About the Project
Canada has a rich history of public engagement. The direct involvement of Canadians through various forms of public engagement can be useful to inform policies that affect everyday lives. But current political, economic and social challenges call for critical reflection on this history and lead us to consider what adaptations or new approaches to public engagement might be needed to address these challenges.
Questions include:
How representative are our current patient engagement approaches?
Do current processes actively consider whose voices should inform decision processes and create opportunities for those voices to meaningfully participate?
What trends have we seen in public engagement the last twenty years, and how has this shifted the health landscape?
How well have current public engagement tools adapted when forced to move engagement online during the COVID-19 pandemic?
The Engagement in Health Policy project will address these questions and others by providing a platform for interdisciplinary scholarship, education and public engagement methods expertise to strengthen health policymaking in Canada. We will inform and engage Canadians working to develop a stronger and healthier society.
The outputs of our work will be applicable to a broad range of policy challenges. Innovative leadership development opportunities are carefully embedded throughout the project to provide students, emerging scholars and future health leaders with the core knowledge and skill-building needed to generate impacts in their local communities and beyond.