Annalee Yassi
Biographic Data
| ID | 110319 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Annalee Yassi |
| GIVEN NAMES | Annalee |
| FAMILY NAME | Yassi |
| SIGNATURE | YASSI A |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of British Columbia |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-9103-4051 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 44 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 57 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 44 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1988 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2023 |
| H-INDEX | 3 |
Vaccination, time lost from work, and Covid-19 infections
The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted hurdles for healthcare delivery and personnel globally. Vaccination has been an important tool for preventing severe illness and death in healthcare workers (HCWs) as well as the public at large. However, vaccination has resulted in some HCWs requiring time off work post-vaccination to recover from adverse events. We aimed to understand which HCWs needed to take time off work post-vaccination, for which vaccine t…
Protecting healthcare workers during a pandemic
Objectives. To ascertain whether and how working as a partnership of two World Health Organization collaborating centres (WHOCCs), based respectively in the Global North and Global South, can add insights on “what works to protect healthcare workers (HCWs) during a pandemic, in what contexts, using what mechanism, to achieve what outcome”. Methods. A realist synthesis of seven projects in this research program was carried out to characterize cont…
Psychological Distress in South African Healthcare Workers Early in the Covid-19 Pandemic
While the global COVID-19 pandemic has been widely acknowledged to affect the mental health of health care workers (HCWs), attention to measures that protect those on the front lines of health outbreak response has been limited. In this cross-sectional study, we examine workplace contextual factors associated with how psychological distress was experienced in a South African setting where a severe first wave was being experienced with the objecti…
The Utility of Length of Mining Service and Latency in Predicting Silicosis among Claimants to a Compensation Trust
In the wake of a large burden of silicosis and tuberculosis among ex-miners from the South African gold mining industry, several programmes have been engaged in examining and compensating those at risk of these diseases. Availability of a database from one such programme, the Q(h)ubeka Trust, provided an opportunity to examine the accuracy of length of service in predicting compensable silicosis, and the concordance between self-reported employme…
Accuracy of Computer-Aided Detection of Occupational Lung Disease
CAD systems have the potential to come close to expert readers in the identification of TB and silicosis in this population. The findings underscore the need for CAD systems to be developed and validated in specific use-case settings
Towards TB elimination
BACKGROUND: Notwithstanding extensive general discussion of the effects of upstream forces on health, there has been limited empirical examination, let alone systematic evidence documenting policy responses to such pathways in the area of tuberculosis (TB) management and control. Our study aimed to gain insight into how macro level drivers of TB are perceived by key stakeholders involved in TB management and control in a high-endemic country, and…
Access of migrant gold miners to compensation for occupational lung disease
The findings provide a quantitative view of differential access to occupational lung disease compensation, including long processing delays, among groups of migrant miners from the South African gold mines. There is a deficit of compensable claims for silicosis and silico-tuberculosis among former miners irrespective of country of origin. While cross-border miner groups appear to file more claims while active, this is reversed once they leave emp…
Preventing Occupational Tuberculosis in Health Workers
Given the very high incidence of tuberculosis (TB) among health workers in Mozambique, a low-income country in Southern Africa, implementation of measures to protect health workers from occupational TB remains a major challenge. This study explores how Mozambique's legal framework and health system governance facilitate-or hinder-implementation of protective measures in its public (state-provided) healthcare sector. Using a mixed-methods approach…
Current Guidelines for Protecting Health Workers from Occupational Tuberculosis Are Necessary, but Not Sufficient
Health workers globally are at elevated occupational risk of tuberculosis infection and disease. While a raft of guidelines have been published over the past 25 years on infection prevention and control (IPC) in healthcare, studies in different settings continue to show inadequate implementation and persistence of risk. The aim of this commentary is to argue, based on the literature and our own research, that a comprehensive occupational health a…
Visual Storytelling, Intergenerational Environmental Justice and Indigenous Sovereignty
Visual practices of representing fossil fuel projects are entangled in diverse values and relations that often go underexplored. In Canada, visual media campaigns to aggressively push forward the fossil fuel industry not only relegate to obscurity indigenous values but mask evidence on health impacts as well as the aspirations of those most affected, including indigenous communities whose food sovereignty and stewardship relationship to the land …
Empowering Health Workers to Protect their Own Health
