Throughout my work, I have seen the importance of centering communities especially those who are most marginalized and most vulnerable. When collaborating with communities it becomes vital to ensure inclusive decision-making processes.

Metty Assefa
Coordinator, Evaluation at Ontario HIV Treatment Network

Meet Metty Assefa, our Public Health Insight Community Star! Metty currently works at the Ontario HIV Treatment Network (OHTN) where she provides consultation and support to network partners.

In this post, Metty shares her passion for public health by providing responses to the following questions:

What does public health mean to you?

To me, public health means taking an interdisciplinary lens towards examining and attempting to improve how societies are set up in terms of health and well-being, equity, justice, and inclusion for all people. Public health provides us with polices, strategies and allows us to examine the gaps within our healthcare system and not only gives people the tools to participate in their health & wellness (ex: prevention, access to care and treatment etc.) rather than illness, but also addresses the structural disadvantages that make individuals more vulnerable to certain illnesses and conditions in the first place.

What work do you do in public health?

I’ve been involved in coordinating, developing, implementing, and evaluating projects in the healthcare, academic, and non-profit sectors. I am currently working at the Ontario HIV Treatment Network (OHTN) where I provide consultation and support to network partners. Specifically, my responsibilities include monitoring and evaluation planning, designing, analyzing data and synthesizing results.

What is your public health message?

Throughout my work, I have seen the importance of centering communities especially those who are most marginalized and most vulnerable. When collaborating with communities it becomes vital to ensure inclusive decision-making processes. By focusing on strategies that foster meaningful engagement we can make sure that people’s unique thoughts, ideas, and beliefs are heard and incorporated within all decision-making processes. Providing an interdisciplinary, holistic, and inclusive approach to health care and wellbeing needs to continue being a priority.