May 2011 - Constituent Society and Partnership Corner

Association of Public Health Epidemiologists in Ontario (APHEO)

by Carmen Yue, APHEO Executive Member

The Association of Public Health Epidemiologists in Ontario (APHEO) is an organization of members who practice epidemiology in Ontario's public health units and individuals who have an interest in epidemiology. APHEO's mission is to advance and promote the discipline and professional practice of epidemiology in Ontario public health units. As such, the APHEO undertakes a number of activities to fulfill this Mission. Two of these activities are highlighted in this article: the annual APHEO Conference and the Core Indicators Project.

The 2011 APHEO Conference

The annual conference organized by the APHEO is a much-anticipated event that presents conference participants with the opportunities to network with each other as well as to explore, discuss and address emerging issues of practical relevance to public health and epidemiology.

This year, the 2011 APHEO Conference titled “Navigating Uncharted Waters” will be held on May 15-17 at the Horseshoe Valley Resort. This conference will highlight new and emerging data sources in public health as well as two critical issues related to the use of these and other data.

The conference themes are:

  1. New and emerging data sources;
  2. Small area geographic analysis; and
  3. Emerging privacy issues and ways of addressing them.

The Core Indicators Project

Public health epidemiologists in Ontario have collaborated with various partners to identify and provide information on over 120 core public health indicators covering more than 10 different topic areas, including social determinants of health, injury prevention and substance abuse prevention, reproductive health and infectious diseases.

The purpose of this project is to standardize the reporting of health status information across public health units in Ontario in order to support evidence-informed program decisions. The product is a web-based resource that contains key information about the Core Indicators.

The following information is typically provided for each Core Indicator:

  • A general description of the indicator and the specific indicators
  • Corresponding objectives and national indicators
  • Data sources and suggested citation
  • Method of calculation and basic categories for sub-group analysis
  • Relevant comments

Many of the indicators were originally created to link to objectives outlined in the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care's Mandatory Health Programs and Services Guidelines. APHEO Work Groups have been formed to regularly review, revised and update the Core Indicators with the goal to keep this web-based resource as current and relevant as possible. The indicators are being revised to reflect the Ontario Public Health Standards released in November 2008.

To learn more about the Core Indicators project or to access the web-based resource, please check out the APHEO website.

In 2011, the APHEO will continue to explore new ways to engage members in professional development, provide members with ongoing educational opportunities, as well as provide advice and input to key public health partners on issues affecting the effective practice of epidemiology in Ontario.