Event Details

The Ontario HIV Treatment Network (OHTN) works to improve the health and lives of people living with and at risk of HIV by using data and evidence to drive change. We collaborate with testing programs and clinics, HIV services and community-based organizations, policy and system leaders within and beyond the health sector to support the provincial HIV strategy, priorities and directions. The OHTN, under the leadership of Dr. Notisha Massaquoi, supported the implementation of the Adolescents and Young Adults (AYA) model of care, an innovative HIV clinical care service imbedded in a community health centre. The OHTN, under the leadership of Dr. Notisha Massaquoi, supported the implementation of the Adolescents and Young Adults (AYA) model of care, an innovative HIV clinical care service imbedded in a community health centre.

As a part of the Black Public Health Series, this PHO Rounds will highlight the impact of HIV on Black communities living in Ontario and share lessons pertaining to the implementation of the Adolescents and Young Adults (AYA) model of care.

Intended Audience:
Medical Officers of Health (MOH), Associate Medical Officers of Health (AMOH), public health professionals especially those working in health equity, policy makers, and decision-makers.

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

• Describe the HIV Epidemic in Ontario and how it disproportionately affects African, Caribbean and Black ACB communities.
• Describe the HIV prevention, testing, and clinical care landscape available to ACB communities.
• Identify the core components of an innovative HIV Clinical model of care designed by and for Black people living with HIV.
• Describe challenges faced and solutions implemented to maintain trust and collaboration with ACB communities in the context of HIV services.
• Consider how to apply the strategies used by OHTN to promote equitable access to HIV clinical care services and related adaptation to advance health equity in their own public health practice.
  
   

Nadine Sookermany is the CEO at the Ontario HIV Treatment Network. She is a community leader with over two decades of Senior Leadership in community health, HIV sectors specializing in community and social services, public health, equity, inclusion and accessibility. Nadine was the Co-Chair of the Health Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Working Group with the Downtown East Toronto Ontario Health Team (DETOHT), member of the Health Equity Committee of the Mid-West Ontario Health Team (MWTOHT) and engaged in the Toronto Region Anti-Racism Framework with Ontario Health. She holds a Women’s Studies and Political Science degree from the University of Manitoba, along with the completion of graduate courses at the University of Toronto Ontario Institute of Studies in Education (OISE). She is passionate about community-based approaches to health and harm reduction, anti-oppression and social justice – a passion that has guided her work as a community leader for over 30 years.

Notisha Massaquoi, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Health and Society at the University of Toronto Scarborough, with cross appointments in the Factor Inwentash Faculty of Social Work and the Temerty Faculty of Medicine. She is also the founding director of the Black Health Equity Lab (The BHEL), which conducts community based health research and partners with Black communities to develop advocacy tools, strategies, and programs aimed at improving health outcomes, wellbeing, and success within Canadian systems.  Earlier in her career, she played a pivotal role in establishing several health organizations serving Black communities, including Africans in Partnership Against AIDS and the TAIBU Community Health Centre. Most notably, she served for two decades as the Executive Director of Women’s Health in Women’s Hands Community Health Centre in Toronto—the only Community Health Centre in North America providing specialized primary healthcare for Black and racialized women.

Lydia Makoroka is the Sr. Director Programs at the Ontario HIV Treatment Network. She leads strategic projects centered on collaboration, health equity, community engagement to drive change and improve the health and well-being of people at risk and those living with HIV. Most of her work focused on anti-oppression and social justice. She holds a graduate degree in Health Research Methodology. She has spent over 20 years leading various HIV, health and LGBTQ2+ initiatives, implementation science projects, and community-based research and evaluation projects.

The opinions expressed by speakers and moderators do not necessarily reflect the official policies or views of Public Health Ontario, nor does the mention of trade names, commercial practices, or organizations imply endorsement by Public Health Ontario.

Public Health Ontario Rounds are a self-approved group learning activity (Section 1) as defined by the Maintenance of Certification Program of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC).

Other colleges, including the College of Family Physicians of Canada, Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario and the Canadian Institute of Public Health Inspectors, may accept RCPSC accredited events on a per-hour basis. Please contact your relevant college should you have any questions.

In order to receive written documentation for Continuing Medical Education (CME) credits, please check "Yes" beside the question "Do you require CME credits?" on the registration form.

For more information or for a record of registration for other Continuing Education purposes, please contact capacitybuilding@oahpp.ca.

Public Health Ontario is committed to complying with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). If you require accommodations to participate in this event, please contact 647-260-7100 or capacitybuilding@oahpp.ca.