Publications

Childhood vaccination is one of the most effective public health interventions for protecting children from serious illness and death. Vaccinating children is essential to reducing the burden of vaccine-preventable diseases and achieving global immunization goals. We conducted a systematic review of global research evaluating strategies designed to increase routine childhood vaccination among children under five years of age.

Limited race-based health data and a lack of synthesized evidence on clinical outcomes highlighted the need to better understand the pandemic’s impact on specific populations across Canada. The objective of this systematic review was to identify the health impact of COVID-19 on mortality, morbidity, hospital admission, and hospital readmission rates among Black Canadians.

Public health measures like mask-wearing, disinfection, sanitization, social distancing, and handwashing were among the first guidelines introduced in Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic. Black communities in Canada were among those who experienced disproportionately high rates of infection, hospitalization, and mortality during the pandemic. This study explored the factors that promoted and hindered the uptake of mask-wearing, disinfection and sanitization, handwashing, and social distancing among Black communities in Canada during COVID-19.

Globally, the use of mobile health (mHealth) apps or interventions has increased. Robust synthesis of existing systematic reviews on mHealth apps may offer useful insights to guide maternal health clinicians and policy makers. This systematic review aims to assess the effectiveness or impact of mHealth apps on maternal health care delivery globally.

Black communities have suffered disproportionately higher numbers of COVID-19 cases and deaths in Canada. The present study investigated 1) experiences with COVID-19, 2) COVID-19’s impact, and 3) factors that have influenced COVID-19 vaccine acceptance and uptake among stakeholders and partners from the Federation of Black Canadians’ (FBC).

The global classroom is an emerging technology-based pedagogy used internationally by educational institutions. To evaluate a global classroom, we conducted a qualitative study using written reflections and semi-structured interviews of global classroom participants, based on two theoretical frameworks: Kearsley and Shneiderman’s engagement theory and Kolb’s experiential learning theory.

This case study piloted an interdisciplinary Problem-Based Learning course, utilizing Hung’s (2006) 3C3R model. We explain the course design, curriculum, and implementation. We collected qualitative written questionnaires from students who participated in the course to investigate their learning experiences. As a result, students shed light on lessons they learned throughout the course, which led to the creation of a lessons learned guide for future instructors.

The objective of this systematic review was to identify the health impact of COVID-19 on mortality, morbidity, hospital admission, and hospital readmission rates in the Black population across Canada.

In 2011, Rwanda led a successful national human papillomavirus vaccine (HPV) campaign, achieving a 93% coverage rate among eligible girls. The success of the campaign has prompted us to explore the facilitators and barriers that led to its effective implementation so that it may inform vaccination rollouts in similar contextual settings.

Global efforts to eradicate polio by the Global Polio Eradication Initiative agency partners and country-level stakeholders have led to the implementation of global polio vaccination programs. This study presents the findings of existing studies regarding the barriers and facilitators that countries face when implementing polio interventions.