Bruyère Innovation Advisor Receives COVID-19 Immunity Task Force Funding in Collaboration with CIHR
09/10/2020
Dr. Kumanan Wilson, Innovation Advisor at Bruyère, has received funding for the research project Immunity Passports for COVID-19: Scientific, Ethical, Policy and Design Implications.
The
COVID-19 Immunity Task Force (CITF), launched by the Government of Canada to guide the nation’s response to the pandemic, is collaborating with the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) to fund
22 research projects focused on COVID-19 and its implications.
Dr. Wilson’s research team, co-lead by Colleen Flood, PhD, will be focusing on:
- Identifying and evaluating existing knowledge on digital immunity tracking solutions internationally
- Evaluating existing solutions for ethical, legal, and policy implications from a Canadian public health perspective
- Determining if an immunity passport is a viable option for Canadian public health and make recommendations for immunity tracking solutions and evaluations strategies based on the study’s findings
This project aims to provide guidance to Canadian health authorities on the feasibility and acceptability of using a COVID-19 immunity passport in Canada on ethical, legal, and public health fronts.
Dr. Wilson was also awarded part of the $7 million New Frontiers in Research Fund COVID-19 rapid-response funding for his work on
Canada’s Response to COVID-19 in the Context of the IHR (2005) and its Opportunity to Lead in Global Health Security: A Policy Analysis.