Upstream public health


Yellow background with people

We need to shift the focus of the public debate on alcohol from portrait to landscape; from “personal responsibility” to “shared responsibility”. This post dives into this topic: Shift the focus on alcohol from person to public good.



WHO SDOH Framework

Health equity is getting everyone what they need for their well-being. This post dives into this fast-developing field. It uses the 2010 WHO framework to explore the subject.


Dark blue tortuous lines tapering upward with a blue boar with its upper part

Irving Zola’s upstream-downstream parable has been helping us to communicate the most effective upstreaming interventions in public health. This post explores his parable, some illustrations related to the parable, and how it helps us to communicate upstream approaches.


Community asset mapping improves the work efficiency of health promoters, resource and patient care navigators. This post introduces the concept. We can create an asset map with the Google My Maps tool for free. You can find in this post the steps that I followed in creating a simple tool for stroke caregivers and survivors living in Toronto.


Ottawa charter logo

The legendary Ottawa Charter for health promotion has travelled worldwide for 30 years from 1986 – 2016. It provides an excellent framework upstream along the social determinants of health platform.