News Release
2003-26
May 6, 2003
For immediate release
Minister announces membership of advisory group on SARS and Public Health
OTTAWA - Health Minister Anne McLellan today announced the membership
of a National Advisory Group on SARS and Public Health.
This group will provide an assessment of the lessons learned from the current public health
situation in relation to SARS and explore long term approaches on how best to prepare Canada
to respond effectively to future infectious disease challenges. It will consider current
efforts to contain, treat and solve SARS, including surveillance, epidemiology, infection
control, international coordination, research and public information. The group will consult
with appropriate experts in the conduct of its mandate.
""The SARS outbreak has again emphasized quite clearly that public health is a national
and international challenge," said Minister McLellan. "To beat this virus and those that
may appear in the future, and to address other significant public health issues, we must
continue to pool our global resources and expertise. Only by working together can we develop
effective public health strategies needed to respond to rapidly-emerging issues like SARS."
This group will be chaired by Dr David Naylor, Dean of Medicine at the University of Toronto.
Other group members include: Dr David Butler-Jones, Medical Officer of Health for Regional
Health Authority # 1 in Saskatchewan; Dr. Robert C. Brunham, Director of the University
of British Columbia Centre for Disease Control and Medical Director of the British Columbia
Centre for Disease Control Society; Gerald Dafoe, Chief Executive Officer of the Canadian
Public Health Association; Dr.Mary Ferguson-Paré, Vice-President, Professional Affairs
and Chief Nurse Executive at University Health Network; Frank Lussing, President and CEO
of York Central Hospital in Richmond Hill, Ontario; Kaaren R. Neufeld, Executive Director
and Chief Nursing Officer at St. Boniface Hospital in Winnipeg; Dr. Michel G. Bergeron,
Professor and Chairman of the Division of Microbiology and of the Infectious Diseases Research
Centre of Laval University in Quebec City; Dr. Allison McGeer, Director of Infection Control,
Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto; and Dr. Sheela Basrur, Medical Officer of Health, Toronto
Public Health Department.
The National Advisory Group on SARS is expected to report within three months.
Ex officio members of the Advisory Group are Dr. Frank Plummer, Scientific Director of
the Health Canada National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg, Dr. David Heymann, Executive
Director, Communicable Diseases, World Health Organization, Dr. Julie Gerberding, Director,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) .
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Media Inquiries:
Farah Mohamed
Office of Anne McLellan
Minister of Health
(613) 957-1694
Public Inquiries:
(613) 957-2991
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