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As others have attested, Dan was the father of HM|HC in first proposing to the BC Partners for Mental Health and Substance Use Information that they focus a project to promote mental health in the province’s postsecondary campus settings. He became a guiding light for the initiative from its inception. Dan could be described as a philosopher-practitioner, given his commitment to critical reflection, intentionality and purposeful, constructive, collaborative action. As a pragmatic philosopher, he carefully read and judiciously drew on a wide variety of deep thinkers across history with a view to testing and applying insights gained. |
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Dan had special appreciation for Hebrew wisdom literature and for Aristotle among the classical ancients, and in more recent times affinity with the continental, phenomenological and hermeneutic tradition as represented in such writers as Merleau-Ponty, Heidegger, especially Gadamer and also Habermas. Dan was much attracted to contemporary Canadian giant Charles Taylor’s social concerns regarding identity and integration and appropriate analysis of and response to such issues. He was challenged and inspired on thinking around constructivist education by, for instance, John Dewey, Gert Biesta, Paolo Freire and B.B. Jensen. Dan concurred on health literacy and resilience with proponents such as Don Nutbeam and Michael Ungar. He found illuminating the contentions of Bruce Alexander and Richard Eckersley among others on the influence of culture on the phenomenon of substance use.
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Dan shared and introduced others to the perspective of David Buchanan on the propriety of a humanistic moral/pragmatic reasoning approach in the health promotion endeavor in contrast to primacy instead for a prevalent positivist (and reductionist) instrumental reasoning methodology. He embraced the spirit and encouraged the practice of genuine dialogue in accord with Socrates and modern exponents such as Martin Buber, Hannah Arendt, David Bohm, William Isaacs, Michael Sandel and others. Dan came to endorse a responsive evaluation thrust to the assessment of meaning, value and impact for health promotion initiatives, in underlying agreement with Robert Stake, Thomas Schwandt, T.K. Abma and colleagues. From such study and personal experience, Dan became keenly conscious of our situation as fellow finite fallible human beings, bound up in interpenetrating identity with each other in our shared world and thus interdependent in relating to our in-common existence. |
Recognition of this relational reality reinforced his receptivity to a socio-ecological view of health promotion and the vital need for communities of practice to encourage joint learning among their members and learn to work together to advance mutual wellbeing – by building capacity and enhancing environments. It also underlined for him how crucial it is to attend to the ways in which cultures shape our outlooks, discourse and practice. This observation came with a view to discerning how these cultures may aptly be made more health-conducive (rather than be manipulated in the interests of a powerful few at the expense of an exploited many or just be managed by a privileged professional elite exercising paternalism over unempowered citizens). The upshot for Dan was pursuit of enlarged shared understanding and appreciation of diverse experience and perspective by way of earnest, humble conversations. Such mutual listening and learning could hopefully lead also to collectives functioning in more inclusive yet cohesive, collaborative ways.
Dan was the lead author of an extended book chapter (published 2022) that narrated the story and related the thrust of HM|HC as a learning community of practice (CoP). He had fully supported the stance of Nancy Hall in commending to the CoP adoption of a robust health promotion approach and he later strongly endorsed HM|HC’s efforts to advance activation of the Okanagan Charter (2015). It has been Dan’s own analogy that for many – far beyond just BC – has resonated as a pithy metaphor for the socio-ecological model of health promotion, observing that “if the frogs in a pond started behaving strangely, our first reaction would not be to punish them or even to treat them. Instinctively we would wonder what has happened in the pond.”
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Enhancing a complex human ecosystem with its natural and built environment entails attention to cultural influence. Dan was the architect and catalyst for HM|HC’s project funded by the BC Ministry of Health around Changing the Culture of Substance Use (CCSU, 2012-2017). This endeavor generated a sub-community of practice, several substantive local initiatives with sustained impact, plus a series of resource tools, some of which he contributed to directly. CCSU was highlighted in a 2020 chapter Dan guided for a University of Toronto Press book, Creating Spaces of Engagement, on the practical craft of deliberative democracy. The gist of CCSU is aptly shown in the 2017 HM|HC video Under our Influence in which he fittingly served as a congenial recurring commentator to provide the conceptual thread for the approach taken in the project. |
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That dialogical approach was one Dan not only eloquently articulated but also earnestly activated in his inviting facilitation of webinars, workshops, retreat and Summit plenary sessions as well as intentionally integrating engagement into presentations. HM|HC Talks owes to him its accent on extended conversation among attendees with each other toward shared understanding and concerted endeavors. Dan has been an outstanding exemplar of welcoming, attending to and soliciting participation and contribution from community members. He has been a mentor in genuine dialogue and much else.
