The Canadian Health Libraries Association (CHLA) Conference 2025, centred around the theme of “Building Futures Together”, recently took place in Vancouver, British Columbia, from June 3 to 6. The annual conference provides an invaluable platform for knowledge exchange and collaboration within the health information community.
The opening and closing keynote presentations particularly exemplified this year’s theme. The conference commenced with Dr. Maura Brown’s presentation on building a climate-resilient healthcare system. Dr. Brown emphasized the need to recognize planetary health as a system alongside human health and that the interlinkage between these systems must be understood for effective resilience. In the closing address, Dr Devon Greyson included an inspiring message on building a more effective health information system through collaboration, similar to how a sports team or concert band will work cohesively to accomplish a common goal.
A key highlight of WDS-ITO’s presence was the presentation of the “Assessing the Canadian Digital Health Landscape: Opportunities for Improved Data Sharing and Research” analysis, delivered by Alyssa Foote. This comprehensive overview delves into the complexities of the health data landscape in Canada, aiming to identify opportunities for advancement within the context of WDS’s global mission.
The analysis identified key challenges and opportunities across pan-Canadian and regional health data entities. Key findings included:
- Data Accessibility & Sharing: Significant barriers include varying access levels and fees, complex and lengthy access processes, diverse data sharing policies, and inconsistent metadata and discoverability.
- Data Standardization & Interoperability: Inconsistent metadata and persistent identifier adoption, ongoing barriers with cross-jurisdictional data linkage, and fragmented interoperability remain areas for improvement.
- Data Governance & Privacy: While privacy safeguards and secure research environments are consistently used, there is evolving recognition of Indigenous Data Sovereignty and a diverse, decentralized landscape of data access governance models.
The presentation emphasized the ongoing need to transition from a “current state” where data can be buried, siloed, impeded, and alienated (BIAS), to a “desired state” where data is Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable (FAIR principles).
To address these findings, key recommendations include:
- Increase the scope of the Canadian Health Data Landscape Analysis.
- Promote data management best practices.
- Standardize data access procedures.
The 2025 CHLA conference provided a valuable platform for disseminating key findings and collaborating with health information professionals to advance a more unified and easily accessible Canadian health information network. Additionally, with its expanding list of members, WDS has a vital role in fostering a more collaborative and interdisciplinary research environment. You can dive deeper by reading the full Canadian Health Data Landscape Analysis report.