BC Environmental and Occupational Health Research Network

Environmental and Occupational Health:

From Science to Policy and Practice

Monday, March 29 & Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Lunch time to lunch time
Venue: Coast Victoria Harbourside Hotel & Marina, Victoria, BC

Attend this unique and free opportunity to connect with colleagues and to meet others in research and policy-making fields.

►Flyer

A .pdf copy of the promotional flyer is available for download here.

►Registration

Participation in this event is free of charge. To ensure adequate catering quantities, members are asked to register by sending us an email: patherton@bceohrn.ca.

►Objectives

This conference has been designed to provide educational and networking opportunities to create relationships across the research and policy-making communities in the areas of environmental and occupational health. It is intended that relationships built through this event will foster new synergies over time.

►Who Should Attend

We invite all researchers, policy-makers, students/trainees and individuals with an interest in environmental and occupational health. This includes people working or involved in universities, governments, industry, health agencies, health authorities, etc.

►Program

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Monday, March 29, 2010

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12:00-1:00 Networking lunch

1:00-2:30 Plenary session

Moderator: Luisa Giles

♦ Environmental Health → Research
California Environmental Health Tracking: Enhancing and communicating data for public health action
Galatea King

♦ Environmental Health → Policy
Making drinking water quality and air quality research relevant to policy makers
Tim Lambert

2:30-3:00 Break

3:00-4:30 Plenary session

♦ Occupational Health → Research
Evaluation of the Impact of Research Funding Programs: Where are we now?
Cameron Mustard

♦ Occupational Health → Policy
How does research influence policy-making, decision-making, and standard-setting at WorkSafeBC?
Roberta Ellis

4:30-6:00 Networking wine & cheese reception

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Tuesday, March 30, 2010

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8:00-9:00 Networking breakfast

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9:00-10:30 Breakout Sessions 1 (choose one to attend)
Note: all sessions are repeated in Session 2

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♦ Breakout Group 1
Theme → Environmental Health: Successes & Emerging Topics
Sponsored by Air & Waste Management Association – Vancouver Island Chapter

Moderator: Eleanor Setton

Topic Area: Air

Research: Recent Developments and Emerging Issues in Air Quality and Health Research
Ryan Allen

Policy: Air Quality Management: Past, Present & Future
Glen Okrainetz

Topic Area: Water

Research: Innovative approaches to watershed protection
Hans Schreier

Policy: Drinking Water Policy Challenges: Beyond Technology
Michael Zemanek

Q&A (30 minutes)
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♦ Breakout Group 2
Theme → Occupational Health: Success & Challenges

Moderator: Ken Cooper

Research: Workplace Psychological Health: From Research to Action
Joti Samra

Policy: Developing Front Line Leadership to support a Culture of Safety in Healthcare: An examination of the role of peer coaching in changing attitudes, beliefs and behaviors at the bedside.
Catherine Fast

Q&A (30 minutes)

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♦ Breakout Group 3
Theme → Knowledge to Policy to Action

Evidence-Informed Decision Making in Environmental Health
Mona Shum

Moderator: Hannah Moffatt

Q&A (30 minutes)

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10:30-11:00 Break

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11:00-12:30 Breakout Sessions 2 (choose one to attend)

♦ Breakout Group 1 - repeated from Session 1

Moderator: Warren McCormick

♦ Breakout Group 2 - repeated from Session 1

Moderator: Shannon Wagner

♦ Breakout Group 3 - repeated from Session 1

Moderator: Ken Cooper

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12:30-2:00 Networking lunch with wrap up presentation

Introduction: Shannon Wagner

Speaker: Henry Harder

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►Speakers

Dr. Ryan Allen, Assistant Professor, Health Sciences, SFU

Roberta Ellis, Vice President, Policy, Investigations and Review, WorkSafeBC

Catherine Fast, Executive Director, Occupational Health and Safety Agency for Healthcare (OHSAH) in BC

Dr. Henry Harder, R.Psych., Scientific Director, BCEOHRN; Chair, Community Health Programs, UNBC

