Who Gets Care When Systems Are Under Strain? Equity and Primary Care in Public Health Emergencies

Vohra Miller Lectures in Critical Public Health Issues

Event Description  

The sixth-annual Vohra Miller Lectures in Critical Public Health Issues aims to foster a dialogue on how intersecting forms of oppression—such as race, disability, and immigrant status—compound the challenges faced by these groups in Ontario when trying to access primary care during health emergencies. We will explore the structural barriers that hinder their access to healthcare, rehabilitation, and social services, while discussing the broader impacts on mental health, access to care, and economic stability. The discussion will propose strategies that contribute to the creation of a more inclusive and equitable healthcare system. The event is hosted by the Institute of Health Emergencies and Pandemics in collaboration with the DLSPH Office of Advancement.

Panelists Prof. Chavon Niles, Hon. Kamal Khera P.C., and Liza Arnason will share learning outcomes and their perspectives to address topics posed by panelist and moderator Prof. Arjumand Siddiqi. 

Panelists will explore some of the following issues: 

• How intersecting oppressions shape access to primary care during health emergencies 
• Structural barriers within Ontario’s healthcare, rehabilitation, and social service systems 
• Downstream impacts on mental health, economic stability, and long‑term well-being 
• Strategies and policy solutions for building a more equitable, inclusive, and resilient healthcare system 

The live event will only be held in person, but a recording will be available after the event on YouTube. Participants who attend in person are invited to join a meet-and-greet with the panelists after the event.  

Speaker Biographies  

Opening Remarks: 

Audrey Laporte 

Acting Dean, Dalla Lana School of Public Health and Director of the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (IHPME)

Audrey Laporte is a Professor of Health Economics, Director of the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (IHPME), and Acting Dean of the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto. Prof. Laporte has published extensively in the health economics and health services research literatures. Her research focuses on the development of micro-economic theory and the application of micro-econometric methods to address questions of policy interest to health and health care. More specifically, her work has centred on a set of themes: modelling of individual health capital accumulation (including child health) and addictive behaviours; health human resource modelling, e.g. nurse, nurse practitioner, physician and personal support worker labour markets; and modelling the impact of policy changes on the performance of health care organizations, e.g. institutional long-term care, hospitals. 

Moderator:  

Arjumand Siddiqi  

Professor of Epidemiology and Canada Research Chair in Population Health Equity, Dalla Lana School of Public Health 

Arjumand Siddiqi is Professor and Canada Research Chair in Population Health Equity at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, and Senior Scientist and Edwin S.H. Leong Chair of Child Policy Research at the Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada. At the University of Toronto, she is also appointed in Sociology, Public Policy, and Women and Gender Studies, and is a Senior Fellow of Massey College. She holds Adjunct Professorships at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill. Dr. Siddiqi’s research focuses on understanding the nature and causes of health inequities, with particular emphasis on how they are influenced by social policies and other societal conditions. Dr. Siddiqi frequently works with organizations, including governments and international agencies, on issues of social determinants of health, health inequalities, and related matters. She was a member of the World Health Organization Commission on Social Determinants of Health. She is the recipient of the 2022 Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Institute of Population and Public Health Mid-Career Trailblazer Award.  She received her doctorate in Social Epidemiology from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.  

Featured Panelists: 

Chavon Niles

Assistant Professor, Department of Physical Therapy, Temerty Faculty of Medicine 

Prof. Chavon Niles is a Guyanese Canadian researcher, scholar, educator, and advocate dedicated to justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion. She earned her PhD from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto. 

Dr. Niles is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Physical Therapy, cross-appointed in the Rehabilitation Sciences Institute, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto. Her research focuses on critical disability studies, health equity, and systemic change, exploring the lived experiences of underserved populations. This includes immigrants with disabilities navigating healthcare systems, individuals living with Long COVID, and their experiences of systemic oppression and inequities in access to care. She also investigates the utilization of rehabilitation services in underrepresented countries such as Guyana and examines the dual roles of caregivers with spinal cord injuries as parents. 

Hon. Kamal Khera, P.C.

Hon. Kamal Khera is a nationally recognized leader in health, equity, and public policy, with over a decade of public service. As one of the youngest women ever elected to Parliament, she served in Canada’s Cabinet as Minister of Health, Minister for Diversity, Inclusion and Persons with Disabilities, and Minister of Seniors, combining her frontline nursing experience to advance impactful healthcare policy and inclusive systems that empower communities in Canada and around the world.    

Liza Arnason

Founder & Chair, ASE Community Foundation for Black Canadians with Disabilities 

Liza Arnason has over 30 years of progressive leadership and teaching experience in the higher education and community sector, including at the University of Toronto. As inaugural Director and Assistant Dean of Student Life, Community Outreach, and International Experience, she advanced student engagement and experiential learning opportunities by leading campus-wide equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) initiatives, policies, and programs. She also championed the development and growth of the Imani Academic Mentorship Programs and contributed to critical institutional work through the Expert Panel on Education and Prevention of Sexual Violence. 

Currently, Liza serves as the volunteer Chair of the ASE Community Foundation for Black Canadians with Disabilities and the University of Calgary Black Alumni Network. Her commitment to equity and the principles of “for us, by us” has consistently anchored her work. Her depth of knowledge and expertise is shaped by lived experience, research, policy development, and extensive professional practice. Liza draws on critical pedagogy—including Black feminism, disability justice, and critical race theory—to inform community-based research and policy change initiatives. Through collective leadership across Canada, she continues to design and advocate for new models and systems that drive meaningful and lasting change.