Shaping the future of health and wellness at Laurier’s eighth annual International Women’s Day Luncheon

March 7, 2025

Community-based solutions in health and wellness were at the forefront of conversations at the eighth annual International Women’s Day Luncheon, hosted by the Wilfrid Laurier University Alumni Association and International Women’s Forum Waterloo Chapter.

Held March 5 at Bingemans Conference Centre in Kitchener, the event brought together more than 150 attendees under the theme “Shaping the Future of Health and Wellness Through Community-Based Approaches.”

Laurier President and Vice-Chancellor Deborah MacLatchy opened the event with a keynote address, sharing that sustainable solutions must consider social determinants of health, such as access to housing, food security, addiction and mental health support, and culturally responsive care.

“The foundation of a strong healthcare system is built through community,” said MacLatchy. “When we invest in community-level health initiatives – through public health programs, outreach services and preventative care – we reduce hospitalizations, lower healthcare costs and improve quality of life for everyone.”

MacLatchy highlighted Laurier’s contributions to community health and wellness, including research, training and outreach in disciplines such as social work, community psychology psychotherapy, music therapy, health sciences, and kinesiology. She also noted the many Laurier graduates who continue their education in professional health care fields such as nursing, medicine, clinical psychology and physiotherapy.

Additionally, MacLatchy highlighted the many health and wellness innovations being supported through the Lazaridis School of Business and Economics, particularly the new Medical Innovation Xchange Lazaridis MedTech C-Suite Leadership Program, which assists leaders in the medical technology and health innovation ecosystem to scale up their businesses.

“Building and fostering thriving communities is part of our ethos at Laurier,” said MacLatchy. “I am incredibly proud of the many people at Laurier who dedicate their work to community health and well-being.”

Following MacLatchy’s remarks, Elly Winters-Robinson, president and chief marketing officer of Ignition Communications and founder of AskEllyn, moderated a panel discussion featuring Laurier women working to enhance community health and well-being.

Panelist Melody Morton Ninomiya (BA ’97), Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Community-Driven Knowledge Mobilization and Pathways to Wellness and associate professor in the Department of Health Sciences, conducts research on Indigenous health and wellness, culturally defined indicators of well-being, knowledge mobilization in community-based research, and decolonizing research methodologies. Morton Ninomiya began the discussion with a metaphor comparing community-based health and wellness to the anatomy of a tree.

“The foliage represents measurable health outcomes – things like rates of diabetes, healthy births, or the number of children in care,” she said. “The trunk consists of the resources that shape these outcomes, including financial, human and material resources. At the roots are decision-makers and their interpretations of what health and wellness means to people in the community.”

Morton Ninomiya emphasized that transformative and sustainable change requires tending to the roots. Strengthening these roots, she noted, requires meaningful relationship building, ongoing advocacy and a willingness to challenge existing systems.

Panelist Josephine McMurray (MBA ’03), associate professor in the Lazaridis School in Business Technology Management and member of the Health Studies faculty, and associate scientific director of AGE-WELL, researches the intersection of technology, health and aging, particularly how intelligent assistive technologies can improve the quality of life for older adults living with cognitive impairments. During the panel, McMurray discussed how technology presents both opportunities and challenges in community-based healthcare.

“Technology improves efficiency, enables better information sharing and expands access to community-based care,” said McMurray. “But we also need to address concerns around data privacy and control. Who owns our health information and who decides how it’s used? These are critical questions as digital tools become increasingly integrated into healthcare.”

Panelist Mary Ajayi (BSc ’21), a Laurier alum and sexual health educator at SHORE Centre, noted the importance of education in effective community health initiatives. In her role, Ajayi works to dispel myths surrounding sexual and reproductive health.

Ajayi stressed the importance of trust and knowledge accessibility in community health programs, especially in areas such as sexual health education, where misinformation can create barriers to care. She shared that equipping people with the right information empowers communities to advocate for better and stronger healthcare.

“At the heart of this work is ensuring that people have the information they need to make informed decisions, not just for themselves but for their communities,” said Ajayi. “This involves prioritizing education, stronger funding for community-centered initiatives and ensuring that those affected by the programs have a seat at the table.”