On April 14, in a new collaboration with the University of Toronto - Dalla Lana School of Public Health (DLSPH), Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB) Central Guidance provided students from St. Joseph’s College School with an incredible opportunity to learn about key public health concepts, the new undergraduate program and career opportunities in public health.
Students started the day off with a warm welcome and icebreaker activity hosted by Ryan King, Director of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion and Sekou Gregg, Program Coordinator of Outreach and Access. Students had the opportunity to meet Ciara Kilbride Amaral, a St. Joseph’s College Alumni, and the current Director of Strategic Communications, Marketing and Public Engagement who shared her unique career journey.
The first half of the morning, students learned about the pathway to becoming a Dietician. Taryn Hoffman, a current Grad Student, spoke with students about her career pathway and how she is one step away from becoming a Registered Dietician in Ontario. Students were then provided with an orientation and overview to public health. Both Ryan King and Sekou Gregg led the interactive discussion and engaging presentation for students by asking key questions:
What is public health?
Why does it matter to you?
How would you define public health?
What do you think of when you hear the words "health care"?
Why does "health care" matter?
In this segment, students also learned about the three P’s of public health; protection, prevention and promotion. Students left with an understanding of the role of public health related to society.
Dionne Gesink, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs discussed the many disciplines of public health with students. These areas included: epidemiology, health management and policy, environmental and occupational health, global health, biostatistics and health promotion. She also introduced the new undergraduate program, Bachelor or Arts in Public Health in collaboration with the Dalla Lana School of Public Health. The program launches later this year in September 2025.
After lunch, students were greeted by Adalsteinn Brown - Dean of Dalla Lana School of Public Health who shared his career journey in public health. The afternoon session focused on a panel of Masters Program students at DLSPH who led small group discussions with our high school students. Many students took the opportunity to ask insightful questions of the panelists, which generated meaningful discussions.
The outcome of the day was that students were inspired to discover careers in public health. Students learned about the Summer Institute opportunity offered through the Outreach and Access Program, where students attend a week-long summer session at DLSPH. They then took a guided tour of the University of Toronto St. George Campus, where they learned about student life.
The St. Joseph's College students demonstrated an incredible level of curiosity and enthusiasm as they discovered new opportunities for their future careers. They were inspired by new perspectives and possibilities that transcended beyond the traditional classroom. The day featured valuable insights and interactive discussions to further explore public health.
Sincere appreciation to the entire team at DLSPH for their collaboration in organizing a phenomenal day. A special note of thanks to both the SJCS Principal Anna Patejczuk and also to the Department Head of Guidance Ms. Aida Costa for her dedication and hard work in making the day possible.
