Dr. Deanna White

Deanna White earned her Ph.D. in Public Health and Health Systems at the University of Waterloo, with a focus on the implementation of chronic disease prevention programs and policies in rural Ontario public health units. She completed her Master of Arts in Applied Health Science and an Honors Bachelor’s Degree in Community Health Science at Brock University.

Deanna has over 20 years of healthcare executive and management experience in public health as a Public Health Epidemiologist Manager, Public Health Unit Executive Committee Member, Public Health Acting Manager, Health Systems Transformation Research Lead in an Indigenous Community, Emergency Management Committee Member, Public Health Research Scientist, and Vice-President of the Association of Public Health Epidemiologists in Ontario (APHEO). Deanna's experience in the healthcare industry provides a direct bridge between theoretical knowledge and practical application in real-world healthcare settings, aligning with and reinforcing the program curriculum. Deanna’s work is grounded in a realist ontology, “what works, with whom, and under what circumstances” which can be applied in real world public, private, and non-profit health care settings.

Deanna also has considerable experience teaching undergraduate and graduate students, both on-line and in-person. In this capacity, she was a Teacher Assistant at the University of Waterloo and Brock University for several courses including Introduction to Health, Foundations for Public Health, Social Determinants of Health, Leadership in Nursing, Workplace Health, and Environment and Physical Activity. She also had the opportunity to be a guest lecturer at Brock University for several topics in the area of healthcare.

Deanna has published over 15 technical health status reports in the area of chronic disease prevention and well-being, infectious and communicable disease prevention and control, safe water, healthy growth and development, substance use and injury prevention, mental health, and rural health. Moreover, Deanna has published articles in the area of rural health and chronic disease surveillance.

Courses taught

Introduction to Health and Health Care, Health Policy and Performance Measurement, and Health Care Accessibility and Equity

Areas of academic interest

Health Equity, Social Determinants of Health, Rural Health, Qualitative Research, Public Health, Epidemiology, Implementation Science, Performance Measurement, Health Promotion, Population Health, Community-based Research, and Effective Public Health Practice

Areas of specialization

Health Equity, Social Determinants of Health, Rural Health, Qualitative Research, Public Health, Epidemiology, Implementation Science, Performance Measurement, Health Promotion, Population Health, Community-based Research, and Effective Public Health Practice

Awards

Brock University Fellowship for Masters of Applied Health Science Program

Publications

1. White, D (2020). Factors that facilitate and impede the implementation of evidence-informed chronic disease prevention programs and policies in rural Ontario public health units [Doctoral dissertation, University of Waterloo]. UW Space Waterloo’s Institutional Repository.
2. White, D. (2013). Development of a rural health framework: Implications for program planning and delivery. Healthcare Policy, 8(3), 27-41.
3. Choi, B., Decou, M., Rasali, D., Martens, P., Mancusa, M., Plotnikoff, R., Neudorf, C., Thanos, J., Svenson, L., Denny, K., Orpana, H., Stewart, P., King, M., Griffith, J., Erickson, T., van Dorp, R., White, D., & Ali, A. (2014). Enhancing capacity for risk factor surveillance at the regional/local level: A follow-up review of the findings of the Canadian think tank forum after 4 years. Archives of Public Health, 72(1) 1-11.

Technical Reports

• Nyenhuis, E., Deming, J., Dupuis, S., Fuller, E., Harris, A., White, D., Yue C., & Folkema, A. (2017). Infant feeding surveillance knowledge translation project: Summary report of public health unit use of the 6-month retrospective single time point questionnaire. Newmarket, Ontario, Canada.
• White, D. (2012). Haldimand and Norfolk alcohol & pregnancy report, 2012. Haldimand-Norfolk Health Unit.
• White, D. (2012). Haldimand and Norfolk awareness and use of parenting programs and resources, 2012. Haldimand-Norfolk Health Unit.