New CAHS Panel includes Drs. Howard Bergman and Isabelle Vedel

Canadian Academy for Health Sciences Breaking News: CAHS Panel for the Assessment of Evidence and Best Practices for the development of a Canadian Dementia Strategy formed

Canada’s aging population and the increasing prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias pose a significant challenge for Canadian families and their caregivers, and more broadly, for the health care system.

Recognizing the importance of developing and implementing an effective strategy to address this challenge, the Minister of Health of Canada, through the Public Health Agency of Canada, asked the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences (CAHS) to provide an evidence-informed and authoritative assessment on the state of knowledge to help advance federal priorities under the National Strategy for Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Dementias Act.

To address the charge, the CAHS assembled a multidisciplinary, multi-sectoral panel of six experts with a range of expertise, experience, and demonstrated leadership in this domain.

The CAHS Panel for the Assessment of Evidence and Best Practices for the development of a Canadian Dementia Strategy is chaired by Howard Bergman, MD, FCFP, FRCPC, FCAHS.  Dr Bergman is the Chair of the Department of Family Medicine, Professor of Family Medicine, Medicine and Oncology, McGill University.

The panel of experts, also includes:

•             David Hogan, MD, FRCPC, Academic Lead of the Brenda Strafford Centre on Aging, O'Brien Institute for Public Health, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary,

•             Janice Keefe, PhD, Professor and Chair, Department of Family Studies and Gerontology and Director, Nova Scotia Centre on Aging, Mount Saint Vincent University,

•             Carrie McAiney, PhD, Associate Professor, Dept. of Psychiatry & Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University,

•             Debra Morgan, PhD, RN, FCAHS, Professor, College of Medicine Chair in Rural Health Delivery, Canadian Centre for Health & Safety in Agriculture, University of Saskatchewan

•             Isabelle Vedel, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Family Medicine, McGill University.

This panel of 6 experts was assembled at the request of PHAC.