This session will explore how health and wellbeing are deeply shaped by social inclusion, relational care, environmental factors, and structural inequality. Presenters will highlight community-based and participatory approaches that center Indigenous knowledge, women’s lived experiences, and the health impacts of systemic disinvestment. Topics will include Indigenous Patient Navigation, childhood environmental exposures, relational care models, gendered effects of social protection programs, and the consequences of school closures for community health. Together, these presentations will offer diverse and grounded perspectives on advancing inclusive and equitable healthcare and wellbeing strategies in Canada and globally.

• 3:00 PM
  Advocating for the Role of Indigenous Patient Navigation through Community-Based Research in Ontario
  Rebecca Rausch, Western University

• 3:15 PM
  Perceptions of Childhood Air Pollution Exposure on Long-Term Health: A Community-Based Participatory Approach
  Logan Hoard, Ontario Tech University

• 3:30 PM
  “Because You Love Us as Much as We Love You”: The Role of Community Relationships in Facilitating Indigenous Engagement in Healthcare
  Jodi John, Queen's University

• 3:45 PM
  Relative Deprivation and the Hidden Struggles of Women in a Social Protection Program in a Deprived Context
  Mildred Naamwintome Molle, University of Western Ontario

• 4:00 PM
  “The Health of the Community Is Directly Tied to the School…”: Examining the Impacts of Public School Closures on Community Health in Ontario, Canada
  Keely Stenberg, University of Waterloo