Date
May 25, 2023
Time
12:00 – 13:30 Eastern Time
Synopsis
In countries classified as ‘low-incidence’ for TB by the World Health organization, such as Canada, systematic program performance monitoring and evaluation is essential to tracking national progress towards achieving TB elimination goals. As outlined in Chapter 15 of the 8th edition of the Canadian Tuberculosis Standards, it is important for all TB programs in Canada to consider using the same core indicators of performance, as well as definitions and targets.
A recent commentary published in the Canadian Journal of Public Health reminds us of the work ahead to move towards TB elimination and the key role surveillance will play in achieving it. What is the landscape of TB surveillance in Canada? How would high-quality surveillance and TB program performance monitoring as part of a strategic plan facilitate TB elimination? What can we learn from the experience and leadership of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK)’s TB Elimination Strategy to move forward?
Objectives
- Examine the current state of TB surveillance in Canada from the perspectives of academics and TB program personnel
- Describe what high-quality surveillance and TB program performance monitoring could achieve for TB elimination in Canada.
- Consider the benefits of a strategic plan for TB elimination for Canada, including the incorporation of population-specific needs.
- Learn the perspectives of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK)—who have the only official TB Elimination Strategy in Canada—on the role of surveillance in achieving TB elimination
This webinar will be delivered in English. The presentation will be followed by a Q&A session.
Moderator
Claudyne Chevrier, NCCID Project Manager
Speakers
Dr. Jonathon Campbell
Jonathon is an assistant professor at McGill University, with expertise in economic evaluation and epidemiology and a research focus in tuberculosis. He is interested in informing the design, cost, and implementation of interventions and programs aimed to support tuberculosis elimination in Canada and globally. He is also interested in investigating how best to design and implement surveillance activities with a view to ensure they respond to the needs of end-users and are informative for public health activities.
Dr. Courtney Heffernan
Courtney currently calls Edmonton in Treaty 6 Territory her home… but has been fortunate to live all across Canada: from PEI to the home of the world’s tallest moose statue: Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan and many of Ontario’s towns and cities in between.
She received her PhD in Medicine from the University of Alberta in 2020, and since 2010 has also been working as the manager of the TB Program Evaluation and Research Unit; affectionately, her second home. Her work is focused on TB elimination with emphasis on transmission in underserved groups, surveillance, monitoring and reporting. She is also a member of the STOP TB Canada’s Steering Committee, and the CDC’s TB Trials Consortium Implementation and Quality Committee.
Dr. Tom Wong
Dr. Wong is the Director General for the Office of Population and Public Health. He is also the Chief Medical Officer of Public Health and the Chief Science Officer at the First Nations and Inuit Health Branch of Indigenous Services Canada.
He was trained in family medicine, internal medicine, infectious diseases and public health at McGill, Harvard and Columbia. His public health work includes engagement with Indigenous Communities, HIV, hepatitis C, sexually transmitted infections, tuberculosis, influenza, vaccine preventable diseases, antimicrobial resistance, chronic diseases, mental health, addiction and health disparities. Dr. Wong sits on multiple national and international committees and has academic appointments at both the University of Ottawa and the University of Toronto.
Dr. Victoria Cook
I have been lucky enough to live, work and play within the ancestral, traditional and unceded territory of the Coast Salish peoples, including the territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓ əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl ̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (TsleilWaututh) Nations. Since 2002, I have worked at the BC Centre for Disease Control. Currently I am the Medical Head of Provincial TB Services which allows me to provide tuberculosis care across the province.
Raymond Obed
I am from Nain, Nunatsiavut and grew up in a remote, Inuit community. I have a BA in Psychology, Bachelor of Nursing, and a Master of Nursing. I became more involved in systemic issues during a summer job working with the Nunatsiavut Government (NG) on food security in the region. Through that experience I became more familiar with what different barriers mean for the overall health of Inuit. At Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK), I work as a policy advisor on the Public Health File and Qanuippitaa? National Inuit Health Survey File in the Policy Advancement Division.
Access Instructions
Access instructions for the live event will be posted on the Eventbrite registration page and will be emailed to all registrants prior to the event. Following the event, a recording of the webinar will be distributed through NCCID media channels.