Hosted by
National Collaborating Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCCID) and the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC)’s Data, Surveillance and Foresight Branch (DSFB)
Introduction
Dating back to the Bills of Mortality for the plague in the early 1600s, death investigations have been crucial to the foundation of public health surveillance. The timely collection of mortality data by medical examiners and coroners not only helps with investigating causes of death, but also with examining the health of communities as a whole. By leveraging mortality data, epidemiologists and public health authorities can track health threats, identify emerging diseases and injuries, and implement and evaluate public health responses to ensure public safety.
Synopsis
Presentation 1: After a brief overview of the death investigation system in Canada, the presentation describes the origins and work of the Chief Coroners, Chief Medical Examiners, and Public Health Collaborative, and provides examples of how data from death investigations are used for surveillance activities to inform strategies that reduce preventable death.
Presentation 2: N/A
Resources
Answers to Remaining Questions – Derek Scholten and Emily Schleihauf
Learning Objectives
Presentation 1:
By the end of this seminar, participants will be able to:
- Learn about death investigation in Canada and how data from death investigation findings are collected at the national level.
- Understand the origins and focus areas of the Chief Coroners, Chief Medical Examiners, and Public Health Collaborative.
- Learn how death investigation findings can be used for surveillance activities that can inform strategies to reduce preventable deaths.
Presentation 2: N/A
Format
This seminar will be held on Zoom. Speakers will make their presentations for the first 30, followed by approximately 15 minutes for discussion and questions from attendees. Presentation materials in English and French will be distributed through NCCID media channels.
Moderators
- Signy Baragar, Project Manager, NCCID
- Louis Wong, Acting Manager, PHAC-DSFB
- Stephan Hardy, Communications Officer, National Collaborating Centre for Indigenous Health
Speakers
Presentation 1
- Derek Scholten, Senior Epidemiologist, PHAC
- Emily Schleihauf, Public Health Officer – Senior Epidemiologist, PHAC
Presentation 2
- Dr. Christopher Murray, Director of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) and lead of the Global Burden of Disease, Injuries, and Risk Factors (GBD), Professor and Chair of Health Metrics at the University of Washington
Access Instructions
All instructions for the seminar series will be posted on the Eventbrite registration page and will be emailed to all registrants prior to the event. Following the event, recordings and slides for each seminar will be distributed through NCCID media channels.
Accreditation statement
Surveillance Advances is a self-approved group learning activity (Section 1) as defined by the Maintenance of Certification Program of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. Surveillance Advances is also approved by the Council of Professional Experience for professional development hours for members of the Canadian Institute of Public Health Inspectors.
Past Webinars
Surveillance Advances launched in September 2023 with a discussion about the foundational concepts of public health surveillance and the future opportunities that lie ahead. Subsequent seminars featured topics related to health inequalities (seminar 2), data science (seminar 3), maternal and newborn health (seminar 4), and injury surveillance (seminar 5). For a complete list of seminars and to view their recordings, please visit the Surveillance Advances webcasts page.