Brock’s Faculty of Applied Health Sciences recently recognized Niagara Region Public Health for its ongoing commitment to the University.

Each year, the Faculty highlights one long-standing community and research partner for their outstanding contributions, exceptional leadership and unwavering commitment to experiential education and faculty and student research at Brock.

As this year’s recipient, Niagara Region Public Health was honoured at the 2018 Community Partners Appreciation Reception held April 16 at the Ball’s Falls Centre for Conservation.

“We are extremely proud of our partnership and mutual accomplishments,” said Faculty of Applied Health Sciences Dean Peter Tiidus. “Niagara Region Public Health and Emergency Services has been instrumental in facilitating educational and research opportunities in many areas of health promotion, education and awareness.”

Receiving the award on behalf of the Region’s many collaborators was Dr. Mustafa Hirji, Medical Officer of Health and Commissioner (Acting).

“In the last few years, our collaboration with Brock has gone from helping each other out where we can by hosting students and participating on research projects, to one where we are starting to integrate our work,” Hirji said. “We are now working jointly on core priorities, such as quality improvement and the life course, and I’m excited to see what we can accomplish as we work to become more integrated.”

Examples of recent collaborations include:

• Niagara Region Public Health and Emergency Services welcomes many Brock University students for experiential education opportunities around project work, job shadowing, practicum placements, knowledge exchange and precepting with nurses in many different departments throughout the Region.
• As part of a data sharing agreement between Brock University and Niagara Region Public Health and Emergency Services, work is being undertaken to develop and enhance the link regarding data analysis and research between the two organizations.
• Department of Health Sciences Associate Professor Madelyn Law, along with a team of staff from 30 public health units, is currently working on a locally driven collaborative project around continuous quality improvement in Ontario’s public health units. This research project is co-led by Northwestern Health Unit and Niagara Region Public Health and Emergency Services, with Law helping to develop and oversee it.
• Niagara Region Public Health and Emergency Services is also partnered with Department of Health Sciences Associate Professor Madelyn Law for research to help inform the Niagara EMS Transformation Project.
• Sinead McElhone from Niagara Region Public Health and Emergency Services is an adjunct professor in the Department of Health Sciences and teaches in Brock’s online Master of Public Health program.
• Department of Kinesiology Professor Diane Mack worked with the Niagara Region Public Health and Emergency Services Chronic Disease and Injury Prevention team in 2015 on an aging research study titled “Place and Health: Perceptions of Healthy Aging in Niagara-Area Residents.”

Brock students have also benefited from experiential education and research working in areas of population health, child health and maternal care, healthy babies programming, mental health, vaccines, tobacco cessation and drug addiction awareness.