In the lead up to the CPHA's 2017 Public Health Conference, here is a reflection from last year's conference. The reflection is written by Manpreet Saini, who received the 2016 NCCPH Knowledge Translation Graduate Student Award at the conference. Written by Manpreet Saini, MSc Candidate
From June 13-16, 2016, I had the pleasure of attending and presenting a poster at the Public Health 2016 conference in Toronto, Ontario. It was an incredible conference that provided space to discuss social, cultural and historical impacts on public health and the health care system. Plenary sessions touched on crucial topics such as racism, health equity and violence as a public health issue. The conference brought together public health and community leaders, who facilitated and encouraged the necessary conversations to discuss the social determinants that are impacting health. I attended many oral sessions on First Nations, Inuit, and Métis communities, and they were inspiring learning opportunities that made me take a step back to think and reflect on both the information I was given and the work that I hoped to accomplish. Some sessions got emotional but the strength of the Indigenous leaders and research teams was uplifting. During the oral sessions I learned a great deal from Indigenous leaders and the projects going on across Canada to reclaim their health and the health of their communities. In the midst of all this incredible knowledge sharing and discussion, I was also honoured to be awarded one of three NCCPH Knowledge Translation Graduate Student Awards. This conference was truly a wonderful learning experience.