Many public health practitioners provide a range of supports focused on sexual and reproductive health. Listen to this episode to hear about how Dr. Saraswathi Vedam and her team at the Birth Place Lab are disrupting the status quo for reproductive health research in Canada by intentionally centring the voices and priorities of communities that are under-represented and excluded from health research. Saraswathi speaks with host Bernice Yanful about how she works with others to bring the Lab’s vision for “reproductive freedom, safety, and justice for every person” to life.

Episode Guest: Dr. Saraswathi Vedam is Lead Investigator at the Birth Place Lab and professor of midwifery at University of British Columbia. Over 38 years, she has been a midwife, educator, parent, and researcher. Her scholarly work includes several community-based participatory action research projects on health equity. She worked with service users to develop new quality measures of autonomy, respect, and mistreatment in perinatal care. These accountability tools have now been applied in 65 countries at the institutional, health system, and country levels.

(00:00) Introduction

(07:07) Interview with Dr. Saraswathi Vedam

Learn more:

• The Birth Place Lab
• The Giving Voice to Mothers Study
• The RESPCCT Study: Community-led Development of a Person-Centered Instrument to Measure Health Equity in Perinatal Services (Vedam et al., 2024)
• Beyond Complacency: Challenges (and Opportunities) for Reproductive Justice in Canada (LEAF, 2022)
• Visioning New Futures for Reproductive Justice Declaration 2023 (Sister Song)

Episode Credits: This episode was produced by Pemma Muzumdar, Carolina Jimenez, Rebecca Cheff and host Bernice Yanful (NCCDH). The Mind the Disruption project team is led by Rebecca Cheff, with technical production and original music by Chris Perry. Promotion by Caralyn Vossen (NCCDH). Artwork by comet art + design. Sound credits: clips used from the Birth Place Lab, “talking people.MP3” by szalonegacie (CC0 1.0), “conference chatter 3.aif” by reecord2 (CC0 1.0), and “Walla_ses1.wav” by freesound (CC0 1.0). Mind the Disruption is a podcast by the National Collaborating Centre for Determinants of Health. NCCDH is hosted by St. Francis Xavier University and funded by the Public Health Agency of Canada. The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent those of the PHAC. 

Check out this episode to learn from Chloé Cébron and Shezeen Suleman who are part of a growing movement mobilizing for the right to health care for all people living in Canada, regardless of immigration status. In this episode, Chloé, the director of policy and advocacy at Médecins du Monde, shares lessons from a successful advocacy campaign to expand health care coverage for all children living in Quebec. Then Shezeen, a midwife and co-chair of the Health Network for Uninsured Clients in Toronto, reflects on using advocacy as a strategy for health equity.

(00:00) Introduction

(6:44) Interview with Chloé Cébron

(40:04) Interview with Shezeen Suleman

Episode Guests: Chloé Cébron is a lawyer in international humanitarian law and human rights and the director of policy and advocacy at Médecins du Monde Canada. For nearly 15 years, she has worked for humanitarian health organizations as a legal, policy and advocacy advisor in a dozen countries. Since 2017, she has been working for Médecins du Monde Canada and coordinates the organization’s advocacy on access to health care for migrants with precarious status in Canada. Shezeen Suleman is a midwife in Toronto, co-leading the MATCH program at the South Riverdale Community Health Centre. She has worked as a midwife in the city for over 10 years and before this worked as a youth worker in neighborhoods across the city; these roots in community work inform her practice as a midwife. Shezeen also co-chairs the Health Network for Uninsured Clients in the GTA, aiming to create and maintain dignified pathways to care for people living without OHIP.

Learn more:

Precarious immigration status, precarious health: Working together to ensure healthcare for all women living in Quebec (MdM, 2023)

Bill 83: Implementation & Information (MdM, 2021)

Health Network for Uninsured Clients resources & report (HNUC, 2023)

Let’s Talk: Advocacy & health equity (NCCDH, 2015)

Does public health advocacy seek to redress health inequities? A scoping review (Cohen & Marshall, 2017)

Disrupting Migrant Work [Season 1, Episode 4] (NCCDH, 2023)

Episode Credits: Production for this episode was led by Rebecca Cheff, with contributions from Carolina Jimenez, Pemma Muzumdar and host Bernice Yanful. The Mind the Disruption project team is led by Rebecca Cheff, with technical production and original music by Chris Perry. Promotion by Caralyn Vossen. Artwork by comet art + design. Mind the Disruption is a podcast by the National Collaborating Centre for Determinants of Health. NCCDH is hosted by St. Francis Xavier University and funded by the Public Health Agency of Canada. The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent those of PHAC.

