Spotlight on Public Health

April 7- 11 is recognized as Global Public Health Week and Canadian Public Health Week.  

This annual week highlights the work of public health professionals and the role of public health in improving health outcomes and health equity. The theme for Global Public Health Week 2025 is “Redefining Equity: Decolonizing Public Health for a Healthier World.”   

Public health plays a vital role in the health and well-being of rural and Northern Ontario communities. “We look at what major changes we can make at a societal level that’ll help keep people healthy and prevent illness,” said Dr. John Tuinema, Associate Medical Officer of Health and Director of Health Protection for Algoma Public Health.   

Dr. Tuinema completed NOSM University’s Public Health and Preventive Medicine (PHPM) residency program in 2021 in the midst of the global COVID-19 pandemic. This resulted in a unique learning experience as it involved working around the clock to contain the outbreak and keep people informed.  

While the global COVID-19 pandemic put a spotlight on the work of public health officials, Dr. Tuinema says the work of public health is often invisible as a large part of it involves disease prevention. It is the prevention aspect that attracted him to the profession. The combination of medical expertise, big-picture thinking and social sciences skills required drew him in.  

“The moment I read about a career in Public Health, I knew exactly what I wanted to do,” he said.   

Dr. Tuinema encourages anyone curious about a career in public health to explore the field by connecting with local public health professionals, speaking with PHPM program directors at institutions like NOSM University, or completing electives with by public health agencies.  

A career in public health offers a unique opportunity to create lasting, systemic change that improves lives on a large scale. Public health professionals address social determinants of health—such as housing, education and food security—especially for Northern, rural and Indigenous communities. By focusing on disease prevention, health promotion and policy development, they help build healthier communities.  

“Even if you aren’t planning to become a public health physician, understanding public health principles can benefit any medical practice. There are ways to learn from public health for all medical specialties,” he said. “Public health involves thinking beyond individual patient sand working towards a healthier society as a whole.”