Forum events focus on engaging civil society

December 1, 2009 – A dynamic two-day series of events on the topic of engaging civil society in supporting research use in health systems allowed the McMaster Health Forum to showcase its mandate to engage influential thinkers and doers, as well as concerned citizens and leaders of the future, in efforts to improve health outcomes through collective problem-solving.

The November events involved national and international health system stakeholders, and faculty and students from McMaster University, and it included a 1.5-day-long, by-invitation-only stakeholder dialogue, a by-invitation networking opportunity for students to interact one-on-one with the policymakers, civil society representatives and researchers who came to McMaster for the dialogue, a public talk by a leading a public health consultant at the Centre for Public Health and Equity in Bangalore, India, and a student-led dialogue on grassroots activism for HIV/AIDS.

Civil society can include registered charities, community groups, women's organizations, professional associations, social movements and advocacy groups.

The events were organized in partnership with the Ontario Agency for Health Protection and Promotion, the Public Health Agency of Canada, and the World Health Organization, and with the aid of a grant from the Canadian government's Global Health Research Initiative, a partnership between the International Development Research Centre, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Health Canada, the Public Health Agency of Canada, and the Canadian International Development Agency.

Participants in the dialogue represented a variety of stakeholders from a mix of low-. middle-, and high-income countries. They serve various roles in their own constituencies, as policymakers (in international agencies and in national, provincial and local governments), leaders of health care institutions and community-based organizations, representatives of civil society groups and researchers.

Materials from the dialogue, including an issue brief, dialogue summary and interviews with participants, will be posted to the Forum’s website in the new year.

The Forum’s first public talk was delivered by Thelma Narayan, a dialogue participant who has extensive international experience in research and policymaking for health care systems. Her presentation entitled Civil Society Engagement in Health Enquiries, Advocacy and Action to Strengthen Health Systems: Lessons from India, drew on how her personal experiences growing up in India led to her involvement in some of the country’s initiatives that engaged public citizens in improving health care. Commentary was provided by Pierre Ongolo-Zogo, director of the Center for the Development of Best Practices in Health, Yaoundé Central Hospital in Cameroon, Africa, and Suzanne Lawson, who has held various senior roles in the Canadian and international voluntary sector. Both commentators were participants in the stakeholder dialogue.

The first McMaster Health Forum Student-led Dialogue and Debate event, organized by the Forum’s Student Sub-Committee, featured guest speaker Ron Rosenes, vice-chair of the Canadian Treatment Action Council, a national organization serving the needs of people living with AIDS. His talk about HIV/AIDS grassroots activism was followed by an open dialogue with students and others attending the event.