On February 3, 2026, researchers from the Population Health Analytics Laboratory at the University of Toronto convened a diverse group of partners in Mississauga for the Bridging Community Data and Health System Decision-Making Workshop. Supported by the University of Toronto’s Sustainable Development Goals initiative, the workshop brought together community organizations, public health leaders, practitioners, hospital representatives, researchers, and trainees to explore how community experience data can strengthen local decision-making and advance equitable health research in Peel Region. The event was designed as a knowledge exchange opportunity to connect emerging research on community wellbeing and flourishing with the practical needs of organizations working across the health and social sectors. Participants spent the day discussing how data on people’s lived experiences can complement traditional health and economic indicators to provide a fuller picture of community wellbeing.
The workshop opened with remarks from Dr. Laura Rosella who discussed why measuring flourishing matters for population health. She highlighted how traditional indicators often capture only part of the picture, and emphasized the importance of understanding broader social and relational dimensions of wellbeing when designing policies and programs. Building on this foundation, Adrian Foster presented the research team’s work developing a community wellbeing framework and a survey designed to measure flourishing across multiple domains of life. The workshop then shifted to the local Peel context. Casey Chu shared insights from the Peel Community Flourishing Survey, codeveloped by the Institute for Better Health, and discussed the opportunities and limitations of collecting and analyzing local flourishing data. Participants also engaged in a guided, hands-on case study using the dashboard. Through this interactive exercise, attendees explored local flourishing indicators and discussed how these insights could inform real-world decision-making in Peel. The activity encouraged participants to reflect on how community experience data could complement existing information sources and support planning across sectors such as health, housing, and social services.
The workshop concluded with a panel discussion titled “From Data to Action: Using Community Flourishing Insights in Practice.” Moderated by Laura Rosella, the panel brought together perspectives from research, public health practice, and the social sector. Panelists included Dr. Felix Cheung, Assistant Professor and Canada Research Chair in Population Well-being at the University of Toronto and a contributor to the World Happiness Report; Gregory Kujbida, Manager of the Population Health Assessment Team at Peel Public Health, which maintains the region’s comprehensive health status data platform; and Stephanie Procyk, Director of Research and Evaluation at United Way Greater Toronto, whose work focuses on using evidence to guide social policy and cross-sector collaboration. Together, they discussed how community flourishing data can complement existing data systems, strengthen local decision-making, and help organizations translate community insights into action. The conversation also explored practical challenges (including data interpretation, trust, and implementation) and highlighted the importance of partnerships across sectors to support more responsive and equitable policies.
The event was made possible through the contributions of many members of the PHAL team, including Dr. Laura Rosella, Adrian Foster, Casey Chu, Lief Pagalan, Kathy Kornas, and Dr. Gum-Ryeong Park, as well as the many partners and participants who contributed their insights and perspectives. Looking ahead, the discussions from the workshop highlighted a strong interest in continuing to build partnerships around the use of community flourishing data. Future work will focus on expanding collaboration with local partners, refining data tools and dashboards, and identifying opportunities to integrate community wellbeing insights into planning and decision-making across Peel Region.
As communities and health systems continue to grapple with complex social and health challenges, initiatives like this workshop demonstrate the potential of community-centered data to inform more inclusive, evidence-informed approaches to improving wellbeing.
