Thread by @PanHist

Have historical perspectives ‘mattered’ to policy-making? Yes and no. On the ‘no’ side, senior policy makers may talk to historians, but don’t necessarily think they should heed us if we are saying something outside of the main narrative. #PandemicMethodologies.

On the ‘yes’ side, we get invited to more meetings. There are lots of interviews and media work. Sometimes important people tell me historical work is so important. But influence feels pretty indirect. Maybe history is running in the background? #PandemicMethodologies #PanHist

#PandemicMethodologies All the things we do to reach out matter. Public talks have always been sustaining for me. There’s give and take. I listen to pandemic stories people tell me. And share my favourite #PanHist work like @kelmme and Brenda Child.

My main Covid-19 policy projects have been with @RSCTheAcademies taskforce. Hundreds of scholars are working on immigration, migrant worker rights, policing, prisons, mental health, Indigenous health, anti-racism, vaccine hesitancy, homelessness... #PandemicMethodologies

Report on archives and the preservation of COVID-19 experiences #PandemicMethodologies by historians and archival scholars including @ianmilligan1, @archivistsdotca issued Remembering is a Form of Honouring: Preserving the COVID-19 Archival Record. rsc-src.ca/en/research-an…

Policies for ensuring a diverse record of the pandemic were discussed at RSC Roundtable Preserving Covid-19 Experiences with @kwame_mckenzie, @CherylPrescod from @BlackCreek CHC, and @ianmilligan1

Here’s some of our recommendations. #PandemicMethodologies

Also worked on public health and disease history with @ClioCatherine @Monnaisl , James Hanley and Heather MacDougall. Our report showcases a lot of Canadian scholarship in the field. This is what makes me most proud of it. #PanHist #PandemicMethodologies
rsc-src.ca/sites/default/…

Our recommendations: dual approach supporting public health’s capacity to respond AND addressing social inequities. We suggest more accountability on social factors that shape health outcomes, creating a public health culture, and empowering advocacy. #PandemicMethodologies.

#PandemicMethodologies Does history teach lessons that can guide public health policy and discourse? Some might say ‘yes’ and ‘it’s complicated.’ But if we want to have that voice, to speak out, we have the privilege. I try to do this work with humility, listen, not just talk.