The MfPH group is comprised of 48 co-investigators, 21 Canadian institutions and more than 20 national and international collaborators in fields such as epidemiology, mathematical modelling, infectious disease, and public health. It will mobilize a national network that uses state-of-the-art techniques to advise on public health policy with the long-term goal of boosting future epidemic preparedness and improving Canada’s resilience in emergency situations. The MfPH group has just received $3M in funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), to be distributed over a two-year period with the goal of establishing this network. 

"The COVID-19 pandemic has emphasized the importance of strengthening and preparing both our province and healthcare system for future emergency situations," said the Hon. Ross Romano, Minister of Colleges and Universities. "Ontario's world-class research organizations, like the Fields Institute, are well-positioned to help in our government's efforts to lead and support critical public health objectives. By working together to establish the Mathematics for Public Health initiative, these organizations are advancing Ontario's epidemic preparedness that will help keep Ontarians safe now and in the future." 

MfPH will be co-led by Fields Director, V. Kumar Murty, and York University mathematics professor, Jianhong Wu, and will count amongst its membership numerous leaders in their respective fields, including Bouchra Nasri, Jude Kong, Ashleigh Tuite, David Fisman, and Charmaine Dean, among others. Adalsteinn Brown, Dean of the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto, will play a key role in liaising with government and policymakers. A full list of members is published below.

 Their work will focus on several key pillars, including:

·  Developing and applying novel mathematical tools to better understand disease dynamics and improve Canadian public health outcomes.

·  Informing public health policy and practice issues in a timely manner.

·  Training highly qualified persons with a focus on capacity building.

·  Building refined models that are reliable because they’ve been tested in simulated settings.

·  An expert panel review process.       

·  Establishing a longstanding, collaborative network that can mobilize rapidly and effectively in the face of future pandemics or other emergency response preparedness.

·  Responding in real-time to support decision makers addressing epidemics or other disasters and emergency situations in general.

"One of the fundamental pillars of science and engineering is to build and improve upon past experiences. This multidisciplinary initiative, coordinated in collaboration with our esteemed colleagues at PHAC, will take advantage of the research excellence found in Canada's post-secondary institutions to deal more comprehensively with pandemics for the benefit of Canadians for generations to come." says Alejandro Adem, President, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada

 MfPH builds on work already carried out by the Mathematical Modelling of COVID-19 Task Force, an initiative funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) that was swiftly established by the Fields Institute in February 2020 before COVID-19 was declared an official pandemic.

 Drawing on the collective strength of renowned experts who worked on the SARS outbreak (2003), the Task Force has provided direct support to Canada’s COVID-19 response, developing modelling tools to help assess transmission risks, predicting outbreak trajectories, evaluating public health interventions, and informing policy and decision makers.

“The Fields Institute is proud and enthusiastic to launch the Mathematics for Public Health initiative, as it represents a new chapter in the ability of the Institute and its sister organizations across Canada to translate advanced mathematical research into practicable tools and policies to improve public health in Canada,” says Fields Director and MfPH co-lead Kumar Murty.

MfPH member list:

Jianhong Wu (York University)

Kumar Murty (University of Toronto, Fields Institute)

Ali Asgary (York University)

Seyed Moghadas (York University)

Shengyuan (Michael) Chen (York University)

Ida Ferrara (York University)

Peter Park (York University)

Ed Furman (York University)

Jude D. Kong (York University)

Jacques Belair (University of Montreal, CRM)

Luc Vinet (University of Montreal, CRM)

Manuel Morales (University of Montreal, CRM)

Patrick Leighton (University of Montreal)

Bouchra Nasri (University of Montreal)

Arthur Charpentier (Université du Québec à Montréal)

Hélène Guérin (Université du Québec à Montréal)

Amy Greer (University of Guelph)

Luis Seco (University of Toronto)

Julien Arino (University of Manitoba)

Amy Hurford (Memorial University of Newfoundland)

Xiaoqiang Zhao (Memorial University of Newfoundland)

Fred Brauer (University of British Columbia)

James Colliander (University of British Columbia, PIMS)

Junling Ma (University of Victoria)

Joan Hu (Simon Fraser University)

Manisha Kulkarni (University of Ottawa)

Michael Wolfson (University of Ottawa)

Charmaine Dean (University of Waterloo)

Dongmei Chen (Queen’s University)

Felicia Magpantay (Queen’s University)

Sanjeev Seahra (University of New Brunswick, AARMS)

James Watmough (University of New Brunswick)

Lin Wang (University of New Brunswick)

Jonathan Dushoff (McMaster University)

Thomas R. Hurd (McMaster University)

Nathaniel Osgood (University of Saskatchewan)

Chris Soteros (University of Saskatchewan)

Juxin Liu (University of Saskatchewan)

Jason Brown (Dalhousie University)

Theodore Kolokolnikov (Dalhousie University)

Jeanette Jansen (Dalhousie University)

Javier Sanchez (University of Prince Edward Island)

Xingfu Zou (Western University)

Ashleigh Tuite (University of Toronto)

David Fisman (University of Toronto)

Joan Hu (Simon Fraser University)

Adalsteinn Brown (University of Toronto)

 

For more information, please contact:

Jordana Feldman, Senior Writer