2024 Keynote Speakers

Keynote Speaker 1

Dr Vera Etches, Medical Officer of Health, Ottawa Public Health

Dr. Etches was appointed as Medical Officer (MOH) of Health for Ottawa Public Health (OPH) in April 2018, having served as Deputy MOH for three years and Associate MOH for five years before that. She is passionate about preventing illness and injury and working with partners across many sectors to keep people well and to promote population health. Highlights include fostering a culture of community and client engagement and providing information to help people navigate the COVID-19 pandemic. She is also committed to public health work to address inequities in health status stemming from racism and colonialism.

Dre Vera Etches, Médecin chef en santé publique, Santé publique Ottawa

La Dre Etches a été nommée médecin chef en santé publique pour Santé publique Ottawa (SPO) en avril 2018, ayant été médecin chef adjointe en santé publique pendant trois ans et médecin adjointe en santé publique pendant cinq ans auparavant. Elle se passionne pour la prévention des maladies et des blessures et le travail de collaboration avec des partenaires de différents secteurs visant à assurer le bien-être de la population et à promouvoir la santé des résidents. Elle est connue pour favoriser une culture de mobilisation de la communauté et de la clientèle et à fournir des renseignements pour aider les résidents à traverser la pandémie de COVID-19. Elle se consacre également aux efforts de la santé publique visant à éliminer les inégalités en santé provenant du racisme et du colonialisme.

Keynote Speaker 2

Jerry M. Maniate, MD, M.Ed, EMBA, FRCPC, FACP, CCPE, CPC(HC) Associate Professor of Medicine Vice Chair of Member Support, uOttawa Department of Medicine Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa Executive Director, Equity in Health Systems Lab

Dr. Jerry Maniate is a clinician-educator at The Ottawa Hospital, an Associate Professor and inaugural Vice Chair of Member Support in the Department of Medicine at the University of Ottawa and is both an EDIA Advisor and a researcher at the Bruyère Research Institute. He is the Executive Director and Primary Investigator of the Equity in Health Systems Lab (www.eqhslab.com) which he founded in September 2021. The Lab is an international community of transdisciplinary researchers, health care professionals, educators, policymakers, learners, and patients who are seeking to make an impact on our community and health system with the work they are engaged with through a unique approach. His academic work and that of the EqHS Lab has been focused on understanding and addressing inequities, accessibility challenges, and social accountability in our health systems through collaborative partnerships using a scholarly lens