Data are crucial for detecting, preventing, and responding to public health events. When health data are consistently collected, shared, and used, it can improve the overall delivery of healthcare and save lives. At the request of the Public Health Agency of Canada, the Council of Canadian Academies (CCA) has formed an Expert Panel to examine the impacts and opportunities for health data sharing across Canada. Chaim Bell, Physician-in-Chief at Sinai Health, will serve as Chair of the Expert Panel.
“The issue of data sharing is particularly timely given the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the emergence of monkeypox,” said Dr. Bell. “The consistent and transparent management of health data is critical for the detection, prevention, and treatment of these types of public health threats, so that evidence can be consistently applied in a pan-Canadian manner. An effective data system also helps to inform safety, quality, and equity improvements across the healthcare system more broadly.”
As Chair, Dr. Bell will lead a multidisciplinary group with health-specific expertise in ethics, health data science management, health law, health service delivery and public health policy, health systems, and health economics. The Panel will answer the following question:
What are the opportunities for maximizing the benefits of health data sharing?
“We are delighted that Dr. Bell has agreed to chair this panel of recognized experts,” said Eric M. Meslin, PhD, FRSC, FCAHS, President and CEO of the CCA. “The topic is both compelling and of importance to Canada, and I look forward to their report providing insights to help Canada modernize its current approach to health data sharing.”
More information can be found here.
The Expert Panel on Health Data Sharing:
- Chaim Bell (Chair), Physician-in-Chief, Sinai Health; Professor of Medicine and Health Policy Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto
- Lisa Austin, Professor and Chair in Law and Technology, University of Toronto
- Marni Brownell, Professor, Department of Community Health Sciences, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba; Senior Research Scientist and Associate Director, Research, Manitoba Centre for Health Policy
- Moira Kapral, Professor, Department of Medicine, Director, Division of General Internal Medicine, University of Toronto; Senior Scientist, ICES, Toronto General Research Institute
- Alika Lafontaine, Medical Director North Zone Indigenous Health, Alberta Health Services; Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine, Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, University of Alberta; Medical Director, Alignment by Design Labs
- Ted McDonald, Professor, Department of Political Science, University of New Brunswick; Director, New Brunswick Institute for Research, Data and Training; New Brunswick Lead Maritime, SPOR Support Unit
- Nazeem Muhajarine, Professor, Community Health and Epidemiology, University of Saskatchewan
- Angela Power, Health Ethics, Law in Medicine Lecturer, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland; Senior Consultant, INQ Consulting
- Catherine Régis, Full professor, Faculty of Law, University of Montreal
- Beate Sander, Canada Research Chair in Economics of Infectious Diseases; Scientist, Toronto General Hospital Research Institute; Associate Professor, University of Toronto
- Jason Sutherland, Professor, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia; Program Head, Health Services and Outcomes, Centre for Health Evaluation and Outcome Sciences
- Robyn Tamblyn, C.M., FRSC, FCAHS, Professor of Medicine, James McGill Chair and Medical Scientist, McGill University
- Amol Verma, Clinician-Scientist, Unity Health Toronto; Assistant Professor, University of Toronto