Preventive health futures

As the University of Waterloo envisions what we will look like as an institution in 2057, at 100 years old, we, in the Faculty of Health, are thinking about what the future of health will look like in that time frame. I feel confident saying that medical technology will be more sophisticated, our understanding of disease and well-being will be deeper, and our ability to access care will look radically different with the incorporation of artificial intelligence.

However, when looking toward the future of health, I can’t help thinking that the biggest measure of success will actually be prevention: Prevention of illness and injury, prevention of early death, prevention of loneliness and mental health issues. And while the concept of prevention may sometimes be tough to enact, it is at the top of our priorities when teaching and researching in fields such as kinesiology, health sciences, public health and recreation and leisure. It is not a new idea, but one that is often forgotten in the wake of new technology and shiny devices. 

In the coming year, we are looking at a new ‘Healthy Waterloo’ initiative, one that aims to create the healthiest campus in Canada. The idea is then to scale up to the region, province and country level. Stay tuned for details on how we plan to achieve this!

For now, in this issue of Health Hub, we connect with three alumni who are already working in areas that are designed to prevent poor health and promote longer, happier lives. Zach Weston (BSc '98, MSc '01), who heads the Canadian Society of Exercise Physiology, talks about physical activity and health. He says, “There is no treatment that has the same degree of value and benefit that exercise itself can offer.” Mary Afable (BA '06, MA '24) is a recreation therapist at Grand River Hospital who uses leisure as a tool to help others improve and enhance their emotional, psychological and physical health. And Erin Hobin (PhD '12), who works at Public Health Ontario, has examined the efficacy of warning labels and talks about the link between alcohol and cancer – something many of us don’t know or may not want to know.

We also congratulate our 2024 Alumni Achievement Award recipients: Steven Rebellato, Analyssa Cardenas and Jillian Fleming. Thank you for all that you do in the service of your communities and for being proud ambassadors of the University of Waterloo! Of course, we also share what some of your peers have been up to in Class Notes, and I’d love for you to meet our new Director of Advancement, Andrea Carthew in Connect and Learn.

Enjoy the issue, and feel free to contact me.