OTTAWA, October 21, 2020 – Research Canada and the Parliamentary Health Research Caucus are proud to host a virtual invitation-only panel with Parliamentarians to learn about the role of Canadian health researchers and life sciences companies in the national and global search for a COVID-19 vaccine. Research Canada and the Parliamentary Health Research Caucus will also be joined by the Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Health, who will officially launch the Parliamentary Health Research Caucus for the new parliamentary session.
One hundred years ago, infectious diseases were the leading cause of death worldwide. Vaccines have probably saved more lives in Canada in the last 50 years than any other health intervention, making investing in vaccine research and innovation a cornerstone in the effort to defeat COVID-19. At this virtual event, four vaccine experts from across Canada will take Parliamentarians through some of the vaccine R&D efforts being waged in this country to stop the COVID-19 virus in its tracks. These experts will explore topics including animal model research, vaccine candidate development, international and industry efforts, and regulatory pathways that get vaccine candidates to the Canadian public.
Date: Wednesday, October 21, 2020 from 4:00 – 5:30 PM ET
Social media: #HealthResearchCaucus
Who:
Darryl Falzarano, PhD
VIDO-InterVac | University of Saskatchewan
Scott Halperin, MD
Dalhousie University | IWK Health Centre | Canadian Centre for Vaccinology
Jelena Vojicic, MD
Pfizer Canada
Brian Ward, MDCM
Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC) | Medicago Inc.
With Moderator:
Volker Gerdts, DVM
VIDO-InterVac
Parliamentary Health Research Caucus
Chair: Lloyd Longfield, MP (Guelph)
Vice-Chairs: Marilyn Gladu, MP (Sarnia—Lambton), Carol Hughes, MP (Algoma—Manitoulin—Kapuskasing)
Senate Representative: The Honourable Judith Seidman
Research Canada
Rosie Goldstein, MD, Chair
Deborah Gordon-El-Bihbety, President and CEO
About Research Canada
Research Canada is a national alliance dedicated to increasing investments in health research through collaborative advocacy and engaging government, academia, industry and non-profit sectors to build support for long-term health research funding. For more information, visit rc-rc.ca.
Since 2009, Parliamentary Health Research Caucus events on Parliament Hill have helped to educate politicians on the social and economic benefits of Canadian health research and innovation, as well as introduce them to the multi-sector partnerships among academic, private sector and health charity stakeholders essential to a robust health research enterprise and innovation system.
For inquiries:
Christie Tomkins
Manager of Policy and Public Affairs
613-234-5129
ctomkins@rc-rc.ca