Galatea King, Epidemiologist and Health Education Specialist, California Environmental Health Tracking Program, California Department of Public Health

Dr. Tim Lambert, Executive Director, Health Protection, BC Ministry of Healthy Living and Sport

Dr. Cameron Mustard, President, Institute of Work and Health

Glen Okrainetz, Director, Air Quality, BC Ministry of Healthy Living and Sport

Dr. Joti Samra, R.Psych., Adjunct Professor & Research Scientist, Centre for Applied Research in Mental Health and Addiction, Faculty of Health Sciences, SFU

Dr. Hans Schreier, Professor, Institute for Resources and Environment, UBC

Mona Shum, Manager, National Collaborating Centre for Environmental Health

Michael Zemanek, M.Sc., P.Eng., Director, Water Protection and Healthy Community Environments, Health Protection Branch, BC Ministry of Healthy Living and Sport 

 

Plenary Speaker Bios

 

 Roberta Ellis was appointed Vice President Policy, Investigations and Review Divisions in 2004 at WorkSafeBC. She was Vice President of Prevention at WorkSafeBC since 1999 responsible for consultative, educational, and compliance programs to eliminate occupational injury and disease. Between 1997-1999 Ms. Ellis was Associate Deputy Minister of Health to the Manitoba Government with responsibility for labour contracts and human resource matters. In 1995 she was President and Chief Executive Officer of Aerospace Training Canada International, an assignment with the federal government, to develop a consortium of private and public sector leaders in the export of aerospace knowledge products. Between 1989-1993 she was Deputy Minister of Manitoba Labour. In 1993, Ms. Ellis was President of Manitoba’s Economic Innovation and Technology Council. She served, for three years, as Chair of the Manitoba Advisory Council on the Status of Women, advising government on all aspects of economic and social policy. In 1985, she was appointed Civil Service Commissioner and Pay Equity Commissioner, leading the implementation of Canada’s first proactive pay equity legislation. Ms. Ellis’s professional achievements have been recognized through various awards, including the Lieutenant Governor’s Medal for Excellence in Public Administration and the CPPMA Presidents Award for leadership in public administration.

 

Henry Harder is a registered psychologist specializing in rehabilitation and family psychology. He holds a Doctorate in Counselling Psychology from the University of British Columbia. Dr. Harder has been in the field of psychology, vocational rehabilitation and disability management for over 20 years. He is a Professor and Chair of the Health Sciences Programs (Masters of Community Health, Bachelor of Health Sciences and Disability Management) at the University of Northern British Columbia. Immediately prior to this he was in private practice in Vancouver and Delta, British Columbia. He is also a past Training Director for the National Institute of Disability Management and Research as well as a former Director of Vocational Rehabilitation Services Department at the Workers’ Compensation Board of BC. Dr. Harder is a published author and has made presentations and conducted workshops throughout Canada, Australia, the United States and Europe. He is a member of the Canadian Psychological Association, College of Psychologists of British Columbia, American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy, International Society of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine, Canadian Association of Suicide Prevention, and other professional organizations.

 

Galatea King is an Epidemiologist and Health Education Specialist with the California Environmental Health Tracking Program (CEHTP), within the California Department of Public Health (CDPH). CEHTP’s main goal is to enhance and communicate environmental and health data and information to be used for public health action (e.g. research, advocacy, policy) with expertise in the fields of epidemiology and statistics, information technology and software development, geographic information systems (GIS), participatory processes, and communication. Gala has been with CEHTP for four years, focusing her efforts on improving the collection, analysis, visualization, and translation of data and information to diverse stakeholders, including community members, researchers, local and state government employees, and policy makers. Prior to working with CEHTP, Gala worked as an Epidemiologist with the CDPH Office on Disability and Health, and the CDPH asthma surveillance program, California Breathing. Since 2000, Gala has been a member of and is currently on the advisory board of the Filipino/American Coalition for Environmental Solidarity (FACES), a transnational environmental justice organization that works with impacted communities in California and in the Philippines. Gala holds a BS in Mathematics from the University of Minnesota and an MPH from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, where her focus was epidemiology and international health.

