Previous CITF Governance Structures & Members

We wish to thank all Executive Committee, Working Party, Leadership Group and Indigenous Advisory Circle members for their tireless volunteerism, spending countless hours steering the COVID-19 Immunity Task Force (CITF) to help Canada’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Executive Committee

The Executive Committee (EC) was the CITF’s final decision-making body and it advised and oversaw governance of the CITF. The mandate of the EC concluded on December 31, 2022. The Executive Committee comprised two Co-Chairs, the Executive Director, a PHAC representative, the Chief Scientist of Canada, and four additional members of the original CITF Leadership Group (LG). An important condition for membership was that the individual had no intent to hold or seek funds from the CITF, either as a Principal Investigator or as a Co-Investigator on a project being funded by the CITF.

Photo of David Naylor

David Naylor

Co-chair

Professor of Medicine and President Emeritus, University of Toronto

Full bio

Catherine Hankins

Co-chair

Professor of Public and Population Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill University

Full bio

Photo of Timothy Evans

Timothy Evans

Executive Director

Professor, Director and Associate Dean of the School of Population and Global Health, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University

Full bio

Members

Photo of Mona Nemer

Mona Nemer

Chief Science Advisor of Canada

Full bio

Photo of Gina Ogilvie

Gina Ogilvie

Professor, School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia

Senior Public Health Scientist, BC Centre for Disease Control

Associate Director, Women’s Health Research Institute

Full bio

Photo of Jutta Preiksaitis

Jutta Preiksaitis

Professor Emerita of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Alberta

Full bio

Gail Tomblin Murphy

Gail Tomblin Murphy

Nova Scotia

Vice President of Research, Innovation & Discovery

Chief Nurse Executive of the Nova Scotia Health Authority

Full bio

Photo of Paul Van Caeseele

Paul Van Caeseele

Manitoba

Medical Director, Cadham Provincial Laboratory, Manitoba Health, Seniors and Active Living

Professor, Medical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases, and Pediatrics & Child Health, University of Manitoba

Full bio

Photo of Sarah Viehbeck

Sarah Viehbeck

Chief Science Officer, Public Health Agency of Canada

Full bio

 Working Parties

The CITF established Working Parties (WPs) in Field Studies, Vaccine Surveillance, and Immune Science and Testing. Their mandate concluded on December 31, 2022.

Field Studies Working Party

The Field Studies Working Party (FSWP) focused on research related to COVID-19 public health, surveillance, epidemiology, and modelling in Canada. Members were chosen from across Canada based on their expertise in the aforementioned areas or other relevant disciplines.

Working Party Leads

Photo of James Kellner

James D. Kellner

Pediatric Infectious Disease Consultant

Professor, Departments of Pediatrics, Community Health Sciences & Microbiology, Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary and Alberta Health Services

Full bio

Photo of Gina Ogilvie

Gina Ogilvie

Professor, School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia

Senior Public Health Scientist, BC Centre for Disease Control

Associate Director, Women’s Health Research Institute

Full bio

Vaccine Surveillance Working Party

The Vaccine Surveillance Working (VSWP) focused on research related to the safety, efficacy, and immunogenicity of COVID-19 vaccines in Canada. Members were chosen from across Canada based on their expertise in the areas of infectious diseases, vaccinology, immunology, epidemiology, public health, and other relevant disciplines.

Working Party Leads

Shelly Bolotin

Ontario

Scientist, Health Protection, Public Health Ontario

Full bio

Photo of Scott Halperin

Scott Halperin

Professor, Division of Infectious Diseases, IWK Health Centre, Dalhousie University

Principal Investigator, Canadian Immunization Research Network (CIRN)

Full bio

Immune Science and Testing Working Party

The Immune Science and Testing Working Party (ISTWP) focused on research related to COVID-19 immune science and antibody testing in Canada. Members were chosen from across Canada based on their expertise in the areas of immunology, infectious diseases, laboratory medicine (testing), and other relevant disciplines.

Working Party Leads

Charu Kaushic

Charu Kaushic

Scientific Director, CIHR-Institute of Infection and Immunity

Professor, Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, McMaster University

Full bio

Photo of Mel Krajden

Mel Krajden

Professor, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of British Columbia

Medical Director of the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control Public Health Laboratory

Full bio

Leadership Group

The CITF Leadership Group included experts from across Canada in matters related to serologic surveillance, immunology, virology, infectious diseases, public health, and clinical medicine. It also included ex-officio members representing agencies of the Government of Canada, including the PHAC, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), and the office of the Chief Scientific Advisor to the Prime Minister, as well as representatives of Provincial-Territorial Ministries of Health, and McGill University (host of the Secretariat).

The CITF Leadership Group played an active role in the leadership of the CITF from the Task Force’s inception in April 2020 and concluded activities in June 2022.

