Presented by the Medical Officer of Health, the Charles Hastings Lecture is a free public lecture on the social determinants of health. The annual event was inaugurated in 2008 to celebrate 125 years of Public Health in Toronto. It honours the legacy of Dr. Charles Hastings, who served as Toronto’s Medical Officer of Health from 1910 to 1929.
About Dr. Charles Hastings
Dr. Hastings transformed the practice of public health in Toronto. He introduced a safe water supply, initiated childhood immunization, established the public health nursing system, and instituted health inspections of restaurants. By 1922, under his leadership, Toronto had the lowest death rate of any large North American city.