Welcoming 2024: highlights from our annual retreat

The Upstream Lab team retreat on January 17, 2024, marks a day of reflection, collaboration, and strategic planning. We commence with a recap of our achievements in 2023. Notably, our team experienced substantial growth, now with over 40 members since its founding by Dr. Andrew Pinto in 2016. We also welcomed two scientists, Dr. Benita Hosseini and Dr. Archna Gupta, further enriching the Upstream Lab’s expertise. The past year was also a success with the hosting of two international events focused on adaptive platform trials and addressing Canada’s primary care crisis.

A significant highlight of the retreat is the scientists’ segment, where Drs. Gupta, Hosseini, and Pinto share their projects and plans for the upcoming years. Their leadership is fundamental in expanding our work on global health, nutrition, respiratory illnesses, primary care, AI, state violence, and commercial determinants of health. Our Research Program Manager, Rose Wang, leads a discussion around career development opportunities within the team, fostering an environment of growth and advancement.

The retreat is also an opportunity for everyone to collectively engage in strategic planning for the next three years. We explore new opportunities, identify future areas of work, and brainstorm ways to foster international collaborations. The importance of the Upstream Lab National Advisory Council is also a key point of discussion, emphasizing our collaborative approach to ideating projects and serving as a resource for the community.

The retreat is a testament to the collective growth of our team over the past year. THANK YOU for supporting our mission and joining us in our commitment to improve the health and well-being of the population by addressing issues related to social determinants of health. We look forward to sharing our journey and fostering more collaborations with our community of upstreamists.