Health equity and the value of public health generalists: An interview with Connie Clement

In an interview, Connie Clement, Scientific Director of the National Collaborating Center for Determinants of Health, talked about health equity and the value of public health generalists. According to Clement, being raised by a nurse and an environmentalist, she entered public health through activism, not training. She became involved as a teenager with sexual health education initiatives and supported a local mayor with a community recycling program. She identified as a feminist by the time she completed high school and this informed how she spent university, both in terms of what she studied and her activities. As part of the municipality, public health staff actively collaborated with other departments, such as urban planning and public works. A major challenge in public health is when you put your heart and soul into something, but it doesn't go ahead. This was the case with Toronto's Public Health Research, Education and Development program.