This webinar is presented in partnership with
CAIRE – Canadian Association for Immunization Research, Evaluation and Education
This NCCID-CAIRE webinar will feature experts from Canada who discuss different approaches to vaccine safety surveillance currently used in Canada. Speakers will discuss the strengths and limitations of these systems through an equity lens, and explore ways to address current challenges in this regard.
Learning objectives
- Appreciate the different approaches to vaccine safety surveillance in Canada
- Understand the strengths and challenges of these approaches when considering vaccine safety surveillance through an equity lens
- Discuss areas where vaccine safety surveillance could be more equitable within the Canadian context
Moderators
Dr. Manish Sadarangani, Executive Board Chair, Canadian Association for Immunization Research, Evaluation and Education (CAIRE)
Margaret Haworth-Brockman, Senior Program Manager, National Collaborating Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCCID)
Speakers
Karina Top
Dr. Karina Top is a clinician-scientist in vaccine research, and Professor of Pediatrics, University of Alberta and pediatric infectious disease consultant at the Stollery Children’s Hospital. Dr. Top is the Principal Investigator of the International Network of Special Immunization Services and co-Principal Investigator of the Canadian Immunization Research Network’s Special Immunization Clinic Network. Dr. Top’s research focuses on understanding causes and risk factors for rare adverse events following immunization, and improving vaccination practices for individuals who may be considered at higher risk of an adverse event, such as those with previous history of adverse events following immunization, immunocompromised patients, and people who are pregnant.
Matthew Muller
Dr. Matthew P. Muller is an Infectious Diseases physician and the Medical Director of Infection Control at Unity Health Toronto. Dr. Muller has been involved in the development of Infection Control guidelines at the Provincial and National level as the former chair of the Ontario Provincial Infectious Diseases Advisory Committee on Infection Prevention and Control (PIDAC) and as a longstanding member of the Public Health Agency of Canada’s National Advisory Committee on Infection Prevention and Control. Dr. Muller is also the co-lead of the Canadian National Vaccine Safety Network. Dr. Muller’s research interests including the prevention of healthcare-associated infection, particularly via hand hygiene and vaccination, and emerging infectious diseases.
Naveed Janjua
Dr. Naveed Janjua is Director of University of British Columbia Centre for Disease Control (UBCCDC) at Faculty of Medicine and a Clinical Professor at the School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia, and the Executive Director of Data and Analytic Services at the BC Centre for Disease Control. He uses real-world big data cohorts for the study of infectious diseases (hepatitis B and C, COVID-19), health disparities, health outcomes, the safety and effectiveness of prevention and treatment interventions, and program monitoring to generate real-world evidence.
Sarah Wilson
Dr. Sarah Wilson is a public health physician at Public Health Ontario where she specializes in vaccine program surveillance and the public health management of vaccine-preventable diseases. Sarah is an Associate Professor at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto and is a Senior Adjunct Scientist at ICES (formerly known as the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences). She has been a member of Canada’s National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) since 2020, and is the Scientific Liaison for Ontario’s provincial immunization advisory committee, OIAC. During the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines during the pandemic, she was the medical lead for passive vaccine safety surveillance in Ontario.