Government of Canada representatives

Photo of Theresa Tam

Theresa Tam

Chief Public Health Officer of Canada

Full bio

Photo of Mona Nemer

Mona Nemer

Chief Science Advisor of Canada

Full bio

Stephen Lucas

Stephen Lucas

Deputy Minister of Health, Canada

Full bio

Leadership Group members

Photo of VIvek Goel

Vivek Goel

President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Waterloo

Full bio

Philippe Gros

Philippe Gros

Deputy Vice-Principal, Research and Innovation &
Professor, Department of Biochemistry, McGill University

Full bio

Photo of Scott Halperin

Scott Halperin

Professor, Division of Infectious Diseases, IWK Health Centre, Dalhousie University

Principal Investigator, Canadian Immunization Research Network (CIRN)

Full bio

Charu Kaushic

Charu Kaushic

Scientific Director, CIHR-Institute of Infection and Immunity

Professor, Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, McMaster University

Full bio

Photo of James Kellner

James D. Kellner

Pediatric Infectious Disease Consultant

Professor, Departments of Pediatrics, Community Health Sciences & Microbiology, Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary and Alberta Health Services

Full bio

Photo of Susan Kirkland

Susan Kirkland

Professor and Head, Department of Community Health & Epidemiology and Division of Geriatric Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Dalhousie University / Nova Scotia Health Authority

Full bio

Photo of Gary Kobinger

Gary Kobinger

Professor and Director, Infectious Diseases Research Centre, Department of Microbiology-Infectiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Université Laval

Full bio

Photo of Mel Krajden

Mel Krajden

Professor, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of British Columbia

Medical Director of the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control Public Health Laboratory

Full bio

Christie Lutsiak

Director, Health Innovation Partnerships & Strategy, Alberta Health

Full bio

Photo of Richard Massé

Richard Massé

Special Advisor to the Government of Quebec (public health, epidemiology)

Full bio

Photo of Allison McGeer

Allison McGeer

Professor of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology and Public Health Sciences, University of Toronto

Full bio

Photo of Deborah Money

Deborah Money

Professor, Obstetrics & Gynecology, School of Population and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia

Clinician Scientist, Women’s Health Research Institute

Full bio

Photo of Gina Ogilvie

Gina Ogilvie

Professor, School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia

Senior Public Health Scientist, BC Centre for Disease Control

Associate Director, Women’s Health Research Institute

Full bio

Photo of Jutta Preiksaitis

Jutta Preiksaitis

Professor Emerita of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Alberta

Full bio

Gail Tomblin Murphy

Gail Tomblin Murphy

Vice President of Research, Innovation & Discovery

Chief Nurse Executive, Nova Scotia Health Authority

Full bio

Photo of Paul Van Caeseele

Paul Van Caeseele

Medical Director, Cadham Provincial Laboratory, Manitoba Health, Seniors and Active Living

Professor, Medical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases, and Pediatrics & Child Health, University of Manitoba

Full bio

Provincial & Territorial representatives

Shelly Bolotin

Ontario

Scientist, Health Protection, Public Health Ontario

Full bio

Marguerite Cameron

Prince Edward Island

Provincial Epidemiologist, PEI Health and Wellness, Chief Public Health Office, Population Health Assessment and Surveillance

Full bio

Catherine Elliott

Yukon

Deputy Chief Medical Officer of Health, Yukon

Full bio

Richard Garceau

Richard Garceau

New Brunswick

Microbiologist – Infectious diseases, Microbiology Laboratory Dr. Georges L Dumont University Hospital Centre

Full bio

Heather Hannah

Northwest Territories

Territorial Epidemiologist

Manager of the Epidemiologist and Surveillance Unit, Northwest Territories

Full bio

Photo of Mel Krajden

Mel Krajden

British Columbia

Professor, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of British Columbia

Medical Director of the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control Public Health Laboratory

Full bio

Christie Lutsiak

Alberta

Director, Health Innovation Partnerships & Strategy, Alberta Health

Full bio

Photo of Richard Massé

Richard Massé

Quebec

Special Advisor to the Government of Quebec (public health, epidemiology)

Full bio

Jessica Minion

Jessica Minion

Saskatchewan

Laboratory Medicine & Infection Prevention and Control, Regina, Saskatchewan Health Authority

Full bio

Michael Patterson

Nunavut

Chief Public Health Officer, Nunavut

Full bio

Proton Rahman

Newfoundland

Clinician Scientist and Professor, Memorial University and Staff Rheumatologist, Eastern Health

Full bio

Gail Tomblin Murphy

Gail Tomblin Murphy

Nova Scotia

Vice President of Research, Innovation & Discovery

Chief Nurse Executive of the Nova Scotia Health Authority

Full bio

Photo of Paul Van Caeseele

Paul Van Caeseele

Manitoba

Medical Director, Cadham Provincial Laboratory, Manitoba Health, Seniors and Active Living

Professor, Medical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases, and Pediatrics & Child Health, University of Manitoba

Full bio

Indigenous Advisory Circle

The work of the Indigenous Advisory Circle (IAC) was initiated in 2020 and formally came to a conclusion in 2021. As results from CITF-supported studies emerge bearing on Indigenous communities, the CITF will continue to make efforts to engage Indigenous policy, community, and scientific leaders in discussion of their implications.