As Director of the Community Climate Resilience Lab, Dr. Imara Rolston recognizes that the climate crisis is a health emergency that will disproportionally impact racialized communities. Listen to this episode to hear how Imara and his team are bringing together non-profit leaders, grassroots leaders, academics, and policy makers and creating a Toronto-focused Racial Justice Climate Resilience framework. Through this work, they are supporting cites to reckon with historical slavery and colonialism and integrate community-driven solutions. Community outreach worker Diana Chan McNally then reflects on opportunities for public health to improve community engagement efforts.

(00:00) Introduction

(8:09) Interview with Imara Rolston

(40:49) Interview with Diana Chan McNally

Episode Guests: Dr. Imara Ajani Rolston is a social psychologist, policy maker, and Associate Professor and director of the Community Climate Resilience Lab at the University of Toronto’s Dalla Lana School of Public Health. Dr. Rolston has contributed to research and publications in the areas of HIV/AIDS, health promotion and community development and has advanced racial justice and urban responses to climate change with the City of Toronto. He has over 15 years of experience working across Sub-Saharan Africa with organizations including the Stephen Lewis Foundation, Oxfam Canada, and Greenpeace Africa. Reflective guest Diana Chan McNally (Dipl. CW, BFA, MA, MEd) is a frontline worker supporting unhoused people in Toronto's downtown east side. As someone with lived experience of social services and homelessness, her work focuses on human rights and equity issues for people without housing, and particularly encampments. She is an alumnus of Maytree Canada and a fellow of the McNally Project for Paramedicine Research.

Learn more:

• Climate Change Resilience Part 2: Public health roles and actions (NCCDH, 2021)
• Keeping It Political and Powerful: Defining the Structural Determinants of Health (Heller et al., 2024)
• Let’s Talk series: Community Engagement, Racism, and Whiteness (NCCDH)

Episode Credits: Production for this episode was led by Pemma Muzumdar and host Bernice Yanful, with contributions from Rebecca Cheff and Carolina Jimenez (NCCDH). The Mind the Disruption project team is led by Rebecca Cheff, with technical production and original music by Chris Perry. Promotion by Caralyn Vossen (NCCDH). Artwork by comet art + design. Sound credit: "Central Park Ambience.aif" by logancircle2 is licensed under CC BY 4.0. Mind the Disruption is a podcast by the National Collaborating Centre for Determinants of Health. NCCDH is hosted by St. Francis Xavier University and funded by the Public Health Agency of Canada. The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent those of the PHAC.

Transcript (PDF or download Word document)

As the National Director of Disability Without Poverty, Rabia Khedr is building a vibrant intersectional movement led by people with disabilities to end disability poverty through a new federal Canada Disability Benefit. Listen to this episode to learn from Rabia about why this benefit is so necessary and what is still needed to deliver meaningful change. Jonathan Heller, a visiting scholar at the National Collaborating Centre for Determinants of Health, then shares practical strategies that public health can use to build community power and support movements like Disability Without Poverty.

(00:00) Introduction

(6:49) Interview with Rabia Khedr

(40:46) Interview with Jonathan Heller

Episode Guests: Rabia Khedr is dedicated to equity and justice for persons with disabilities, women, and diverse communities. She is the National Director of Disability Without Poverty and CEO of DEEN Support Services. A founder of Race and Disability Canada, she is also a board member of the Muslim Council of Peel and the Federation of Muslim Women. Rabia draws on her lived experience of being blind and advocating for siblings with intellectual disabilities. Reflective guest Jonathan Heller (he/him) is a Visiting Scholar at the National Collaborating Centre for Determinants of Health and a Senior Health Equity Fellow at the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute. He is the co-founder and until 2020 was the co-director of Human Impact Partners, a US-based non-profit focused on bringing the power of public health to campaigns and movements for a just society.

Learn more:

• Disability Without Poverty
• Let's Talk: Redistributing power to advance health equity (NCCDH, 2023)
• Building community power for health equity: A curated list (NCCDH, 2023)

Episode Credits: Production for this episode was led by Carolina Jimenez and Rebecca Cheff, with contributions from Pemma Muzumdar and host Bernice Yanful (NCCDH). The Mind the Disruption project team is led by Rebecca Cheff, with technical production and original music by Chris Perry. Promotion by Caralyn Vossen (NCCDH). Artwork by comet art + design. Sound credits: Clips used from Elisa, Jen Gammad, Hon. Carla Qualtrough, Michelle Hewitt and Where's the bill? Mind the Disruption is a podcast by the National Collaborating Centre for Determinants of Health. NCCDH is hosted by St. Francis Xavier University and funded by the Public Health Agency of Canada. The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent those of the PHAC.

