The Health Communication Unit (THCU) was founded in 1993 as an internal unit with the Center for Health Promotion. It was one of the 22 members of the Ontario Health Promotion Resources System funded by the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care until 2009. Since its inception, THCU was mandated to provide training and support for a range of health promotion competencies, starting with health communications and extending to health promotion planning, evaluation and policy change.
In 2009, the THCU became an independent unit within the Dalla Lana School of Public Health and in 2010 it was absorbed by Public Health Ontario.