Bonjour, madame. Thank you very much. My presentation will not be very long.
Thank you for the opportunity to participate in the proceedings of this committee.
My name is Diane Brideau-Laughlin and I am the Chair of the Expert Advisory Committee on the Vigilance of Health Products. I would like to take a few moments to discuss the mandate of the Committee, as well as its current composition.
The Expert Advisory Committee on the Vigilance of Health Products constitutes an integral part of the health product and food branch's post-market surveillance strategy. Its mandate is to provide the branch with ongoing external expert advice on broad strategic policy in regard to the safety and therapeutic effectiveness of marketed health products for human use. It also provides a mechanism to involve the public, providing them with a forum to have their views heard by experts, who can discuss their input and incorporate the discussions into the recommendations provided. In other words, it consists of real people who work in the real world and who have the opportunity to speak to real people about real issues regarding their health.
The committee was established in November 2007 and has met twice so far. The inaugural meeting was an orientation session on the branch's various post-market strategies. The second meeting, held recently in February, in Longueuil, Quebec, discussed issues relating to adverse reaction reporting primarily.
The current membership is composed of eight women and nine men from across the country. We have representation from the Atlantic region, Quebec, Ontario, and the western provinces. We also have an individual with aboriginal expertise on reserve and in rural settings. The membership includes health professionals, patient and consumer advocates, and researchers in academia as well as in industry. It has individuals with interests in ethics, epidemiology, biological sciences, human medicine, health product vigilance, public health, social sciences, risk assessment, as well as communication and risk management.
It's a privilege to be the chair of this committee, and thank you.