Wendie Wilson is a mother, educator, artist, writer, community advocate and a member of the African Nova Scotian and Black Food Sovereignty working group for the Halifax region’s JustFOOD Action Plan, alongside registered dietitian Nickaya Parris. In this episode, Wendie and Nickaya provide a window into the transformative work happening to advance community-rooted food sovereignty action in Nova Scotia. Listen to this episode to learn about the food sovereignty movement and why it matters for public health.

(00:00) Introduction

(6:35) Interview with Wendie Wilson

(39:06) Interview with Nickaya Parris

Episode Guests: Born and raised in Kjipuktuk (Halifax), Wendie L. Wilson is a descendant of African Nova Scotians who have history in the province for 400+ years. Wendie is an Executive Staff Officer BIPOC Engagement and Advocacy with the Nova Scotia Teachers Union, instructor at Mount Saint Vincent University and co-founder of the African Nova Scotian Freedom School. She works with Food Secure Canada, Halifax’s African Nova Scotian and Black Food Sovereignty Working Group, the PanCanadian Black Food Sovereignty Network, the Indigenous and Black Food Sovereignty Advisory Circle, and the Coalition for Healthy School Food NS. Born and raised in the Community of Uniacke Square, Northend Halifax, Nickaya Parris is a recognized role model within the African Nova Scotian community, who allows her passion for nutrition, healthcare, and underserved communities to lead her daily. Currently working as a Food Security Policy Analyst for the Government of Nova Scotia, Nickaya is also a Registered Dietitian.

Learn more:

• Disrupting Food Insecurity & Fat Phobia
• Disrupting Environmental Racism
• JustFood Action Plan for the Halifax Region
• Nyéléni 2007 Forum for Food Sovereignty
• Sovereignty: What is it and why it’s important (NowThisEarth, 2021)
• How Food is at the Heart of African Nova Scotian Culture (Wilson, 2024)
• Health Inequities and the Shifting Paradigms of Food Security, Food Insecurity, and Food Sovereignty (Borras & Mohamed, 2020)

Episode Credits: Production for this episode was led host Bernice Yanful, with contributions from Carolina Jimenez, Rebecca Cheff and Pemma Muzumdar (NCCDH). The Mind the Disruption project team is led by Rebecca Cheff, with technical production and original music by Chris Perry. Promotion by Caralyn Vossen (NCCDH). Artwork by comet art + design. Sound credits: "RoomTone_TrafficJam.wav" by TMPZ_1 is licensed under CC BY 3.0; clips used from Food Secure Canada. Mind the Disruption is a podcast by the National Collaborating Centre for Determinants of Health. NCCDH is hosted by St. Francis Xavier University and funded by the Public Health Agency of Canada. The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent those of the PHAC.

As founder and Executive Director of the Environmental Noxiousness, Racial Inequities and Community Health (ENRICH) Project, Dr. Ingrid Waldron works alongside African Nova Scotian and Mi’kmaw communities to disrupt environmental racism as a necessary part of the environmental justice movement. In this episode, Ingrid positions environmental racism as an urgent health equity issue and highlights how the ENRICH project builds community power through meaningful partnerships, research and collective action. Dr. Gaynor Watson-Creed, a former Medical Officer of Health, then reflects on how public health can better respond to communities whose health is affected by systemic racism. 

(00:00) Introduction

(8:38) Interview with Dr. Ingrid Waldron 

(42:35) Interview with Dr. Gaynor Watson-Creed  

Episode Guests: Dr. Ingrid Waldron is Professor and HOPE Chair in Peace and Health in the Global Peace and Social Justice Program at McMaster University, the Founder and Executive Director of the ENRICH Project, and the Co-Founder and Co-Director of the Canadian Coalition for Environmental and Climate Justice. Her research and advocacy, as well as her 2018 book There’s Something in the Water and her 2020 Netflix documentary of the same name have played a pivotal role in creating awareness about and addressing environmental racism. Dr. Gaynor Watson-Creed is the Associate Dean of Serving and Engaging Society for Dalhousie University’s Faculty of Medicine, and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Community Health and Epidemiology. She is a public health specialist physician with 18 years experience, having served as the former Medical Officer of Health for the Halifax area and Deputy Chief Medical Officer of Health for Nova Scotia. 

