Kathleen O’Grady
Concordia University
Managing Editor, EvidenceNetwork.ca
[email protected] | @kathleenogrady
Kathleen O’Grady is a Research Associate at the Simone de Beauvoir Institute, Concordia University and the author and editor of numerous books and articles on health, women’s and cultural issues. She is also the Founding Director of QUOI Media Group, specializing in political, policy and media research and strategy consulting. She has written and edited speeches, OpEds, policy briefs and research papers for Senators, MPs, MPPs, Chiefs of Police, academics and CEOs. Her client list includes the Senate of Canada, a number of Ottawa-based think tanks, such as Social Research and Demonstration Corporation, universities, including the University of Manitoba and McMaster University, politicians, artists and authors, and a wide range of national non-profit organizations, such as the Documentary Organization of Canada and the Canadian Women’s Health Network.
In this capacity, she works as the the Managing Editor and the Director of Communications for EvidenceNetwork.ca. On behalf of the research network she strategizes and edits the OpEd content from a wide-range of academic experts and works with editors at Canada’s leading newspapers to make these submissions ready for publication. She also oversees a small communications team that actively pushes these commentaries, and other related projects, such as videos, backgrounders, webinars and infographics, through popular social media channels to raise the level of evidence in popular discourse about Canadian health policy options.
Kathleen is also a volunteer editor with Wikipedia on the Canada Project.
She lives in Ottawa, Canada with her family, and is the mother of two young boys, one with autism.
Commentaries by Kathleen O’Grady:
Kids with autism have a significantly higher risk of drowning than the general population // Les enfants autistes courent un risque de noyade beaucoup plus grand que le reste de la population
Four ways you could save money on your prescription medications
Academics need to make sure their evidence matters // Faire le lien entre la recherche universitaire, le public et les décideurs politiques
These ten medical expenses could give you a tax break
See our 10 Most Popular Videos and Podcasts from our YouTube Channel
Most popular health policy content on EvidenceNetwork.ca, 2011-2015
Check out the most popular articles on the EvidenceNetwork.ca site from 2015
Why it’s time for a National Autism Strategy // Le temps est venu d’instaurer une stratégie nationale en matière d’autisme
Three things the federal government can do to improve the Registered Disability Savings Plan // Trois mesures que peut prendre le fédéral pour améliorer le régime enregistré d’épargne-invalidité
Four things everyone should know about autism in Canada // Quatre faits incontournables sur l’autisme au Canada
Four things every journalist should know before writing about autism in Canada // Quatre faits incontournables que les journalistes devraient savoir sur l’autisme au Canada
Canadians care about healthcare – so why don’t we see more health media coverage?
Four things you should know about the pending Charter challenge against medicare
Five things most people get wrong about Canada’s healthcare system // Cinq faits généralement méconnus sur le système de soins de santé canadien
Posters by Kathleen O’Grady:
Four things every journalist should know before writing about autism in Canada
“Autism is not a mental illness, a mental health condition or a learning disability. Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder that is characterized by impaired verbal and social communication, rigid, restrictive and repetitive behaviours, uneven intellectual development, sensitivity to sensory input, challenges with fine and gross motor skills, and gastrointestinal difficulties, among other characteristics.
Read the commentary: Four things every journalist should know before writing about autism in Canada // Quatre faits incontournables que les journalistes devraient savoir sur l’autisme au Canada
Five facts about the Canadian health care system
1. Doctors are self-employed, not government employees
2. Canada has 15 different health care systems, not just one
3. Funded health care services are not provided equally across the country
4. User fees charged to patients are not permitted
5. Canadians are as likely to hold private health insurance as Americans
Read the commentary: Five things most people get wrong about Canada’s healthcare system
“We are all too frequently entertained — and not educated — by our media outlets. The stories that help us understand what influences public policy and the factors that determine our health status — the so-called social determinants of health — are left largely untold.”
Listen to the Podcast: Canadians care about healthcare – so why don’t we see more health media coverage?
“Isn’t it long past time our governments and our doctors work to ensure all Canadians – and not just those who can afford to pay – receive timely care?”
Read the Commentary: Four things you should know about the pending Charter challenge against medicare
“We are awash in a sea of unread journal articles. There are more than 28,000 active scholarly peer-reviewed English-language journals which publish around 2.5 million articles annually.”
Read the commentary: Academics need to make sure their evidence matters
“The truth is, few beyond the academy know or read academic journals. It would be a small — but critical — step for academics to tell the general public why their research matters.”
Read the commentary: Academics need to make sure their evidence matters
“The answer to researchers being trapped in the echo chamber of academic journals is to step beyond them — and engage the mainstream media.”
Read the commentary: Academics need to make sure their evidence matters
“Academic journal publication is not enough. It’s the beginning of a process of engagement, not the end of it.”
Read the commentary: Academics need to make sure their evidence matters
“Harnessing traditional and new media to engage with wider audiences helps make academic research live on, in other contexts, and affect change.”
Read the commentary: Academics need to make sure their evidence matters
“We all benefit when research is read widely and discussed soundly. It’s how we can make sure evidence matters.”
Read the commentary: Academics need to make sure their evidence matters
“Most academic writing rarely influences thinking beyond the privileged circles in which it is constructed — and the vast majority is far from influencing public policy and debate on critical issues.”
Read the commentary: Academics need to make sure their evidence matters
This free ebook is a compilation of the EvidenceNetwork.ca commentaries published in major newspapers in 2015, written by experts in the health policy field.