Ways to address the increasing global health workforce shortage include improving the occupational health and safety of health workers, particularly those in high-risk, low-resource settings. The World Health Organization and International Labour Organization designed HealthWISE, a quality improvement tool to help health workers identify workplace hazards to find and apply low-cost solutions. However, its implementation had never been systematica…
Occupational Tuberculosis Among Laboratory Workers in South Africa
Functional occupational health surveillance systems can identify subgroups most at risk as well as areas of programme success and areas where increased support is needed, helping to target and monitor policy and procedure modification and training needs
An embodied exercise to address HIV- and tuberculosisrelated stigma of healthcare workers in Southern Africa
Healthcare workers (HCW) face the risk of occupational exposure to infectious diseases, especially in countries with high burdens of tuberculosis (TB) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Disclosure of TB and/or HIV status is needed to ensure prompt action and treatment, and, in the case of TB, prevent transmission to co-workers and patients. Traditional education and training has had limited impact. It is known that stigma plays a major role …
Tackling injustices of occupational lung disease acquired in South African mines
BACKGROUND: South Africa's mineral resources have produced, and continue to produce, enormous economic wealth; yet decades of colonialism, apartheid, capital flight, and challenges in the neoliberal post-apartheid era have resulted in high rates of occupational lung disease and low rates of compensation for ex-miners and their families. Given growing advocacy and activism of current and former mine workers, initiatives were launched by the South …
Social transformation, collective health and community-based arts
Worldwide, interest is increasing in community-based arts to promote social transformation. This study analyzes one such case. Ecuador's government, elected in 2006 after decades of neoliberalism, introduced Buen Vivir ('good living' derived from the Kichwan sumak kawsay), to guide development. Plans included launching a countrywide programme using circus arts as a sociocultural intervention for street-involved youth and other marginalised groups…
Tuberculosis in health workers as an occupational disease
Tuberculosis in health workers is legally accepted as an occupational disease in South Africa in settings where there are infectious tuberculosis patients. This commentary draws on the authors' previous work and the voices of health workers to consider the implications of this legal status for the experience of health workers and their protection from occupational tuberculosis. Despite compensation and prevention legislation and numerous guidelin…
Is public health training in Canada meeting current needs? Defrosting the paradigm freeze to respond to the post-truth era
Health scholars have long been calling for a new approach to understanding and responding to public health challenges, recognizing the dynamic influence of social and ecological processes and the importance of respecting different ways of knowing. With daunting new challenges to collective health, we sought to ascertain how future generations of public health researchers and practitioners are being prepared with the knowledge, attitudes, and skil…
Protecting health workers from infectious disease transmission
BACKGROUND: Health workers are at high risk of acquiring infectious diseases at work, especially in low and middle-income countries (LMIC) with critical health human resource deficiencies and limited implementation of occupational health and infection control measures. Amidst increasing interest in international partnerships to address such issues, how best to develop such collaborations is being actively debated. In 2006, a partnership developed…
Learning from a cluster randomized controlled trial to improve healthcare workers’ access to prevention and care for tuberculosis and HIV in Free State, South Africa
BACKGROUND: Occupational tuberculosis (TB) continues to plague the healthcare workforce in South Africa. A 2-year cluster randomized controlled trial was therefore launched in 27 public hospitals in Free State province, to better understand how a combined workforce and workplace program can improve health of the healthcare workforce. OBJECTIVE: This mid-term evaluation aimed to analyze how well the intervention was being implemented, seek evidenc…
Ethics in Community-University-Artist Partnered Research
Academics from diverse disciplines are recognizing not only the procedural ethical issues involved in research, but also the complexity of everyday "micro" ethical issues that arise. While ethical guidelines are being developed for research in aboriginal populations and low-and-middle-income countries, multi-partnered research initiatives examining arts-based interventions to promote social change pose a unique set of ethical dilemmas not yet ful…
Why language matters
BACKGROUND: Focus on "social determinants of health" provides a welcome alternative to the bio-medical illness paradigm. However, the tendency to concentrate on the influence of "risk factors" related to living and working conditions of individuals, rather than to more broadly examine dynamics of the social processes that affect population health, has triggered critical reaction not only from the Global North but especially from voices the Global…
Barriers to HIV counselling and testing uptake by health workers in three public hospitals in Free State Province, South Africa