As one summary statement put it in the aftermath of his retirement, “Dan Reist has demonstrated remarkable intellectual prowess, plenty of savvy, deep personal integrity, and an abundance of charity and generosity in his interpersonal connections. He has been a person of principle, articulating and authentically applying solid moral values, practising a social ethic that seeks the common good. He has manifested a virtuous, gracious character that has not just won widespread appreciation and admiration, it has inspired others to act, speak and relate in like manner. He has been the epitome of a servant leader.”
– “Dan Reist was a visionary, paving ways forward for us to think about the socio-ecological implications of mental health, wellbeing, substance use, and distress. I learned so much from Dan’s thinking and expertise and I will always be grateful for the profound influence he had on my career and my service towards mental health for all.” ~ Jonny Morris, CEO, CMHA BC
Record of formal engagement by Dan Reist in and for Healthy Minds | Healthy Campuses (HM|HC)
HM|HC roles:
HM|HC webinars delivered by Dan:
HM|HC Summit contributions from Dan:
Feb. 8-9, 2008 Campus Project Workshop on Creating campus communities of practice
HM|HC Changing the Culture of Substance Use project, funded by MoH (2012-2017), with participating institutions BCIT, Camosun College, Capilano University, Selkirk College, TRU, UVic; Okanagan College, SFU, UBC-O, UNBC, VIU
HM|HC-supported Cultures of Smoking project, funded by MoH (2018-2019), with participating institutions Selkirk College, TRU, UBC-O, UBC-V, UNBC
HM|HC-supported Let’s Talk Cannabis project, funded by Health Canada (2018-2019) with participating institutions Selkirk College, SFU, UBC-O, UNBC, UVic, VIU
HM|HC Food & Substance Use project, with fellow BC Partners CMHA-BC & Jessie’s Legacy and participating institutions SFU, Selkirk College, UNBC (2014-2017)
HM|HC Campus Capacity Development Grants project, funded by the Ministry of Health (2011-2013), with participating institutions BCIT, Camosun College, JIBC, KPU, Okanagan College, Selkirk College, SFU, TRU, UBC-O, UBC-V, UVic, VCC, VIU
HM|HC-related workshops/presentations/discussions/other sessions to help campuses
Healthy Campus Alberta Wellness Summit (June 14, 2016)
HM|HC-related resources to which Dan contributed as an author or in support (not just an editor):
Summit 2014: Situational Assessment Prototype Presentation |
Under our Influence: Shifting a Culture (2017) |
An installment of HM|HC Talks was held on November 7, 2023 for the HM|HC community of practice to reflect further on the legacy that Dan Reist has left for HM|HC to carry forward. Click here to watch the recorded session and click here for a summary of those aspects of focus for dialogue in this Talk’s unrecorded breakout rooms.
With Support Team Co-Leads Mahboubeh Asgari and Tim Dyck cohosting this Talk, veteran HM|HC personnel Chris Balmer, Robin Higgins, Chelsea Corsi, and former Coordinator Jonny Morris provided grateful testimonials to Dan in plenary. Co-facilitators for breakout room conversations included (besides persons already mentioned) former HM|HC Coordinator Shaylyn Matiichine, former Co-Lead (and CCSU Coordinator) Catriona Remocker, along with Matt Dolf, Patty Hambler, Roselene Dhaliwal, Leslie Comrie, and Dawn Schell. These all contributed in happy recollection of their own engagement with and indebtedness to Dan Reist, an appreciation shared by the rest of the participants at the Talk.
HM|HC is grateful also for the way in which Dan was supported in his earnest efforts by his family, some of whom were able to attend this Talk and very glad for the opportunity to hear and learn firsthand about his profound impact on our community of practice.
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Healthy Minds | Healthy Campuses is managed and coordinated on behalf of the BC Partners for Mental Health and Addictions Information by CMHA BC
Core funding for the initiative is provided by BC Mental Health and Substance
Use Services with additional support from the BC Ministry of Health
