How can we foster healthier lives across our communities?
Our panel of experts will offer a timely and engaging conversation, exploring the vital interplay between physical activity, nutrition, and social connection—not only as key components of well-being, but as meaningful and preventative health strategies.
The panel format encourages an open and dynamic exchange among experts from a range of backgrounds.
Expert panel
Dr. Kate Mulligan
Dr. Kate Mulligan is the Canadian Commonwealth Fund Harkness Fellow in Health Care Policy and Practice at the City College of New York, the first free public institution of higher education in the United States.
She is an associate professor in public health at the University of Toronto and the founding Scientific Director of the Canadian Institute for Social Prescribing.
Mulligan is a health geographer, implementation scientist and policy researcher whose work focuses on systems for neighbourhood and community leadership toward healthy, equitable and resilient communities.
Dr. Felix Cheung
Dr. Felix Cheung is an assistant professor and Canada Research Chair in Population Well-being at the University of Toronto.
A leading voice in the study of happiness and well-being, he directs the Population Well-being Lab, founded the Canadian Happiness Report, and co-authored the 2025 World Happiness Report. Recognized as a Rising Star by the Association for Psychological Science, Dr. Cheung also serves on the World Wellbeing Panel and co-leads the McGill-UofT Wellbeing Research Seminar.
His research and teaching explore how purpose, engagement, and satisfaction shape our lives—offering insights with real-world relevance for today’s most pressing global challenges.
Dr. Gary Bloch
Dr. Gary Bloch is a family physician with St. Michael’s Hospital and Inner City Health Associates, and an associate professor at the University of Toronto.
His clinical, program innovation, education, research, policy and advocacy interests focus on the intersection between primary care, health equity and the social determinants of health. He is a co-founder of the physician homeless services group Inner City Health Associates and the advocacy group Health Providers Against Poverty.
Bloch has developed numerous innovative clinical programs for primary care teams, and educational curricula for health-care trainees, and served on an Ontario government task force targeting income security.
Itinerary
5:00 p.m. Reception
Optometry Building (OPT)
Outside Room 347
6:00 p.m. Hallman panel discussion
Optometry Building, Room 347 (Note room change from Lyle Hallman Institute)
Parking
Paid parking is available for $7.25 in Lot X (behind Optometry Building). See campus map.
Accessible parking is available upon request; please email katelyn.gordner@uwaterloo.ca.
Please pay by downloading the AMP Mobile Application
About the Hallman Lecture Series
The Hallman Lecture Series brings leading thinkers to University of Waterloo to engage the public on topics of health, well-being and health behaviour change. Established through a generous professorial endowment, this series aims to foster intellectual curiosity and the exchange of ideas amongst the general public, students, public health practitioners, educators and other professionals.