Dear alumni and friends,
We have recently been living through a global public health crisis that has necessitated taking unprecedented actions in order to minimize the spread of the contagion. This crisis brings to the forefront the importance of communities and how to keep them healthy, as well as the role that we all play in staying connected despite the necessity to maintain physical distancing.
In the Faculty of Applied Health Sciences (AHS), we have many experts that have been talking to the media on a number of pandemic-related topics: See the COVID-19 Experts in AHS for commentary, advice and explanation from them.
The areas of study in our Faculty may be diverse, but one connecting link is that of building and sustaining healthy communities. It is at the heart of the work we do as we strive to improve health and well-being across the globe, from densely populated urban centres to remote areas with sparse populations.
As you will see in this issue, AHS alumni and researchers are building healthy communities. From medical care outreach in Papua New Guinea, to building an active and connected community in southwestern Ontario, to promoting healthy living in Nunavut, AHS alumni are making strides in promoting individual, community and population health and well-being.
AHS researchers are also exploring everything from how to keep well in our own workspaces, to how to create health advocates in rural areas. Whether it be close to home or farther afield, AHS research on healthy communities is improving our well-being in important, practical ways.
We hope you will be inspired by the stories from your fellow alumni and our researchers. We can all be part of growing and sustaining healthy communities, even in our own professional and personal circles.
Finally, I'd like to thank those in AHS, UWaterloo and beyond who are doing what they can in these challenging days, but also in the normal times, to keep their communities healthy and strong.
Lili Liu
Dean, Applied Health Sciences
