Goals and Objectives

We propose an innovative program of community-partnered research comprised of three interlinked collaborative working groups targeting three key ethical issues:

1. Health care provider (HCP) obligations and institutional support for HCPs
2. Priority setting for scarce resources
3. Risk communication and knowledge transfer

Each working group will bring together study investigators, end-users, community partners, and research trainees in interdisciplinary scholarship with immediate policy relevance. Complementing the three key ethical issues are three cross-cutting themes: (i) promoting public trust; (ii) incorporating voices from vulnerable and special needs populations; and (iii) public engagement and the use of social networking tools.

The CanPREP project has three specific objectives:

• Objective 1:  KNOWLEDGE GENERATION
  To generate new knowledge on key ethical questions for pandemic preparedness through innovative interdisciplinary and participatory research by study investigators, end-users, community partners, and research trainees.
  
• Objective 2:  PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT
  To develop innovative public engagement strategies that will: a) improve values-based decision making; b) enhance risk communication and public trust; and c) facilitate increased public engagement and broad stakeholder consultation/commitment in order to produce a social mandate that will guide and involve decision making in pandemic preparedness.
  
• Objective 3:  CAPACITY BUILDING
  To create, through an academically rigorous and policy relevant interdisciplinary training program, a cadre of highly-qualified researchers with diverse methodological and conceptual skills relevant to pandemic preparedness and applicable to other public health hazards.