Recent WHO/ILO/UNAIDS guidelines recommend priority access to HIV services for health care workers (HCWs), in order to retain and support HCWs, especially those at risk of occupationally acquired tuberculosis (TB). The purpose of this study was to identify barriers to uptake of HIV counselling and testing (HCT) services for HCWs receiving HCT within occupational health units (OHUs). Questions were included within a larger occupational health surv…
Workplace interventions to reduce HIV and TB stigma among health care workers – Where do we go from here
Fear of stigma and discrimination among health care workers (HCWs) in South African hospitals is thought to be a major factor in the high rates of HIV and tuberculosis infection experienced in the health care workforce. The aim of the current study is to inform the development of a stigma reduction intervention in the context of a large multicomponent trial. We analysed relevant results of four feasibility studies conducted in the lead up to the …
Considerations for preparing a randomized population health intervention trial
BACKGROUND: Community-based cluster-randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are increasingly being conducted to address pressing global health concerns. Preparations for clinical trials are well-described, as are the steps for multi-component health service trials. However, guidance is lacking for addressing the ethical and logistic challenges in (cluster) RCTs of population health interventions in low- and middle-income countries. OBJECTIVE: We aime…
Social circus and health equity
Social circus programs are expanding worldwide; however, little scholarship exists on their impact. Ecuador offers one of the world's largest government-sponsored programs, reaching almost 25,000 people annually. Aimed at promoting social solidarity and inclusion, programs are currently offered to street-involved youth, as well as children from marginalized communities and adults with disabilities. Identified tensions include the balancing of art…
Food sovereignty, food security and health equity
There has been growing policy interest in social justice issues related to both health and food. We sought to understand the state of knowledge on relationships between health equity-i.e. health inequalities that are socially produced-and food systems, where the concepts of 'food security' and 'food sovereignty' are prominent. We undertook exploratory scoping and mapping stages of a 'meta-narrative synthesis' on pathways from global food systems …
Tools for Thoughtful Action
The Ethics of Ethics Reviews in Global Health Research
Trends in Injuries, Illnesses, and Policies in Canadian Healthcare Workplaces
Ethics in Community-University-Artist Partnered Research
Academics from diverse disciplines are recognizing not only the procedural ethical issues involved in research, but also the complexity of everyday "micro" ethical issues that arise. While ethical guidelines are being developed for research in aboriginal populations and low-and-middle-income countries, multi-partnered research initiatives examining arts-based interventions to promote social change pose a unique set of ethical dilemmas not yet ful…
Social circus and health equity
Social circus programs are expanding worldwide; however, little scholarship exists on their impact. Ecuador offers one of the world's largest government-sponsored programs, reaching almost 25,000 people annually. Aimed at promoting social solidarity and inclusion, programs are currently offered to street-involved youth, as well as children from marginalized communities and adults with disabilities. Identified tensions include the balancing of art…
Network analysis as a tool to assess the intersectoral management of health determinants at the local level
The development of worker-controlled occupational health centers in Canada
Over the past decade worker-controlled occupational health centers have been established in three Canadian provinces. This development has been a response to the slowness in recognizing occupational medicine in the Canadian medical community, the limited availability and questionable acceptability of existing services, as well as the growth of worker control in occupational health matters generally. The history, funding, organizational structure,…
Learning Together
The development of worker-controlled occupational health centers in Canada
Over the past decade worker-controlled occupational health centers have been established in three Canadian provinces. This development has been a response to the slowness in recognizing occupational medicine in the Canadian medical community, the limited availability and questionable acceptability of existing services, as well as the growth of worker control in occupational health matters generally. The history, funding, organizational structure,…
An analysis of occupational blood lead trends in Manitoba, 1979 through 1987
BACKGROUND: While regulations for workplace lead exposure become more strict, their effectiveness in decreasing blood lead concentrations and the method by which this is attained have not been evaluated. METHODS: An analysis was conducted of 10,190 blood lead samples from employees of 10 high-risk workplaces collected in Manitoba, 1979-87, as part of regulated occupational surveillance. RESULTS: A significant decrease in blood lead concentrations…
Building Capacity in Central Havana to Sustainably Manage Environmental Health Risk in an Urban Ecosystem
Texaco and its Consultants
Americanae nace como un proyecto conjunto que surge dentro de la Red Europea de Información y Documentación sobre América Latina (REDIAL), y que ha afrontado la Biblioteca de la Agencia Española de Cooperación Internacional para el Desarrollo (AECID). Esta nueva biblioteca virtual hace más accesibles los libros digitales de tema americanista a los investigadores y usuarios interesados de cualquier parte del mundo.
