TOPHC 2026 Virtual Convention Library
Please click on the ‘Click Here to Watch’ button for each session below to connect to the recorded session from March 25, 2026.
Learn more about our speakers on the Virtual Speaker Spotlight page.
Opening Remarks
Welcome and Opening Remarks
We’re pleased to open the program with TOPHC welcoming remarks from Michael Sherar, Public Health Ontario President and Chief Executive Officer, followed by Dr. Kieran Moore, Chief Medical Officer of Health.
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Dr. Kieran Moore, Chief Medical Officer of Health
Michael Sherar, President and Chief Executive Officer, Public Health Ontario
Plenary: Artificial Intelligence
This plenary session brings together leading voices in Canada’s AI and health innovation landscape to explore the transformative role of AI in shaping the future of public health and beyond. This session will offer a forward looking conversation leveraging the panelists’ experiences in AI deployment in complex health environments, advancing predictive analytics and AI enabled public health tools. The discussion will also explore the intersection of clinical AI, health equity, and the ethical implications of AI systems.
Modern Tools, Healthier Communities: AI Insights Shaping Public Health Transformation
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Featured Speakers
Dr. Kyle Wilson, M.Sc., Ph.D., MBA, VP, Information Systems & Digital Innovation, Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health
Dr. Damian Jankowicz, Ph.D., Executive Vice President, Chief Information and Artificial Intelligence Officer, Unity Health & Adjunct Professor, Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto
Dr. Rawan Abulibdeh, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University Health Network
Moderator
Dr. Jessica Hopkins, MD, MHSc., CCFP, FRCPC, FCFP, Vice President and Chief, Communicable Disease Control, Public Health Ontario
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By the end of the session, participants will be equipped to:
Describe the current and potential uses of AI in the public health context.
Reflect on the public health landscape and ethical implications of AI systems.
Discuss strategies to leverage AI tools responsibly to improve health outcomes with their communities.
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Resource 1 - Health AI Academy: https://unityhealth.to/about-unity-health/ai-at-unity-health/health-ai-academy/
Resource 2 - Health AI Academy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/health-ai-academy-053b87369/?originalSubdomain=ca
Resource 3: https://phiz.ca
Resource 4: https://www.indigenous-ai.net/position-paper/
Panel: Mis/Dis-information
This featured panel moves beyond definitions to explore practical, real-world strategies for responding to false and misleading information, understanding its impacts on communities, and strengthening public trust. This session offers actionable insights that can be applied across practice, policy work, and community engagement efforts.
Truth in a turbulent world: Public health strategies to cut through the mis- and disinformation noise
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Featured Speakers
Dr. Jennifer McWhirter, Hons. B.Sc., Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Population Medicine, University of Guelph & Director, Health by Design Lab
Dr. Blair Bigham, MD, M.Sc., Assistant Professor, University of Toronto's Dalla Lana School of Public Health
Professor Neil Seeman, JD, MPH, Senior Fellow & Associate Professor, University of Toronto
Moderator
Dr. Alex Summers, MD, MPH, CCFP, FRCPC, Medical Officer of Health, Middlesex-London Health Unit
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By the end of the session, participants will be equipped to:
Describe the specific impacts of mis and disinformation on the populations served by public health programs.
Discuss evidence-informed strategies for addressing false and misleading information in their public health practice.
Panel: Quality Improvement
This panel provides a focused look at how quality improvement is accelerating across Ontario’s public health landscape. The session will introduce and define key QI concepts, outline Public Health Ontario’s framework and roadmap for ongoing QI work with Public Health Units (PHUs) and highlight current work underway to support all PHUs in building QI capacity and consistency. This will include sharing results from the Fall 2025 QI maturity survey, highlighting system-level insights and opportunities for collective growth.
Quality Improvement in Action: Building Capacity, Consistency, and System-Level Insight
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Featured Speakers
Rob Haile, M.Sc., Public Health Planner, Foundational Standards, Southwestern Public Health
Dr. Kelly A. Pilato, PhD., M.Sc., Assistant Professor, Department of Health Sciences, Brock University
Jessica Brett, RN, BScN, CCHN(C), Nursing Project Officer, Ottawa Public Health
Nastassia McNair, MPH, Manager, Effective Public Health Practice, Public Health Sudbury & Districts
Moderator
Dr. Na-Koshie Lamptey, MD, MPH, CCFP, FRCP, Deputy Chief, Medical and Scientific Support, Population Health, Public Health Ontario
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By the end of the session, participants will be equipped to:
Describe the culture and background context of Quality Improvement in public health in Ontario
Compare the different tools and QI strategies shown by the presenters and interpret how they can used for their public health practice
Explain how program planning, evaulation and resource allocation can be impacted when applying quality improvement framework in public health.
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Presentation available for download.
Emergency Preparedness Presentation
After large-scale emergencies with significant population health impacts such as the COVID-19 pandemic, we are challenged to reflect on how prepared our public health system is for the next emergency. Our Canadian Institutes of Health Research-funded team has led research to address two key questions: Are we prepared? and How do we measure preparedness?. This session will present recently completed research and describe how an evidence-based framework and indicators for public health emergency preparedness has been used to inform preparedness measurement, action and quality improvement in public health agencies across Canada.
Are We Prepared? Implementing a Public Health Emergency Preparedness Framework and Indicators with a Quality Improvement Lens
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Featured Speakers
Dr. Yasmin Khan, MD, MPH, FRCPC,Emergency Preparedness Physician, Population Health, Public Health Ontario
Dr. Madelyn Law, Director, Quality, Patient Safety and Risk, Niagara Health
Dr. Mark Lysyshyn, MD, MPH, FRCPC, Deputy Chief Medical Health Officer, Vancouver Coastal Health
Jessica Deming, M.Sc., MSW, Advisor, Public Health Intelligence, Peel Public Health
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By the end of the session, participants will be equipped to:
Discuss preparedness priorities across Canada following the COVID-19 pandemic using a framework and indicators for defining and measuring public health emergency preparedness.
Describe how the framework and indicators can be used to advance preparedness priorities within the public health system
Explain how a quality improvement lens can be used to support progress toward enhanced emergency preparedness.
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Presentation available for download.
Closing Remarks
Closing Remarks for TOPHC 2026 Virtual Convention
In this closing video, you will hear messages from our valued partners at OPHA and alPHa, who will share their perspectives and reflections on this important work. Their contributions highlight the strength of partnership and collective leadership across the public health community.
We will then conclude with final remarks from Michael Sherar, Public Health Ontario Chief Executive Officer, offering closing reflections and thanks to all who participated.
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Helen Doyle, Chair, Ontario Public Health Association’s Environmental Health Workgroup, Ontario Public Health Association (OPHA)
Loretta Ryan, Chief Executive Officer, Association of Local Public Health Agencies (alPHa)
Michael Sherar, President and Chief Executive Officer, Public Health Ontario