Letters to the Editor and Comings and Goings, May 2006

Ontario Health Promotion E-Bulletin, OHPE Bulletin 465, Volume 2006, No. 465


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I Introduction

This week, we have some Comings and Goings from health promotion and a
Letters to the Editor column, covering the past few months.

Remember, you can send us your news or comments at any time. We welcome
your feedback on our feature articles, news about old colleagues and
new colleagues, and comments on our newsletter and searchable database
of health promotion information. Read our complete submission
guidelines at http://www.ohpe.ca and write to editor@ohpe.ca.

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II Letters to the Editor

A. An Addition to Previously Highlighted LHIN Resources

http://www.ohpe.ca/ebulletin/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=7154&Itemid=62
http://www.ohpe.ca/ebulletin/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=7062&Itemid=62

Thank you for your ongoing updates.  We have done several policy
papers and collected virtual resources on an Issue Page on LHINs at
http://www.wellesleycentral.com/ip_lhins.csp  Please feel free to
include it in your postings.

Bob Gardner, Ph.D
Director of Public Policy
Wellesley Central Health Corporation
ph 416-972-1010 X 229
fax 416-921-7228
cell 416-566-8992

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B. A Recommended Search Engine from Our Occasional Technology Columnist

New Dumbfind may be smartest tool for health promotion searching.
 
Too much interest and money in online searching. Innovations become
legacy systems happily serving many until someone does it better.
Dumbfind may be on to a Google alternative -- especially when it comes
to health promotion.
 
We are all familiar with the overload of information coming from each
Google attempt. More skilled searchers are able to focus their
questions and to use advanced searching to get close to what they need
quickly. The majority click and click; often having their question fed
well enough, or wandering off, or lost completely.
 
http://www.dumbfind.com
is a new search engine, still in beta, that appears to have integrated
searching with the rapidly emerging notion of "tags." It offers two
search boxes. The first box is like Google, Yahoo, MSN and others. The
second one asks for associated tags. In effect, offering two boxes
encourages the user to further define what he or she is really looking
for--a simple, elegant idea.
 
Dumbfind extracts descriptors on web pages and page titles, identifies
their relationships, and presents the user with a left hand panel of
"tag clusters." Within the cluster, relative weight of individual tags
shows up in larger fonts and different colours. The more frequently
that tag appears, the larger and bolder it shows. It is as if the
search engine offering further key words it has found that might help.
 
In the middle of the page lies the standard listing of results. Pages
from the same site cluster together nicely. The right side is weak. It
contains current news headlines with only the thinnest relevance to the
search. Sponsored links will also make many health promoters cringe.
 
Try the following: In my first search, I entered health promotion with
a tag of Canada. The Ontario Health Promotion Resource System shows up
at the top of the list! Refining your search by selecting any of the
tags often leads to valued results.
 
Much of the web bypasses search engines, and they don't all visit the
same places. Serious searchers check more than one. Dumbfind is worth a
look.

A. Simon Mielniczuk - Solutions Architect
ITS Co-operative Inc.
http://www.itscooperative.com
simon@itscooperative.com

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III Comings and Goings

  • Sarah Flicker, Director-Research, will be leaving Wellesley
    Central to accept a tenure-track position at York University effective
    June 1, 2006. In addition Sarah has been awarded an OHTN grant to study
    youth and HIV/AIDS, which she will do concurrently with her appointment
    at York.
  • Nancy Dubois has been elected as the CDPAC representative to
    co-chair the National Integrated Healthy Living Strategy, representing
    the NGO sector (co-chairs are Farida Gabbani and Lianne Vardy).
  • Barbara Neuwelt has left the East End Community Health Centre to
    join the Canadian Mental Health Association Ontario Division as a
    Policy Analyst.
  • Paul Muldoon was appointed to the Environmental Review Tribunal (from CELA Bulletin 58, http://www.cela.ca).
  • Theresa McClenaghan was appointed as Senior Policy Advisor to Ontario's Environment Minister (from CELA Bulletin 58, http://www.cela.ca).
  • CELA welcomed Michelle Swenarchuk as Executive Director (from CELA Bulletin 58, http://www.cela.ca).
  • Tracy Howson has left her position as project manager at OPHA and
    the Ontario Chronic Disease Alliance to become the Durham Regional
    Diabetes Network Coordinator with Lakeridge Health
    (Bowmanville/Oshawa).  
  • Bianca Seaton is taking over from  Josh Goldstein as new CPHS Program Coordinator as he moves to the University of Calgary.
  • Ovarian Cancer Canada is pleased to welcome two new managers to
    its national office in Vancouver: Trish Walsh, manager, donor services;
    and Ann Marie Bennett, manager, member services. Walsh is a former COO
    of the Centre for Integrated Healing in Vancouver and Bennett was
    formerly a program manager for Leadership Vancouver (from http://www.charityvillage.com).
  • The National Children's Alliance announces the appointment of Larry Gemmel as interim executive director (from http://www.charityvillage.com)..
  • Jacquie White will join Mental Health Support Network, Hastings
    Prince Edward Corp. as its employment and education initiative
    coordinator.  Elizabeth Ziegler will be joining as their new peer
    support program coordinator on June 1, 2006.(from http://www.charityvillage.com).
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