Robert Platt, BSc鈥�90, PhD, began his mandate as Associate Dean and Director of the School of Population and Global Health (SPGH) last September. An investigator at the Research Institute of the 成人VR视频 Health Centre for nearly three decades, Prof. Platt鈥檚 work focuses on research methods for epidemiologic research. Since 2011 he has held an appointment at the Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research. He is also the inaugural Albert Boehringer I Chair in Pharmacoepidemiology and a Professor in the Department of Pediatrics and the Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health.
Medicine and Health Sciences Focus sat down with Prof. Platt to chat about his time in the role so far, his vision for the School and the words of wisdom he lives by.
You served as Interim Director, SPGH, between April and September 2019. How does it feel to return to the role?
It鈥檚 exciting! The circumstances are very different. When I became Interim Director, the SPGH had been launched but the departments were still disconnected. The School came into being under the leadership of Timothy Evans, MD, who served as the SPGH鈥檚 Inaugural Director and Associate Dean after my tenure. He brought the School together and furthered its development, while navigating the COVID-19 pandemic, which was obviously a very complex time in public health.
Since then, we have faced several additional challenges, many of which are still ongoing. There is the budget crisis for universities everywhere, particularly in Quebec; but also attacks on public health and the rise of misinformation, particularly south of the border.
I believe this will prompt us to think outside the standard academic paradigm. One thing I have learned is that the strength of an organization is in the people who work there. We are fortunate to have strong faculty and excellent students who are producing important research. We can also count on committed administrative and support staff. So, I see the situation as an exciting challenge to increase the School鈥檚 outward-facing work and bring us to doing something we have not done in the past.
What are the main themes and priorities driving you?
Our culture must recognize and value contributions to science and society that extend beyond academic publications. This means we must work to ensure our findings influence policy where appropriate and deliver results to the community, while also supporting the development of traditional academic metrics. Our faculty are working with agencies like Health Canada, with local and global governments, as well as engaging with the local and global community, to bring research and interventions into practice.
An overarching theme will be bringing people together by building multidisciplinary teams and sharing ideas across departments and outside the SPGH. For example, one initiative I am very excited about is the new 成人VR视频 Centre for Climate Change and Health, where researchers across the university, students, policymakers and citizens assemble. The Pandemic and Emergency Readiness Lab (PERL) will also connect researchers, policymakers and the community.
Another project in development is a centre for global health data science. Data underly almost everything we do鈥攁nd data drive decisions. We are very strong in methods in biostatistics and epidemiology. Our researchers in global health, policy and other fields across the School all use data to improve health outcomes. The centre will bring researchers and decision-makers together to ensure that data are used effectively to improve policy.
What will be required to support your vision for the School?
We have excellent faculty, but there are a few areas where we need targeted hires and interdisciplinary leaders. Initiatives like the might help bring in this talent. There is also space for endowed chairs in these fields.
The SPGH also has tremendous potential as a convenor for summits and outreach to bring what we have learned in research to our local and global communities. A lot of our work, for example around climate change, leads to knowledge that can improve health and quality of life. However, driving the implementation of these findings takes time and dedicated effort. So, I would love to see us build an outward-looking team within the SPGH that is focused on implementation and community engagement.
I aspire to make experiential learning a cornerstone of all our training programs. For example, students in our Master of Science in Public Health program apply their knowledge to real-life public health problems through their practicum projects. Starting next year, our undergraduate program will offer semesters abroad working on global health topics.聽
What challenges do you foresee?
We need to be clear about the SPGH鈥檚 role in restoring trust in public health communications. Misinformation, a key focus of PERL鈥檚 work, is having a substantial impact on society, for example by leading to declining vaccination rates. We must strengthen our toolkit to combat misinformation, while also reflecting on how communications from the public health community鈥攚ithin academia and government鈥攎ay unintentionally fuel misinformation. We must learn to communicate better.
Is there a quote that has inspired you throughout your career?
Speaking of communication, I could probably recite the entire script of Planes, Trains and Automobiles鈥攊t is so funny and thoughtful!
There is also a quote that I used to have in my email signature and on my office door: 鈥淚n theory, there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice, there is.鈥� It is a reminder that most of the work that I do on the research side is in theory, and we must consider what we have learned and how can we implement it. Practice is much more complicated.