Canadian Academy of Health Sciences - Call for Evidence

1. Canadian Academy of Health Sciences
Dr. Kishor Wasan, R.Ph., Ph.D., FAAPS, FCAHS
Neglected Global Diseases Initiative
December 8, 2010
Call for Evidence …..

2. What are the pressing global health challenges that Canada
could have the most impact in addressing?
Provide continued focus on the Millennium Development Goals
#1 – Eradicate Extreme Poverty and Hunger
• Scale up of nutritional, especially micronutrient, interventions
#4 – Reduce Child Mortality
• Support vaccine development
#5 – Improve Maternal Health
• Build human resource capacity for midwives and CSW’s from LCIM’s
• Build health systems capacity through innovative mHealth initiatives
#6 – Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Other Diseases
• Neglected tropical diseases
• Support vaccine and drug development through accelerator programs
• Educate next generation of LCIM researchers for global health
challenges

3. What do you see as Canada's current strategic role in global health?
What could/should it be?
Canada’s current strategy is hard to pinpoint – as it addresses global health through
foreign affairs with development research and direct aid. There is also the possibility
that it may not be based purely on humanitarian objectives related to human
security but rather more closely with Canada’s military security and trade interests.1
A focused strategy based on the expertise of Canadian researchers and innovators
and directed to very specific regions with clear cut goals may increase impact. More
focus on funding a discovery, development and delivery paradigm. A continued focus
on knowledge translation from funded research will encourage continued innovation
and accelerate movement of technologies to LMIC’s where they are needed most.
More emphasis should be placed on infrastructure (water & sanitation) innovation.
Exchange programs for the education of health workers and scientists is critical and
well within our present capacity, however, foreign education must no longer
contribute to the drain on health care workers in LMIC’s. Therefore close alignment
and understanding of health systems in partnering countries is imperative.
1. J. Spiegel, R. Huish. 2010 Canadian Foreign Aid for Global Health: Human Security Opportunity Lost. Canadian
Foreign Policy. Pp 60-84.

4. How do various sectors enable Canada’s role in global health?
Academia – Major innovation, basic science growth, large scale projects, students
as change agents, interdisciplinary strength and strong partnerships with
international universities
Government – Direct funding, strategic leadership and world presence
Business and Technology – Public private partnerships, venture capital and public
image attainment
Non Governmental Organizations – Field level networks, specific discipline
strength, grass roots involvement and good public perception

5. What steps could be taken to leverage Canada’s
impact in global health?
Capacity building
• Fund Network of Excellence in Global Health ($10-20M around major
university global health programs)
• Track and create open source inventory of past research initiatives and
partnerships and accelerate existing initiatives with potential
Research
• Vaccine development
• Support programs in delivery research (operational, implementation and
health systems), which aid adoption of interventions
• Support collaborations that focus on discovery, development and delivery.
Education
• Increase accountability of exchange programs to make sure that training is
relevant to the scientific milieu within the country of origin.
• Fund new programming in comprehensive global health training incorporating
cross-disciplinary education

6. What are some recent success stories of
Canada’s role in global health?
• Humanitarian relief in Haiti and Pakistan
• Nutrition supplementation programs – Zinc in Bangladesh (C. Larson),
Sprinkles program (S. Zlotkin)
• Universities Allied for Essential Medicines role in changing the intellectual
property landscape (strong UBC chapter)
• Healthy Child Uganda (J. Brenner & Cdn Pedatrics Society)
• Safe Motherhood in Uganda (J. Chamberlain)
• Grand Challenges Canada
• Millennium Goal Commitments
• Canadian Coalition of Global Health Research