 

Timothy Lambert is the Executive Director of Health Protection, BC Ministry of Healthy Living and Sport. The Health Protection branch addresses food safety, source and drinking water, on-site sewerage, air quality, healthy community environments, community care and assisted living residences. Tim holds an adjunct position with University of British Columbia, School of Environmental Health and has two areas of research: the People’s Health Commission of Nova Scotia, evaluating the impact of coke and steel production on the residential community adjacent the Sydney Tar Ponds; and, public health ethics, in particular, developing the concept of environmental justice. Tim holds a BSc. in biochemistry from the University of Calgary, an MSc. in environmental science and engineering from the University of Alberta, and a Ph.D. in Public Health Science from the University of Alberta.

 

Cameron Mustard is the president and a senior scientist at the Institute for Work & Health. He is also a professor in the Department of Public Health Sciences in the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Medicine. Mustard completed his doctoral training in epidemiology, health policy and behavioural sciences at The Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health in 1990. Prior to joining the Institute in 1999, he was a member of the Manitoba Centre for Health Policy and Evaluation at the University of Manitoba. Mustard’s current research interests include work environments, labour market experiences and health, the distributional equity of publicly funded health and health care programs in Canada, and the epidemiology of socioeconomic health inequalities across the human life course.

 

Breakout Sessions Speaker Bios

 

Ryan Allen holds a position in the health sciences faculty at SFU. After earning his B.S. degree in Physics from Denison University, Dr. Allen attended the University of Washington where he earned his M.S. in Environmental Engineering and his Ph.D. in Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences. His doctoral research investigated personal exposure to air pollution in the Seattle area, focusing specifically on the penetration of outdoor air pollution into indoor residential environments and the contributions of outdoor- and indoor-generated air pollution to personal exposure. After completing his Ph.D., Dr. Allen remained at the University of Washington as a post-doctoral fellow. During this time he continued to research air pollution exposure as part of the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis and Air Pollution. This ongoing study is investigating the role of air pollution from traffic and other sources on the progression of subclinical cardiovascular disease in 6 U.S. cities.

 

Catherine Fast is the Executive Director of the Occupational Health and Safety Agency for Healthcare (OHSAH) in BC. After an entrepreneurial first career Catherine started working in 1994 as an Occupational Therapist in the area of injury prevention and disability management. Catherine was the Regional Manager, Early Intervention and Disability Prevention at Vancouver Coastal Health for 6 years before becoming the Director, Employee Wellness & Safety with the Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA). Catherine earned a BA (University of Manitoba), a BSc in Occupational Therapy (UBC) and a Masters of Arts in Leadership (Royal Roads University). A published researcher, Catherine is a member of the Canadian College of Health Service Executives and a Board member of Neil Squire Solutions, a subsidiary of the Neil Squire Foundation.

 

Glen Okrainetz is the Director of Air Quality in the Ministry of Healthy Living and Sport. Prior to this, Glen worked for 14 years in the Ministry of Environment. Since 2003, he has led the provincial ambient air quality program, initially in the Ministry of Environment and in the Ministry of Healthy Living and Sport since that program was transferred to the new ministry in June 2008. A primary focus of the ambient air quality program is to reduce the risk to human health from air contaminants. Prior to that Glen was a senior policy analyst with a focus on intergovernmental relations. In this capacity that he worked on environmental health issues such as chairing the committee that developed the Canada Wide Standards for dioxins and furans. Glen has a Masters degree in environmental studies, and a Bachelor degree in physical geography.

 

