What are Some Trends in My Field?

Up, up and away ....  to new heights of learning during a  Global Pandemic! 

So what is that I do exactly or ... what's my field?

In response to the question, what are some trends in my field, I first had to clarify for myself what exactly is / are my fields of work anyway? My whole life my mom would ask me 'so what is it that you do?' and then she would laugh because I never had a straight answer. I finally ended up saying things like ... I go to a lot of meetings, type on my computer, work on projects, I liaise, I network ... I give up! 

I have been calling myself a healthy community development specialist. I identified my early career aspiration at the age of 20 while attending University, as 'international community development' work.  This led me to a post-graduate diploma in International Studies, followed by a year in Japan teaching English, followed by a two year volunteer stint with CUSO in Indonesia. During the entire two years of my time in Indonesia, the country was sinking into the Asian economic crisis that saw 300% inflation for staples like rice and gas, that then led to protests, revolution and the overthrow of the 35 year dictatorship of Suharto. In the midst of this chaos, as a bright eyed young professional who wanted to pursue a career in international development work, I came to the realization that if I really wanted to be effective in my field,  then I should do it back in my own country where I can speak the language fluently! 

Here in Canada we have many people in poverty, and inequity on every social determinant of health, mainly among Canada's First Nation's / Indigenous population. Because I have a degree in Communications and Kinesiology, I also work in the field of population health promotion to help address health inequities.  And because I also have a Masters of Education, and mainly work in and with community organizations on capacity building initiatives, the field of adult education is a good fit too. 

So, I guess I would say that my main fields of expertise and inquiry can be described as the following, and I have used them interchangeably over the years: 

• population health promotion 
• community development 
•  adult / community education

What Are Some Trends in my Field?

 I 'googled' trends in population health promotion and  read a few articles, one in particular caught my attention because of it's succinct summary of some trends in the field. (Appold 2021)

Trend One: Virtual Care' is on an upward trajectory - meaning that learning about virtual care - how it's delivered, accessed etc. is a teaching and learning opportunity with new jobs in the future too. The future of care rests solidly in technology whether it's through monitoring devices (like on apps on our devices), or virtual meet-ups with robots with a screen for doctors to do face-to-face virtual house visits (yes it's already happening).  

Trend Two: The Social Determinants of Health and UN Sustainable Development Goals ... really do matter and more people are paying more attention (hopefully). Turns out poverty is linked closely to health outcomes, and so is education, particularly women's, and so is the environment. To me, by helping women lift themselves up, then we are also helping children, and community overall. Women are the backbone and progenitors of the world. I am strongly drawn to work with women, especially since I have the good fortune of being an educated western woman. Might as well throw the impacts of climate change in there too for good measure since the poor will surely bare the brunt of climate catastrophes.

Trend Three: Racism and systemic disparity are real. The George Floyd 'crisis' brought systemic racism into bright light in the U.S. Here in Canada truth came to light about the unmarked graves at residential schools. Now that we can all see that racism is systemic and led to genocide ... what do we do about it? The article suggests that a key aspect to closing racial and ethnic disparities and inequities is to ensure that providers for diverse populations reflect the linguistic, cultural and racial profile of the communities they serve. In other words, we need education, support and employment opportunities for those who have been marginalized, disenfranchised and harmed by systemic status quo.  

Trend Four: 'Social media' is the message. Unfortunately the Pandemic has brought to light that social media can lead down the rabbit hole to conspiracy theories and other disinformation that breed mistrust in mainstream health. The article says that population health messages need to be conveyed quickly and effectively through the same channels, and I would add, need to be evidence based. Information needs to be designed and shared literally up-to-the minute, with expert practitioners that can summarize  key messages for broader consumption, using all the various tools at our means (webinars, social media channels etc.). In short, we've all become messengers through social media, so this fact leads to the need for far more knowledge mobilization skills, especially related to population health matters.

Trend Five: Population health is having 'a moment in the spotlight'. Thanks to COVID, the field itself, has and is growing (Thanks Bonnie Henry and Dr. Fauci!) Because I feel like it's time to move from more of the 'doing' into a teaching / capacity building role, perhaps this bodes well for my own future as a BC Certified Instructor.