Lessons in Leadership and Foresight with Dr. Theresa Tam
Disclaimer: The summaries and interpretations provided on this page are unofficial and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by the Canada School of Public Service (CSPS).
Summary
- Dr. Theresa Tam serves as Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer and is the lead faculty member hosting this virtual event from the Canada School of Public Service
- The conversation explores intersectional action across health, education, housing, and environmental sectors as essential for advancing population health and well-being
- Public servants must recognize that no single organization holds all the tools, and collaboration is necessary to deliver better outcomes for Canadians
- The discussion addresses disinformation and misinformation as pressing challenges, emphasizing the need to separate fact from fiction and build trust in evidence-based institutions
- Dr. Tam’s Chief Public Health Officer Report Series represents evidence-based, forward-looking analysis that charts paths toward a more equitable, sustainable, and healthy Canada
- Dr. Tam immigrated to Canada in 1990 after completing medical school in England and initially pursued pediatric residency and infectious disease specialization before transitioning to public health
- She became a field epidemiologist through Health Canada, noting that the Chief Public Health Officer position did not exist when she started her career
- As Chief Public Health Officer, her main responsibilities include advising the Minister of Health and Public Health Agency President based on science and evidence
- She leads Canada’s preparation and response to health emergencies and communicates with the public through media interviews, press conferences, social media, and annual reports
- Public health requires team effort involving collaboration with provincial and territorial chief medical officers, international colleagues, Indigenous leadership, and affected communities
- Dr. Tam has published ten reports during her eight-year tenure, with plans for a final report before completing her role
- The report development process proved more valuable than the final products themselves, allowing for action during development and leveraging publication for ongoing conversations and collaborations
- Making the report process more participatory and engaging with diverse experts, Indigenous peoples, and those with lived experience gave reports greater sustainability and impact
- Co-creating with Indigenous public health experts became one of the most important lessons learned, guided by the UN Declaration on Rights of Indigenous Peoples and Truth and Reconciliation Commission recommendations
- Building trusted relationships with Indigenous leaders and elders while learning about Indigenous knowledge systems and science created foundations for tackling complex challenges together
- The reports served as powerful platforms to amplify different voices, including commissioning Indigenous-led visions for First Nations, Inuit, and Métis populations in public health
- All work centered around health equity, recognizing that one-size-fits-all approaches fail to serve people experiencing inequities due to colonization, discrimination, and structural determinants
- The health system needs to shift focus from treatment toward prevention and promoting healthy lives, as illustrated in the first report “Designing Healthy Living”
- The built environment report documented how cities, communities, green spaces, and infrastructure impact mental and physical health, food access, and service availability
- Using reports to transcend boundaries enabled collaborations with municipal city planners and federal departments like Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada
- The final well-being report aims to stimulate intersectoral work by focusing on factors that impact quality of life and what matters to people
- COVID-19 represented the most significant global event in 100 years, beginning with disturbing news from Wuhan, China on New Year’s Eve 2019
- The pandemic required extraordinary collaboration between departments for repatriating Canadians from Wuhan and cruise ships like the Diamond Princess
- Long-term care facilities, elderly populations, and people in crowded living conditions were disproportionately affected by the virus
- Healthcare workers faced serious impacts and challenges, with lasting images of intensive care staff under extreme pressure
- The first elderly patient receiving vaccination on December 14, 2020 marked an emotional turning point, particularly for long-term care facilities
- Rapid vaccine development resulted from unprecedented international collaboration among scientists, private sector manufacturers, and government investment
- Canada achieved the world’s highest vaccination rates for first two doses among G7 countries through the largest vaccination campaign in Canadian history
- The pandemic response demonstrated extraordinary teamwork across all levels of government and Canadian society, extending beyond health to social, economic, transportation, and agricultural sectors
- While over 60,000 Canadians tragically lost their lives, communities showed remarkable solidarity with neighbors supporting each other throughout the crisis
Actionable Advice
- Make report development processes more participatory by engaging experts from diverse areas of public health and other scientific disciplines
- Include First Nations, Inuit, and Métis experts along with people who have lived experience when developing public health initiatives
- Use report development as a platform to amplify different voices rather than treating it as homework to be completed
- Center all public health work around health equity to better serve populations experiencing the most inequities
- Shift health system focus from treatment toward prevention and promoting healthy lives
- Use reports and research to transcend boundaries and sectors, enabling collaboration with municipal planners and other federal departments
- Build trusted relationships with Indigenous leaders and elders while learning about Indigenous knowledge systems and science
- Leverage publications to start conversations and catalyze collaborations after release
- Take action during the development phase of reports rather than waiting until completion
- Commission specialized reports from affected communities to ensure authentic representation of their perspectives
- Recognize that no single organization holds all the tools needed to address complex challenges
- Collaborate across health, education, housing, environmental, and other sectors for comprehensive population health approaches
- Focus on serving people affected by colonization, discrimination, and structural determinants of health
- Consider how built environments, cities, communities, and green spaces impact mental and physical health outcomes
- Work with municipal level city planners to integrate health considerations into urban development
- Engage with federal departments beyond health to align initiatives and leverage existing programs
- Focus on factors that impact people's quality of life and what matters to them personally
- Separate fact from fiction when addressing information challenges and build trust in evidence-based institutions
- Maintain science-based and evidence-based approaches when providing advice and recommendations
- Communicate with the public through multiple channels including media interviews, press conferences, and social media