A History of Public Health in Alberta, 1919-2019

Top health scholars explore one hundred years of public health policy, practice, activism, and scholarship in a book that offers clarity on historical contours of a complex field and a vision for a future of well-being and health equity.

Public health is diffuse, divided, and poorly understood. As a policy and practice, public health promotes and protects people and communities. As a field of academic inquiry it provides deep insights into the ways individuals and collectives can work within societies to prevent disease and promote health and health equity. Public health is a broad, intersectoral, and interdisciplinary field of scholarship, activism, policy, and practice with the potential to create and support immense change.

This is a story of one hundred years of public health in Alberta. Drawing on extensive research, including interviews with members of Alberta’s public health communities, A History of Public Health in Alberta, 1919-2019 considers institutions, sectors, populations, and activities that constitute the study and practice of public health. It offers a consolidated narrative from a contemporary perspective, paying particular attention to significant and entrenched social inequities of health and their determinants, the emergence of new public health concerns, and communities of public health, including activists, practitioners, scholars, and the public itself.

A History of Public Health in Alberta, 1919-2019 draws together the threads of public health policy, practice, and research, mapping its contours and presenting a holistic view of public health in the province over time. Prompted by the concern, and the experience, that public health is frequently deeply misunderstood, this book articulates a history of the field and practice essential to understanding how we may best mobilize to support well-being and health equity across populations.

With contributions by: Temitayo Famuyide, Erna Kurbegović, Jack Lucas, Cristina Santamaria-Plaza, Benjamin Sasges, Dennis Slater, and Frank W. Stahnisch

Lindsay McLaren is a professor in the Department of Community Health Sciences at the University of Calgary and research associate with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. She is past president of the Alberta Public Health Association and serves as senior editor for the Canadian Journal of Public Health and editor-in-chief for the Journal of Critical Public Health.

Don Juzwishin holds adjunct appointments at the Universities of Alberta, Calgary, and Victoria, is a project leader at AGE-WELL, and serves as editor-in-chief of Healthcare Management Forum. He has over forty years’ experience in health policy, health informatics, and health technology assessment, and served as the director of Health Technology Assessment and Innovation at Alberta Health Services.

Rogelio Velez Mendoza is a journalist, historian, and science communicator. He works as a research communications specialist at the Canadian Cancer Society and has served as a research associate in the Department of Community Health Services at the University of Calgary with a focus on the history of public health in Alberta.

This is a remarkable and thorough history of public health in Alberta. It offers readers deep insights into how public health action, governance, and education in the province has evolved over time in the face of wide social, political and economic changes. The editors and authors weave a compelling journey into the past that entices readers with specific examples from all the core functions of public health and offers important critical perspectives for today, and well into the future. A must read!

—Candace Nykiforuk, Professor, School of Public Health, University of Alberta

What does public health do? Why? And how? Through a detailed, rigorous and well documented analysis of 100 years of history of public health in Alberta, this book proposes a broad vision for public health institutions. This will have implications with relevance well beyond Alberta. The assemblage of carefully detailed examples of public health actions, illustrates the breadth of public health and how its institutions shape and are shaped by society. A great contribution to public health and history.

—Louise Potvin, Professor of Health Promotion Public Health, Université de Montréal; former Editor-in-Chief of the Canadian Journal of Public Health

This is an important book for Canada. Although its focus is Alberta, the message and lessons have relevance for other provinces. Taking a critical perspective, the authors explore how changes in public health over the last century have significantly narrowed its scope. Students and practitioners alike will find the book helpful in expanding their understandings of public health and restoring its original broad vision.

—Marjorie MacDonald, PhD, Professor Emerita and Scientist, Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research, and former CIHR Applied Public Health Research Chair, University of Victoria

Highly recommended reading for anyone interested in the pivotal role of public health in supporting the well-being of Albertans.

—Jason Cabaj, Medical Officer of Health

This is exciting reading for those who believe that Public Health investment must be strengthened to save lives and our economy and that all Alberta government policy should be measured on its potential to improve public health!

—David Swann, former Medical Officer of Health in Alberta and former Member of the Legislature of Alberta

A History of Public Health in Alberta, 1919-2019 offers a comprehensive examination of the evolution of public health in Alberta. Spanning a century, this book draws on extensive historical data and evidence to explore the institutions, sectors, and activities shaping public health. It further provides insights into the interdisciplinary nature of public health, sheds light on significant health inequities and emerging concerns, and underscores the importance of public health in promoting health equity. Essential for understanding and mobilizing public health efforts, the book is a crucial resource for understanding Alberta’s public health history and shaping the future.

—Shanthi Johnson, Vice President, Research and Innovation, University of Windsor