Work, Migration and Health Forum – University of Toronto – May 7-9, 2018
The Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers (OHCOW) and the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto (DLSPH), in collaboration with the Global Migration and Health Initiative (GloMHI), invite you to the Work, Migration and Health Forum 2018.
Increasing numbers of people around the world are engaged in precarious labour characterized by low wages, limited or non-existent health and social benefits, inadequate regulation, and elevated exposure to workplace health hazards. Often discussed in the context of low- and middle-income countries, precarity has become increasingly prevalent in post-industrial economies. In Canada, vulnerable and/or marginalized groups, including migrant workers and newcomers, are disproportionally affected by precarity. Pervasive precarity damages the social fabric and has significant implications at the individual and collective levels for both workers and their families and communities in countries of origin and resettlement. Socio-economic well-being, physical and mental health, career opportunities, the incidence of workplace injuries and harms, personal family relationships, housing, and food security are all impacted by precarity.
The Work, Migration and Health Forum 2018 examines the labour experiences of temporary foreign workers, new immigrants, refugees, working international students and undocumented migrants, and explores opportunities for effective interventions, including: developing responsive policies and regulations; providing accessible health care, social services, and community support; delivering workplace health and safety prevention initiatives; and fostering the engagement and empowerment of workers.
Key Dates
Call for abstract submissions opens on Feb 5
Call for abstract submission closes on Feb 28
Notification of acceptance on March 18
Deadline to confirm/decline presentation and to register as a presenter March 25
Abstract Presenters Registration
All presenting authors are required to register by March 25. Presenters not registered by March 25 may have their abstracts pulled from the program. Details on conference registration fees are now available on our Registration page. Presenters who require financial assistance should contact [email protected]
Presentation Types
Oral Presentations
- Research & Policy presentations are 20 minutes, including a five-minute discussion period.
- Experience/Practice-oriented presentations may be 20 to 30 minutes in length, including a discussion period.
Presenters may use slides. Each session room is equipped with a projector, laptop, screen, podium and microphone. Slides should be saved on a memory stick and handed in, first thing in the morning on the presentation day, to the volunteer responsible for the room where the presentation is going to be given (see final program). File names for slides should be in the format: Session#_PresenterLastName (e.g., Session3_Smith.pptx)
Panel/Workshop/Collaborative Sessions
- Research & Policy panels and workshops are 90 minutes in length.
- Experience/Practice-oriented panels/workshops/collaborative sessions may be 60 to 90 minutes in length.
Panels are teams of presenters (three to five) bringing a variety of perspectives to a specific topic, initiative or experience. Panels should allow for a maximum of two thirds time for combined presentation time and one third for audience engagement.
Workshops provide a focused educational opportunity for participants and can follow a variety of formats, depending on their learning objectives.
Collaborative sessions are facilitated, participatory sessions focusing on particular issues or topics, organized to discuss ideas, analyze challenges, and collaboratively build solutions.
Poster Presentation
Posters cannot exceed 6′ by 3′ in size and should be printed in landscape format.
Tracks and Themes
Research, policy, and experience/practice-oriented abstracts explicitly linking work, migration and health are all welcome.
Research and policy abstracts will be anonymously peer-reviewed.
Examples of themes relevant to the Forum include:
Migration
- Globalization, work and precarity
- Work and migration: Trends and characteristics
- Impact of work-related migration on countries and societies of origin
- Migration, work and health: The policy landscape
- Implications of status and work permits
Work
- Work, migration, and the right to health
- Work as a social determinant of health
- Occupational health & safety
- Migration, youth and young workers
- Migrant and newcomer worker experiences across industry sectors
Health
- Key health issues affecting migrant communities
- Mental health and social wellbeing
- Illness, injury and workers’ compensation
- Accessible and equitable health care: Experience and challenges
- Work, migration, gender and sexuality
- Preventing and addressing discrimination: Cultural sensitivity in service provision
Engagement
- Worker engagement and empowerment
- Advocacy
- Working with migrant workers and their communities: Ethical considerations
- Outreach and collaboration with employers and industry leaders
- Settlement services: Challenges and innovative solutions
- Training/retraining/bridging programs
- Policies for economic and social inclusion: Building inclusive cities, provinces and nations
More Info: https://www.wmhforum2018.ca/call-for-abstracts.html
