Thank you, Madam Chair and all members of Parliament present today, for your invitation to engage with the Canadian task force regarding the 2024 draft recommendations on breast cancer screening for women, specifically today for women in their forties. We look forward to any input from your committee as we work to finalize the guideline.
I am Dr. Guylène Thériault. I have worked for the past 28 years as a family physician in Quebec's urban, rural and remote areas while teaching many generations of upcoming physicians. I am the chair of the task force, as well as the chair of the breast cancer screening update working group.
Besides my degree in medicine, I have a diploma in evidence-based health care from Oxford University.
I am accompanied today by Dr. Donna Reynolds, a family physician colleague. Dr. Reynolds holds a specialty degree in public health and a master's of science in epidemiology and is also involved in teaching as well as in research. She is the interim vice-chair of the task force.
We are both volunteers on the task force. For the past eight years, we have been contributing our time to the mandate of developing preventive health care guidelines for primary care practitioners across Canada. I am aware that there have been previous sessions and witnesses on this important topic and that the task force, its members and the draft guideline have been the subject of some concerning statements.
As has been the case in previous meetings, I ask you, Madam Chair, to ensure a safe place for our discussions today.