Learn more:

• Disrupting Whiteness
• Disrupting the Status Quo in Public Health
• Environmental Racism and Climate Change: Determinants of Health in Mi’kmaw and African Nova Scotian Communities (Canadian Climate Institute)
• Anti-Indigenous Racism in Canada (NCCIH)

Episode Credits: Production for this episode was led by Pemma Muzumdar and Rebecca Cheff, with contributions from Bernice Yanful and Carolina Jimenez (NCCDH). The episode was hosted by Bernice Yanful. The Mind the Disruption project team is led by Rebecca Cheff, with technical production and original music by Chris Perry. Promotion by Caralyn Vossen (NCCDH). Artwork by comet art + design. Sound credits: Clips used from There’s Something In The Water trailer and from the Senate of Canada. Mind the Disruption is a podcast by the National Collaborating Centre for Determinants of Health. NCCDH is hosted by St. Francis Xavier University and funded by the Public Health Agency of Canada. The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent those of PHAC. 

Welcome back! In the second season of Mind the Disruption, we explore social movements for social justice: groups of people working together to build collective power for change.

In each episode, you’ll hear from someone – a disruptor - who works with others to challenge the status quo because they have a deep shared conviction that a healthier, more just world is possible. You’ll also hear from a second guest, someone who will reflect on public health strategies for social change. Together, we’ll explore approaches for advancing racial equity and intersectionality, building community power, and working together.

Season 2 is made up of six episodes that we will release biweekly starting in February 2024.

This season of Mind the Disruption is hosted by Bernice Yanful, and is produced by Rebecca Cheff, Carolina Jimenez, Pemma Muzumdar and Bernice Yanful. The Mind the Disruption project team is led by Rebecca Cheff, with technical production and original music by Chris Perry. Mind the Disruption is a podcast by the National Collaborating Centre for Determinants of Health. Visit our website to learn more about the podcast and our work.

Registered dietitian Lillian Yin joins us to talk about why weight discrimination is so harmful. She shares her vision for a nourishing future of public health and nutrition, as well as practical ways to challenge weight bias and discrimination in our daily lives and areas of work.

Season 1 of Mind the Disruption was a success! We’ve decided to release bonus content from three episodes. This standalone bonus episode features more from Lillian Yin who works at Vancouver Coastal Health and who was a reflective guest on Episode 5 Disrupting Food Insecurity & Fat Phobia.

(00:00) Introduction

(02:41) Interview with Lillian Yin

Episode Guest: Lillian Yin is of East-Asian descent with roots in Taiwan and China. As a registered dietitian and diabetes educator, she has been privileged to serve in spaces across the spectrum of life, from infancy and pregnancy, through adolescence and older adult years, and various areas of the health system ranging from acute and primary care to community and public health. Recently, she joined the Health Promotion Team at Vancouver Coastal Health Authority as Team Lead to support the public health team in doing more upstream, health promotion work, addressing the social determinants, root causes of health and challenging dominant cultures which fuel the systems we live, work, and play in. Her principles of care are framed by social justice, equity, strength-based and cultural safety. Driven by her passion to advance social justice and achieve health equity within the wider system through collective action, she is currently pursuing a Master in Public Health at Johns Hopkins University.

Learn more:

Fearing the Black Body: The Racial Origins of Fat Phobia (Sabrina Strings, 2019)

Weight Bias & Stigma (UConn Rudd Center for Food Policy and Health)

The Focus is on Health, Not Weight (Vancouver Coastal Health, 2019)

Episode Credits: This episode is produced by Rebecca Cheff, Carolina Jimenez, and our host Bernice Yanful (NCCDH). Special thanks to our episode guest Lillian Yin. Coordination of communications, webpage development and dissemination are led by Caralyn Vossen (NCCDH). Thanks to Claire Betker and the rest of the NCCDH team for their support. Technical production and original music by Chris Perry. Artwork by comet art + design.

Mind the Disruption is a podcast by the NCCDH. Visit https://nccdh.ca/learn/podcast/ to learn more about the podcast and our work.

The NCCDH is hosted by St. Francis Xavier University. This podcast is made possible through a financial contribution from the Public Health Agency of Canada through funding for the NCCDH. The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the views of the Public Health Agency of Canada.

Established in 2005, the NCCDH is one of the six National Collaborating Centres (NCCs) for Public Health that work together to promote the use of scientific research and other knowledge to strengthen public health practices, programs and policies in Canada. For more information, visit the NCCPH website.