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This webinar is presented by the Health Data Research Network (HDRN) Canada as part of their 2025-26 Big IDEAs About Health Data Speaker Series. The Big IDEAs About Health Data Speaker Series features a variety of experts discussing how data can be used to advance health equity.

# About the Speaker

Dr. Amanda Fowler-Woods is an Assistant Professor with the Manitoba Centre for Health Policy. She has a PhD in Community Health Sciences from the University of Manitoba and has studied Indigenous Knowledge programs with Traditional Medicine Teachers and Elders. Previously, Dr. Fowler-Woods worked as a research associate with Ongomiizwin, where she co-led the development of the Indigenous Healthcare Quality Framework. Her research program focuses on the use of Indigenous research methodologies in health and health services research, health equity and health care quality, anti-racism, and Indigenous data governance and sovereignty.

# Other Webinars in this Series

• Thursday, September 25 | Centring Racial Equity throughout the Data Life Cycle
• Thursday, November 27 | Social Determinants of Health Data
• Thursday, January 29 | Using Administrative Data in Rural Dementia Health Services Research
• Thursday, March 26 | Social Contexts of Administrative Data About Substance Use Disorder

This webinar is presented by the Health Data Research Network (HDRN) Canada as part of their 2025-26 Big IDEAs About Health Data Speaker Series. The Big IDEAs About Health Data Speaker Series features a variety of experts discussing how data can be used to advance health equity.

The Rural Dementia Action Research (RaDAR) Team works to advance the quality of care for individuals living with dementia in rural communities. In this session, they discuss the importance of recognizing and addressing rural-specific issues in dementia care research and highlight related initiatives. The session offers an overview of studies examining health service use, including those that use linked clinical and administrative data, and describes methods for identifying rural populations and persons with dementia.

# About the Speakers

Dr. Julie Kosteniuk is an Assistant Professor in the Canadian Centre for Rural and Agricultural Health, Department of Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan. She holds a PhD in Psychiatry and a Master of Arts in Sociology from the University of Saskatchewan. She is Co-lead of the Rural Dementia Action Research (RaDAR) Team, which has partnered with primary health care teams in several rural communities in Saskatchewan to develop and implement local primary care memory clinics. Dr. Kosteniuk's research focuses on rural dementia care, including rural primary care for persons living with dementia, community-based services for older adults in rural settings, and health service use by rural persons with dementia.

Dr. Jacqueline Quail is a consultant supporting all aspects of research and analysis tasks through the lifecycle of a project. She worked as a researcher at the Health Quality Council for 15 years, using Saskatchewan’s administrative data to conduct health services research. In 2015, she joined the Canadian Network of Observational Drug Effect Studies team as a researcher and was the Saskatchewan Site Lead from 2018 to 2022. In 2023, she joined the Saskatchewan Coroners Service as a community coroner, seeking to see the front-line reality of the information captured in databases. She currently works for the Public Health Agency of Canada as a Public Health Officer in Substance-related Harms and Public Health Death Investigation. Dr. Quail holds a Bachelor of Science in Physical Therapy and a Master of Science in Community Health and Epidemiology from the University of Saskatchewan, and a PhD in Epidemiology and Biostatistics from McGill University.

Beliz Açan Osman is a senior researcher at the Saskatchewan Health Quality Council supporting informed decision-making grounded in evidence and real-world needs, and using health and health services data to accelerate improvement in health and health care throughout Saskatchewan. Beliz guides research teams through every aspect of the research process, from data access to the establishment of analytical methodologies and development of study protocols. She also focuses on contributing to the foundational work around improving the infrastructure needed for research. Beliz has a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Bilkent University and a Master of Arts in Economics, with a specialization in health economics, from the University of Saskatchewan. Prior to HQC, she served as the Co-lead, Data and Data Services Platform of the Saskatchewan Centre for Patient-Oriented Research.

# Other Webinars in this Series

• Thursday, September 25 | Centring Racial Equity throughout the Data Life Cycle
• Thursday, November 27 | Social Determinants of Health Data
• Thursday, March 26 | Social Contexts of Administrative Data About Substance Use Disorder
• Thursday, May 28 | Indigenous Methodologies, Data & Community Governance

This webinar is presented by the Health Data Research Network (HDRN) Canada as part of their 2025-26 Big IDEAs About Health Data Speaker Series. The Big IDEAs About Health Data Speaker Series features a variety of experts discussing how data can be used to advance health equity.

Data integration by government and community-based organizations is undertaken for the public good to support the interconnected needs of families and communities. Though data infrastructure is a powerful tool to support equity-oriented reforms, equity is rarely centred as a core goal for data integration. This raises fundamental concerns as integrated data increasingly provides the raw materials for evaluation, research and risk modelling. In this session, Dr. Amy Hawn Nelson and Isabel Algrant provide an overview of the newly updated Toolkit for Centering Racial Equity Throughout Data Integration and the companion Workbook, exploring how participants can apply these learnings to centre equity throughout the data life cycle in their day-to-day work.

# About the Speakers

Dr. Amy Hawn Nelson is a Research Faculty Member and the Director of Training and Technical Assistance for Actionable Intelligence for Social Policy, an initiative of the University of Pennsylvania that helps state and local governments collaborate and responsibly use data to improve lives. She supports field building for integrated data systems, which includes working with sites across the US to develop shared, purpose-driven data infrastructure that centres strong data governance. She has a PhD in Curriculum and Instruction, Urban Education from UNC Charlotte; a Masters in School Administration from UNC Charlotte; a Masters in Teaching from Johns Hopkins University; a BA in Women’s and Gender Studies and Africana Studies and a BA in Sociology from NC State University; and a Certificate of Law from the University of Pennsylvania.

Isabel Algrant is the Assistant Director of Training and Technical Assistance at Acthe University of Pennsylvania at tionable Intelligence for Social Policy (AISP) aHer work supports sustainable data governance, centring community voice, especially for those most marginalized. Before joining AISP, Isabel taught grade 8 Math and Science at the Dwight-Englewood School. She has served as an intern at the Philadelphia City Council and hosts the Why Are My Students Acting Like Children? podcast. She has a Masters in Social Policy and Data Analysis from the University of Pennsylvania and a BA in Government and Theatre from Wesleyan University.

# Other Webinars in this Series

• Thursday, November 27 | Social Determinants of Health Data
• Thursday, January 29 | Using Administrative Data in Rural Dementia Health Services Research
• Thursday, March 26 | Social Contexts of Administrative Data About Substance Use Disorder
• Thursday, May 28 | Indigenous Methodologies, Data & Community Governance

This webinar is presented by CASCADES Canada

On August 28, join us to hear from leaders who are maximizing their organizations’ impact through collaboration.

This webinar in the Leadership and strategy for sustainable health systems series is the fourth of seven events highlighting seven organizational practices to advance strategic planning for sustainable healthcare.

The series is organized in partnership with the University of British Columbia Sauder School of Business/Centre for Climate and Business Solutions, the Sandra Rotman Centre for Health Sector Strategy at the University of Toronto Rotman School of Management, Dalhousie University Faculty of Management, and other university partners.