the health promoting school in the Netherlands.