DEEP Briefing 鈥� new monthly series of policy briefs
DEEP is excited to be launching new issues of DEEP Briefing.
This new series of briefs offers a summary of key findings and policy recommendations arising from DEEP faculty and student research.
Summer 2026 Issue No.1
Chronic Disease Prevention for Racialized Populations in Ontario: An Ounce of Prevention, a Pound of Cure. Preventing chronic disease among racialized populations in Ontario is an urgent public health priority, given the systemic barriers these communities face. Population-specific programs that are community-based and culturally tailored are an approach to addressing these inequities. In this issue of DEEP Briefing, new research by DEEP Fellow Aravind Raj on Flemingdon Health Centre's South Asian Diabetes Prevention Program highlights the positive impact of such initiatives and the importance of sustained, long-term funding to ensure their success.
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Summer 2026 Issue No.2
Enabling Access to Self-Managed Abortion in Canada. Self-managed medication abortion is a high-quality way to have an abortion outside the formal healthcare system. However, the practice is not commonly used or well understood in Canada. This issue of DEEP Briefing presents research by DEEP McBurney Fellow Ann McQuarrie that examined reasons that care-seekers want access to self-managed medication abortion and calls for improved access in Canada.
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Summer 2026 Issue No.3
Malata (Unpaid Servants) Children in Botswana: Causes, Consequences and Policy Implications for Prevention. Child labour and domestic human trafficking remain a concern in sub-Saharan Africa. In this issue of DEEP Briefing, analysis by McBurney Fellow Lisa Matmati highlights the causes and consequences of malata (children undertaking unregulated labour in Botswana) and discusses policy interventions to reduce the problem.
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Summer 2026 Issue No.4
Shifting Health Professions Education to the Community: A Policy Pathway for Interprofessional Training in Homeless Shelters. As Canada expands health professions education to address workforce shortages, most training still occurs in hospitals rather than in community settings where support is urgently needed. Drawing on findings from nurse-led community health clinics in three Montr茅al homeless shelters, this DEEP Briefing examines the potential of community-based placements to enhance learning and community care, and provides recommendations to strengthen and sustain academic-community partnerships.
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Summer 2026 Issue No.5
A Global Solution to a Local Shortage? Rethinking Canada's Reliance on Foreign-Trained Physicians. Canada is facing a growing doctor shortage, and the country is looking beyond its borders for solutions. In an interview with DEEP Research to Impact Scholar Tiffany Te, Professor David Wright shares insights from his work on the history of the immigration of foreign-trained doctors to Canada. This issue of DEEP Briefing highlights key themes from the discussion, including global ethical considerations, as well as implications for current and future policy.
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Summer 2026 Issue No.6
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Where Intersectionality Meets Human Rights: Advancing Disability Policy Through the Lens of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD). Youth with disabilities face significant challenges to full inclusion on a global scale. Youth with intersectional characteristics face additional barriers to inclusion. Although progress has been made, and conventions exist to guarantee youth rights, significant barriers remain. In this issue of DEEP Briefing, DEEP McBurney Fellows Amelia Hagelstam-Renshaw and Annette Hong Kim explore how intersectionality is represented in UNCRPD reports and in employment programs for youth with disabilities, offering recommendations for more inclusive policies and programs.听
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Summer 2026 Issue No.7
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Environmental Scan of Homelessness Prevention Programs in Correctional Settings in Qu茅bec. People who leave correctional settings without secure housing face heightened risks of recidivism, ongoing legal problems, and social marginalization. This issue of DEEP Briefing presents the findings of an environmental scan of correctional settings in Qu茅bec by McBurney Fellow Mariella Berberi. It discusses critical service gaps, regional disparities, and systemic barriers to housing and reintegration. It recommends that all administrative regions in Qu茅bec, particularly those where a provincial detention center is located, implement dedicated homelessness prevention services for individuals at risk.
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August 2025
Rethinking Vulnerability in Public Health. In an interview with DEEP scholar Isabel Mu帽oz Beaulieu, philosopher Nathalie Stoljar shares insights into the concept of vulnerability in public health. This issue of DEEP Briefing shares highlights from their discussion including key dimensions of vulnerability, implications for public health, and strategies for addressing vulnerability in policy-making.听
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July 2025
Understanding the Ethical Challenges of Animal Shelters.听In an interview with Veronica Xia, a 2025 participant in DEEP鈥檚 Graduate Award Program, professors of philosophy Dr. Kristin Voigt and Dr. Angie Pepper share insights from recent work with the Montreal SPCA to develop a set of guidelines for animal shelters. This issue of DEEP Briefing shares highlights from their discussion, including ethical struggles facing the animal shelter and its staff, and the recommendations developed through the project.听
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June 2025
No Fare, No Future: Removing Transit Barriers in Toronto for Youth Experiencing Homelessness. Lack of transportation access for youth experiencing homelessness can deny access to critical supports and opportunities needed to become rehoused. Research by DEEP Scholar and Transit Access Project Director, Noah Kelly, pilots a free public transit intervention in Toronto to display how removing the cost of transportation can aid in rehousing for youth. Conclusions and recommendations are tailored for the City of Toronto and the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC).听
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May 2025
Early Sugar Consumption, Lifelong Consequences: A call for Policy Action.听New research by DEEP Professor Claire Boone highlights the long-term health risks linked to early-life sugar exposure. This issue of DEEP Briefing outlines critical gaps in Canada鈥檚 current food policies for infants, toddlers, and pregnant women, and proposes targeted recommendations to reduce added sugar intake during the first 1,000 days of life. Urgent action is needed to protect the health of future generations.听
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April 2025
Redefining DEI: from Implicit Bias Training to Systemic Change. Workers feel tired of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) status quo. In this issue of DEEP Briefing, research by DEEP scholar Jeffrey To reveals what it may take to rebrand DEI from a check-box exercise to something that can drive meaningful organizational change.
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March 2025
Investing in Safety and Stability: The Urgent Need to Fund Second-Stage Shelters for Women Escaping Violence presents new research by a DEEP McBurney Fellow. It identifies the urgent need for more available housing options for women fleeing intimate partner violence and highlights the need for more second-stage shelters. Conclusions and recommendations are tailored to the Qu茅bec context.
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February 2025
Chester-Connaught Priority Sector: A Call to Action, is based on research by two students in DEEP鈥檚 McBurney Fellowship Program. It reveals a significant need in the historically neglected Chester-Connaught area of Montreal, identifies primary areas of concern, proposes concrete recommendations, and calls for urgent action by the City of Montreal.
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Research in Equity, Ethics and Policy
A community鈥檚 health is socially determined by the policies of legislators, decision-makers and health professionals that determine who and how they benefit from the resources available.
Our researchers are engaged in scholarship, outreach and partnerships that explore equitable and ethical considerations for health systems across low, medium and high income countries.