Most early childhood adversities are avoidable, and we know what to do to prevent them. That was the message shared by Centre Director Nicole Catherine in a keynote address at Fraser Health’s Annual Maternal-Child Health Education Day on June 17.

In her talk titled “Early Prevention and Child Health Equity,” Nicole emphasized that investing in effective, research-informed prevention leads to better outcomes for children throughout their lives. This means tackling adversities like socioeconomic disadvantage, maltreatment and mental disorders early on. She also noted the importance of strong leadership, monitoring and evaluation to ensure prevention programs remain effective over time.

The 20-minute virtual presentation, followed by a Q&A session, was designed to share new data and resources with Fraser Health staff, including findings from the Centre’s research on preventing early adversities. The 120 attendees included staff from across Fraser Health’s maternal-child health teams, including nursing, speech, audiology, dental and community health.

“We already know what works,” Nicole told the group. “The opportunity now is to act early, invest in prevention, and keep learning across childhood, so that we can close gaps for children.”