Brett Finlay to serve as Chair of the Expert Panel on the Potential Socio-economic Impacts of Antimicrobial Resistance in Canada

The Council of Canadian Academies (CCA) is pleased to announce Dr. B. Brett Finlay, O.C., O.B.C., FRSC, FCAHS, Peter Wall Distinguished Professor at the University of British Columbia, as Chair of the newly appointed Expert Panel on the Potential Socio-economic Impacts of Antimicrobial Resistance in Canada.

“Dr. Finlay is one of world’s foremost experts in the field of microbiology,” said Eric M. Meslin, PhD, FCAHS, President and CEO of the CCA. “We are delighted he has agreed to Chair this panel and look forward to his leadership in tackling this important topic for Canada.”

As Chair, Dr. Finlay will lead a 14-member multidisciplinary, multisectoral panel comprised of individuals with expertise, experience, and demonstrated leadership in biology, public health, socio-economic impact modelling and analysis, public policy, and industry. The Expert Panel will address the following assessment question, referred to the CCA by the Public Health Agency of Canada: What is the socio-economic impact of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) for Canadians and the Canadian health care system?

Panel members were identified with guidance from the CCA’s Scientific Advisory Committee and input from its Member Academies — the Royal Society of Canada, the Canadian Academy of Engineering, and the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences (of which many are also Fellows). The depth of the Panel’s experience and expertise, paired with the CCA’s rigorous assessment methodology, will ensure the most authoritative, credible, and independent response to the question.

“Antimicrobial resistance is a significant and growing public health issue,” said Dr. Finlay. “As Chair I look forward to working with the Panel to assess the impact AMR has on Canadians and the health care system.”

Dr. Finlay is also Professor in the Michael Smith Laboratories, Microbiology and Immunology, and Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and Co-Director and Senior Fellow for the CIFAR Humans and Microbes program. He is co-author of the book Let Them Eat Dirt: Saving Your Child from an Oversanitized World. Dr. Finlay is well-known for his contributions to understanding how microbes cause disease in people and developing new tools for fighting infections, as well as the role the microbiota plays in human health and disease.

The Expert Panel on the Potential Socio-economic Impacts of Antimicrobial Resistance in Canada

• B. Brett Finlay, O.C., O.B.C., FRSC, FCAHS (Chair), Peter Wall Distinguished Professor, University of British Columbia (Vancouver, BC)
• Marc Brisson, Professor of Epidemiology, Laval University (Québec, QC)
• John Conly, MD, FCAHS, Professor and Co-Director, Snyder Institute for Chronic Diseases, University of Calgary (Calgary, AB)
• Peter Coyte, Professor of Health Economics, University of Toronto (Toronto, ON)
• Jo-Anne R. Dillon, FRSC, FCAHS, Head, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Saskatchewan (Saskatoon, SK)
• Greg Douglas, DVM, Vice President, Animal Care, Maple Leaf Foods (Mississauga, ON)
• Ellen Goddard, Professor and Co-operative Chair, Agricultural Marketing and Business, University of Alberta (Edmonton, AB)
• Louisa Greco, Senior Advisor, RTS Practice, McKinsey & Company (Toronto, ON)
• Lindsay E. Nicolle, MD, FCAHS, Professor Emeritus, University of Manitoba (Winnipeg, MB)
• David Patrick, MD, Professor, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia (Vancouver, BC)
• John F. Prescott, DVM, FCAHS, University Professor Emeritus, Department of Pathobiology, University of Guelph (Guelph, ON)
• Amélie Quesnel-Vallée, Canada Research Chair in Policies and Health Inequalities, McGill University (Montreal, QC)
• Richard Smith, Dean of Faculty, Public Health and Policy, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (London, United Kingdom)
• Gerry Wright, FRSC, Director, Michael G. DeGroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research, McMaster University (Hamilton, ON)