The Gateway Centre of Excellence in Rural Health is continuing its Virtual Lecture Series in November.
Episode 28 is entitled “Uncertain Covid-19 Messages, the Perspectives of Rural Older Adults” and will take place on Tuesday, November 7, 2023, from 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm. This engaging and informative lecture will feature keynote speaker, Dr. Hung Nguyen, Research Assistant at the University of Waterloo School of Pharmacy.
Dr. Ngyuen will discuss the very important and still relevant topic surrounding COVID-19, especially considering the ongoing challenges related to COVID-19 and public health communication.
To register for this virtual lecture episode, you can visit the website at https://www.gatewayruralhealth.ca/rural-health-lecture-series. Participation is free, and attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions and interact with the expert panel.
For more information about this event or Gateway Centre of Excellence in Rural Health, please contact: info@gatewayruralhealth.ca.
Additionally, a panel of experts will provide valuable insights into the topic, including Dr. Ashley Rose, Canada Research Chair in Science, Health, and Technology Communication, University of Waterloo; Dr. Feng Chang, Clinical Pharmacist Specializing in Geriatric Pharmacotherapy and Gateway CERH research Chair and Board Member; and Dr. Kristen Watt, owner, Kristen’s Pharmacy, Southampton Ontario.
"The concept of uncertainty has recently been used during economic and political upheavals and public health emergencies to describe conditions that require the adoption of flexible solutions when scientific foundations are unclear," Dr. Nguyen said. "During large-scale crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the precarity of local people and volunteers can become exacerbated, especially in under-serviced rural regions and small towns. How the communication of uncertain COVID-19 messages affects the resilience among older adults at large in rural areas remains a question. This lecture provides an examination of uncertainty that shapes the communication of COVID-19-related messages, hence resilience, in older adults in rural areas in Ontario. We argue that uncertain communication of medical conditions may misguide communities, which may eventually diminish public health credibility, and hence community resilience."