Mathematical Modelling in Public Health

A mathematical model is a virtual experiment set up to test a hypothesis. It creates a controlled environment where complex relationships between biological, environmental, demographic and behavioural factors can be represented.

For public health, mathematical models can be used to test different “what if” scenarios and the results can help inform policy, programs and practice.

NCCID has released two new resources about modelling and public health. A new video, a partnership with NCCMT, introduces public health to modelling. As a companion piece, NCCID developed a case study of a Promising Practice of a collaboration between public health in Winnipeg and modelers in Toronto, to assess the benefits of new interventions to reduce syphilis infections in Winnipeg.

Published: 2018

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IQ13: Post-landing Surveillance and Virtual Tuberculosis Services in Alberta

In this, the fifth in our ‘TB Talk’ series of episodes, we hear from Dr. Ryan Cooper, an infectious diseases specialist with Alberta Health Services. Here, Dr. Cooper speaks to how post-landing TB surveillance works in Canada (including some Alberta-specific challenges), plus the best approach to on-going follow-up. He also discusses how Alberta’s virtual TB clinic model has made a difference to rural, remote and Indigenous communities.

Published: 2017

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IQ12 : New Digital Technologies in TB

The fourth in our ‘TB Talk’ series, conversations from the most recent meeting of the North American Region of the International Union Against Tuberculosis. This episode, we hear from Dr. Dennis Falzon, a Medical Officer with the Stop TB Department at the World Health Organization in Geneva. Here, he discusses the WHO’s End TB Strategy, as well as the potential of new technologies to prevent and eliminate TB.

Published: 2017

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IQ11: The Social Determinants of TB in Indigenous Communities (TB Talk, Pt 3)

The third in our ‘TB Talk’ series, we hear from Dr. Malcolm King, a professor in the Faculty of Health Sciences at Simon Fraser University. He discusses the importance of social determinants of health to the rate of new TB infections and better TB outcomes in remote, northern and Indigenous communities.

Published: 2017

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IQ10: Tuberculosis and Cultural Humility (TB Talk, Pt 2)

This episode continues our look at tuberculosis at End TB 2017, a meeting of the North American Region of the International Union Against Tuberculosis. Our guest, Kay Wallis, is a special projects manager with the Curry International Tuberculosis Center. She presented on cultural proficiency among healthcare providers, or, as she calls it, cultural humility.

Published: 2017

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IQ9: Tuberculosis priorities at End TB 2017 (TB Talk, Pt 1)

This episode, we turn our attention to tuberculosis. This February, the city of Vancouver played host to End TB 2017, a meeting of the International Union Against Tuberculosis, specifically, the North American Region. We hear a sample of attendees’ top TB priorities. In future episodes, we’ll bring you a number of one-on-one conversations with experts at the meeting.

Published: 2017

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IQ8: Refugee oral health and the Interim Federal Health Program

In this episode, we continue our look at refugee oral health. Last episode, we discussed universal screening and how to optimize collaboration between primary care providers and dentists. This time around, we’ll discuss the Interim Federal Health Program. It provides limited, temporary coverage of healthcare benefits to people who aren’t eligible for health insurance.

Published: 2017

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IQ7: The benefits of universal screening to refugee oral health

In this episode, we continue our look at refugee oral health: specifically, the benefits of universal screening and how to optimize collaborations between primary care providers and dentists. Dr. Carlos Quiñonez, an associate professor of dental public health at the University of Toronto, returns as our guest expert.

Published: 2017

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IQ6: What are the unique needs and risk factors of refugee oral health?

This episode marks a shift in focus for our podcast, from a virus—Zika—to a population, namely, refugees. Refugee health remains a matter of concern to public health practitioners across Canada. Here, we focus on their oral health, an aspect of wellbeing all too often overlooked.

Published: 2016

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IQ5: Should mothers infected with Zika during pregnancy breastfeed?

Once again, Zika virus is the focus of this program. In this episode, we’ll explore two more questions: What healthcare providers should do to evaluate infants with positive or inconclusive Zika virus test results, and, should a mother who had Zika virus infection during pregnancy breastfeed her infant.

Published: 2016

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IQ4: Should pregnant travellers to Zika-endemic areas undergo amniocentesis?

OCTOBER 2016: apx. 9 min. | This episode addresses a question about amniocentesis for pregnant women who’ve recently travelled to Zika endemic areas.

Published: 2016

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What’s the buzz on PrEP? Why public health is listening

What are gay men hearing and saying about pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP)? How are they making sense of this information? Is it changing their sexual behaviours? What are the implications for public health practice? This webinar, hosted by CATIE in partnership with NCCID, presented key findings from ‘Resonance,’ a community-based research project that asked gay men and their service providers what they understood about this new HIV prevention technology and whether it had an impact on their attitudes or behaviours.

Published: 2016

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