Joti Samra, a clinical psychologist, holds a position as an Adjunct Professor and Research Scientist with the Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University. Dr. Samra conducts applied research and clinical work in the area of mental health and addiction, with a particular interest to these issues as they pertain to the workplace context. Dr. Samra has been the lead on Guarding Minds @ Work: An Employer Guide to Psychological Safety, a project that has been commissioned by the Great West Life Centre for Mental Health in the Workplace and involves the development of an evidence-based psychosocial risk assessment survey, audit and response strategy for organizations. She has also been a principal in the development of a number of evidence-based client and family resources for depression, suicidality and chronic health conditions (www.comh.ca), including: Coping with Suicidal Thoughts, which has been adapted for use by the US Department of Veterans Affairs; Positive Coping with Health Conditions (Bilsker, Samra & Goldner, 2008); and Antidepressant Skills at Work: Dealing with Mood Problems in the Workplace (Bilsker, Gilbert & Samra, 2007). Dr. Samra is active in a range of clinical, professional and educational ventures including serving as a Clinical Associate at the SFU Clinical Psychology Centre, where she supervises graduate students in clinical psychology; being Co-Chair of the BC Psychologically Healthy Workplace Collaborative; and serving as Vice-President for the British Columbia Psychological Association. She also has an active clinical practice in which she works with clients and families that struggle with mental health issues.

 

Hans Schreier is a Professor at the Institute for Resources and Environment, UBC. His educational background is in chemist/soil science, remote sensing GIS, and watershed management. His research focus is on land-water interactions, soil and water pollution and GIS-based land use evaluations. He has worked extensive on water problems in the developing world and in Canada. His involvement in watershed projects in the Himalayas (Nepal, Bhutan, China). In 1996 he received the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) award for significant contribution to the world of science in the developing world, was granted a senior Sabbatical fellowship by IDRC (1999-2000). In 2000 he received the Manaaki Tangata Fellowship, from Landcare Research New Zealand. He has done research and delivered training programs in Mongolia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru, Bhutan, China, Cost Rica, Nepal, Chile, and the Philippines. He is also a member of the Canadian Water Network, Centre of Excellence Program, and his research is focused on non-point sources of pollution, cumulative effects and its impact on health.

 

Mona Shum completed her undergraduate degree in Microbiology and Immunology at McGill University and went on to complete her graduate degree in Occupational Hygiene at the University of British Columbia. She started her career working as an industrial hygienist for Shell Canada in Alberta and then went on to spend the bulk of her career as a scientific consultant for an engineering and environmental consulting firm in California. In that consulting role, she managed several large scale environmental projects involving cellular telephones, mould in indoor environments, and antimicrobial resistance. On a regular basis, she synthesized and translated pertinent scientific information for her clients. She recently became the manager for the National Collaborating Centre for Environmental Health and is excited to use some of her project management and content expertise in this new role.

 

Mike Zemanek is currently the Director of Water Protection and Healthy Community Environments with the Health Protection Branch of the Ministry of Healthy Living and Sport. He holds an Honours Diploma in Civil Engineering Technology from the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology as well as a B.Sc. in Civil Engineering and an M.Sc. in Environmental Engineering, both from the University of Alberta. Over the past 16 years, Mike has developed environmental management legislation and policy in the areas of human health risk assessment, water, wastewater, contaminated sites and oil & gas operations. He has also served on a number of committees including the CCME Soil Quality Guidelines Task Group, the National Round Table on Environment and Economy’s National Strategy for Brownfield Redevelopment and the FPT Committee on Health and the Environment.

 

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►Registration

Participation in this event by BCEOHRN members is free of charge. To ensure adequate catering quantities, members are asked to register by sending an email to our office. Not a member? Join Us (free).

►Travel Bursaries

Update: March 2,2010:

Due to overwhelming demand, the travel bursary program is now fully expended. Registrations for this free event are still being accepted, but no further travel bursaries are available.

►Venue & Accommodations

Coast Victoria Harbourside Hotel & Marina
146 Kingston Street, Victoria, British Columbia, V8V 1V4
Tel: 250-360-1211 / Fax: 250-360-1418 / Reservations: 1-800-716-6199

Room rates (single/double), based on room amenities: $89 (Coast Comfort), $99 (Coast Harbourview), $129 (Coast Premium) plus 15% tax. Quote conference code CVH-GFC3042 to access these special rates by February 26.

As a 4 Green Key member of the Green Key Eco-Rating Program, this hotel is dedicated to improve environmental performance and incorporate eco-friendly solutions. 

Map & Directions

►Conference Planning group

The BCEOHRN Spring 2010 Conference has been planned by the BCEOHRN Conference Working Group.