About the Course Author/Instructor

Course Author — Brian Hyndman

Brian recently (in May 2017) completed his PhD at the School of Public Health and Health Systems at the University of Waterloo. His current research focuses on the application of policy change theories to understand the adoption of policies aimed at reducing health inequities as well as strategies addressing the social determinants of health within the scope of public health practice. Prior to returning to school to pursue doctoral studies in 2012, Brian spent three years as a Senior Planner at Public Health Ontario, where he helped to create the Health Equity Impact Assessment (HEIA) framework, a planning tool designed to reduce inequities resulting from barriers to access by health service providers in Ontario.

Brian has over twenty-five years of experience in building the capacity of health promotion practitioners. This was gained through a variety of roles, including 12 years as a consultant at the Health Communication Unit, University of Toronto, where he developed curricula for the planning and evaluation of population health interventions for staff of local public health agencies in Ontario. Brian has also designed and taught health promotion courses at Ryerson University, the University of Toronto and the University of Waterloo. In addition, he has held voluntary leadership positions in the public health sector, including President of the Ontario Public Health Association and Citizen Representative on the Toronto Board of Health.