Andrew K. Bjerring to Serve as Expert Panel Chair on Timely Access to Health and Social Data for Health Research and Health System Innovation

The Council is pleased to announce the appointment of Andrew K. Bjerring as Chair of the Expert Panel on Timely Access to Health and Social Data for Health Research and Health System Innovation. The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) has asked the Council of Canadian Academies to assess timely access to health and social data for health research and health system innovation in Canada.As Chair of the Council’s Expert Panel, Dr. Bjerring will work with a multidisciplinary group of experts to be appointed by the Council’s Board of Governors, to address the following question: What is the current state of knowledge surrounding timely access to health and social data for health research and health system innovation in Canada?Dr. Bjerring is the former President and CEO of CANARIE Incorporated, where he was instrumental in developing and providing world-class networking to every Canadian university and research organization in the country. Prior to his appointment at CANARIE, Dr. Bjerring held various positions at Western University, including Assistant Provost, Assistant Vice President (Academic Planning and Budgeting), and Senior Director for Information Technology Services. Over the past 25 years, Dr. Bjerring has sat on numerous boards of directors of organizations dealing with advanced networking and related applications. He is currently Chair of Ocean Networks Canada. Read Dr. Bjerring’s full bio.

The Council, under the guidance of its Scientific Advisory Committee, is finalizing the recruitment of an expert panel to complete its assessment on Timely Access to Health and Social Data for Health Research and Health System Innovation. The panel will consist of experts from a wide range of disciplines and backgrounds to ensure the most authoritative, credible, and independent response to the question.

For continued updates on the status of the assessment, visit the Timely Access to Health and Social Data for Health Research and Health System Innovation page.