Surrey, BC — The 2018 Canada India Networking Initiative (CINI) Conference hosted by Canada India Network Society (CINS) was a success in incubating ideas and leading engagement strategies for targeted South Asian health care initiatives. The conference was co-hosted by Fraser Health and Simon Fraser University and in conjunction with the mid-year global meeting of GAPIO and annual meetings of PISA Canada and CAPIH.
CINI 2018 was about learning, understanding and creating new pathways to improve the health outcomes of South Asians in the lower mainland but also to showcase best practice paradigms for chronic disease management, palliative care, mental health and addiction, and ethical professionalism that could be customized and scalable for intervention, worldwide.
“The need to educate health care professionals on how to be knowledgeable and culturally safe providers has never been more relevant,” said Dr. Arun Garg, chair, CINI 2018 and CINS. “Those interested in understanding how to work with South Asian populations, how to talk about South Asian health issues and how to work within the health system to positively affect health outcomes for South Asian populations found huge benefits from the conference. With that in mind, our focus on technology and its unprecedented opportunity to empower individuals to lead healthier lives, take care of loved ones and communicate better with their health practitioners created opportunities for discovery. Beyond this, the intimate atmosphere of our conference allowed attendees to have face time with speakers and other stakeholders. This gave them the opportunity to share real-world lessons and learn from one another, in addition to the session offerings.”
By the end of the four-day conference, partnerships with local and global organizations were formed, the facilitation of strengthening relationships of both countries, and the provision of a platform to discuss challenges in South Asian health. While the scientific outcomes summary will be released in the next few weeks, there was a consensus among participants (leaders in academia, healthcare professionals, physicians, industry professionals and community members) that health projects must be scalable and actionable.
Conference was supported by these major organizations – Fraser Health, Simon Fraser University, University of British Columbia, British Columbia Institute of Technology, Kwantlen Polytechnic University, Global Association of Physicians of India Origin GAPIO, PISA, Canadian Association of Physicians of Indian Heritage, Roche Diagnostics Canada, Medtronic of Canada, Government of British Columbia, and City of Surrey, Surrey Board of Trade and many other community organizations.
Notable Highlights of the Conference
- Signature Fundraiser Banquet of 600 guests featured Dr. Sibal and Joanne Curry as guest speakers and who provided their friendship focused, India and Canada greetings.
- Medical leaders and organizations working in the field of South Asian health initiatives were presented with CINI 2018 gifts of recognition.
- Chronic disease, especially the ‘War on Diabetes’, was focused on and specific attention given to the best practices of Fraser Health’s SEHAT program.
- CINS partnered with Two World to support a Palliative Care project in India.
- A South Asian health fund was created at Royal Columbia Hospital Foundation and the first project will focus on South Asian mental health and addiction.
- CINS in joint collaboration with LWA+ EADS, will develop a LEADs program to assist in ethical professionalism within the India context.
- Technology and pa;ent health empowerment were weaved into every session and conversation, highlighting health and wellness enhancements made possible through technology and implementation of key health policies and strategies.
About CINS
CINS, a non-profit organization, was established to build and strengthen academic, cultural, health and business links between Canada and India in 2010. Since then CINS has acted as a catalyst to incubate, initiate and support projects in Canada and India including CINI 2018, 2014, and 2010. (www.thecins.org/)
