David Palmer
Vice-President, Advancement
University of Toronto

and

Barbara Dick
Assistant Vice-President, Alumni Relations
University of Toronto

cordially invites you to attend a brunch for University of Toronto alumni and friends, featuring a special presentation:

Concrete, Clinics, and Calories: Exploring the Urban Health Connection

by

Professor Michael Widener
Vice-Dean Academic Operations, Faculty of Arts and Science
Professor, Department of Geography and Planning
Co-Editor-in-Chief, Health & Place
Canada Research Chair in Transportation and Health
University of Toronto

It’s increasingly common to see headlines highlighting how the places we live shape our health and well-being—some even suggest that your postal code may be as influential as your genetic code. From access to nutritious food and exposure to pollution, to the distribution of life-saving infrastructure like automated defibrillators, urban environments play a critical role in shaping health outcomes. Over the past few decades, researchers have been investigating how the design and structure of our cities can either support or hinder the behaviours that lead to healthier, happier lives. In this talk, Professor Widener will share insights from the research on how neighbourhoods influence well-being, and explore what this means for the future of urban planning in diverse global cities such as Toronto, Hong Kong, Montreal, and Shanghai.

About the Speaker

Michael Widener

Michael J. Widener is a Professor and Canada Research Chair in Transportation and Health at the University of Toronto - St. George. He also serves as the Chair of the Department of Geography and Planning, with a cross-appointment in Epidemiology at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health. Outside of U of T, Dr. Widener serves as the co-Editor in Chief of the journal Health and Place, sits on various journals’ editorial boards, is a member of CIHR’s College of Reviewers, and co-leads the Social and Health Factors Cluster of the Network of European Communication and Transportation Activity Researchers.

Dr. Widener’s research focuses on how health and well-being are affected by social context, transportation opportunities, and urban form, with an emphasis on food environment research. In the classroom, Dr. Widener teaches courses on geographic information systems, data science, mapping health data, and spatial statistics at the undergraduate and graduate levels.