All Hands on Deck
Trends in Injuries, Illnesses, and Policies in Canadian Healthcare Workplaces
Learning Together
Promoting health in response to global tourism expansion in Cuba
The ability of communities to respond to the pressures of globalization is an important determinant of community health. Tourism is a rapidly growing industry and there is an increasing concern about its health impact on local communities. Nonetheless, little research has been conducted to identify potential mitigating measures. We therefore took advantage of the 'natural experiment' provided by the expansion of tourism in Cuba, and conducted fou…
Workplace and workforce health information systems in healthcare
Expanding and Updating Environmental Health
International collaboration to protect health workers from infectious diseases in Ecuador
The Healthy Hospital Project, an international collaboration, aimed to strengthen Ecuador's capacity to promote healthier and safer hospitals by reducing occupational transmission of infectious diseases. Team members conducted a needs assessment to identify workplace hazards and health risks in three hospitals. A survey of health care workers' knowledge and practices of occupational health (OH) and infection control (IC) revealed positive practic…
Vaccination of Health Care Workers for Influenza
Tools for Thoughtful Action
Network analysis as a tool to assess the intersectoral management of health determinants at the local level
Establishing a community of practice of researchers, practitioners, policy-makers and communities to sustainably manage environmental health risks in Ecuador
BACKGROUND: The Sustainably Managing Environmental Health Risk in Ecuador project was launched in 2004 as a partnership linking a large Canadian university with leading Cuban and Mexican institutes to strengthen the capacities of four Ecuadorian universities for leading community-based learning and research in areas as diverse as pesticide poisoning, dengue control, water and sanitation, and disaster preparedness. METHODS: In implementing curricu…
Collaboration between infection control and occupational health in three continents
Globalization has been accompanied by the rapid spread of infectious diseases, and further strain on working conditions for health workers globally. Post-SARS, Canadian occupational health and infection control researchers got together to study how to better protect health workers, and found that training was indeed perceived as key to a positive safety culture. This led to developing information and communication technology (ICT) tools. The rese…
Workplace programmes for HIV and tuberculosis
The Ethics of Ethics Reviews in Global Health Research
Considerations for preparing a randomized population health intervention trial
BACKGROUND: Community-based cluster-randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are increasingly being conducted to address pressing global health concerns. Preparations for clinical trials are well-described, as are the steps for multi-component health service trials. However, guidance is lacking for addressing the ethical and logistic challenges in (cluster) RCTs of population health interventions in low- and middle-income countries. OBJECTIVE: We aime…
Social circus and health equity
Social circus programs are expanding worldwide; however, little scholarship exists on their impact. Ecuador offers one of the world's largest government-sponsored programs, reaching almost 25,000 people annually. Aimed at promoting social solidarity and inclusion, programs are currently offered to street-involved youth, as well as children from marginalized communities and adults with disabilities. Identified tensions include the balancing of art…
Food sovereignty, food security and health equity
There has been growing policy interest in social justice issues related to both health and food. We sought to understand the state of knowledge on relationships between health equity-i.e. health inequalities that are socially produced-and food systems, where the concepts of 'food security' and 'food sovereignty' are prominent. We undertook exploratory scoping and mapping stages of a 'meta-narrative synthesis' on pathways from global food systems …
Why language matters
BACKGROUND: Focus on "social determinants of health" provides a welcome alternative to the bio-medical illness paradigm. However, the tendency to concentrate on the influence of "risk factors" related to living and working conditions of individuals, rather than to more broadly examine dynamics of the social processes that affect population health, has triggered critical reaction not only from the Global North but especially from voices the Global…
Barriers to HIV counselling and testing uptake by health workers in three public hospitals in Free State Province, South Africa
Recent WHO/ILO/UNAIDS guidelines recommend priority access to HIV services for health care workers (HCWs), in order to retain and support HCWs, especially those at risk of occupationally acquired tuberculosis (TB). The purpose of this study was to identify barriers to uptake of HIV counselling and testing (HCT) services for HCWs receiving HCT within occupational health units (OHUs). Questions were included within a larger occupational health surv…
Workplace interventions to reduce HIV and TB stigma among health care workers – Where do we go from here
Fear of stigma and discrimination among health care workers (HCWs) in South African hospitals is thought to be a major factor in the high rates of HIV and tuberculosis infection experienced in the health care workforce. The aim of the current study is to inform the development of a stigma reduction intervention in the context of a large multicomponent trial. We analysed relevant results of four feasibility studies conducted in the lead up to the …
Protecting health workers from infectious disease transmission
BACKGROUND: Health workers are at high risk of acquiring infectious diseases at work, especially in low and middle-income countries (LMIC) with critical health human resource deficiencies and limited implementation of occupational health and infection control measures. Amidst increasing interest in international partnerships to address such issues, how best to develop such collaborations is being actively debated. In 2006, a partnership developed…
Medicine (37 works) · Political science (28 works) · Environmental health (25 works) · Nursing (21 works) · Health care (17 works) · Public health (17 works) · Business (16 works) · Economic growth (16 works) · Public relations (16 works) · Sociology (12 works)