About the Public Engagement in Health Policy Project
Over the past few years, Canada has faced significant health policy challenges at local, provincial, and national levels, largely shaped by the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. In response, the Public Engagement in Health Policy Project was launched to strengthen health policymaking in Canada by fostering interdisciplinary scholarship, education, and leadership in public engagement.
The Public Engagement in Health Policy Project provided valuable insights into how public engagement can be used to improve health policymaking in Canada. The project created interdisciplinary scholarship, practical leadership opportunities, and innovative research outputs that have contributed to ongoing conversations about how to build a healthier, more inclusive society.
Key Questions We Explored
The Public Engagement in Health Policy Project sought to tackle pressing questions about how public engagement could improve policy responsiveness, democratic legitimacy, and trust between citizens and governments, particularly in the context of health policy, including:
- How representative are our current patient engagement approaches?
- Do current processes actively consider whose voices should inform decision processes and create opportunities for those voices to meaningfully participate?
- What trends have we seen in public engagement in the last twenty years, and how has this shifted the health landscape?
- How well have current public engagement tools adapted when forced to move engagement online during the COVID-19 pandemic?
Areas of Focus
Research and Practice Learn More
Producing accessible articles, webinars, and digital media that reflect on past, present and future public engagement in the health sector.
Leadership and Capacity Building Learn More
Providing innovative leadership development opportunities for current and future public engagement scholars and practitioners.
Key Terms and Concepts
The Public Engagement in Health Policy Project developed shared definitions for key terms that shaped the work on public engagement in health policy, helping to clarify complex concepts such as trust, representation, inclusion, and policy responsiveness.
The Public Engagement in Health Policy (PEHP) Project, at McMaster University, was supported by the Future of Canada Project with a generous gift from Chancellor Emeritus L. R. “Red” Wilson.