The Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care (‘Task Force’) https://canadiantaskforce.ca/ is a panel of experts in preventive health care and the application of evidence in clinical decision making. It has an international reputation for excellence in the development of independent evidence-based guidelines for primary care. Since its re-establishment in 2009, the Task Force has published 22 guidelines and updates on topics such as screening for breast cancer, asymptomatic bacteriuria in pregnancy, thyroid dysfunction, esophageal cancer, and chlamydia and gonorrhea. The full list of published and upcoming guidelines can be found here. https://canadiantaskforce.ca/guidelines/published-guidelines/.
The Chair of the Task Force is supported by the Guidelines and Global Health division of the Public Health Agency of Canada. The knowledge translation team, and two independent evidence review and synthesis Centres support the work of the Task Force.
The Chair of this arms-length body of up to 15 primary care and prevention experts will lead the development of recommendations considered the “gold standard” for clinical preventive services. This important work of the Task Force is profiled at key conferences and released in various medical and media venues. The Chair is the public face of the Task Force and will provide strategic direction.
Chair responsibilities include:
- Providing leadership to overall process and facilitating meetings;
- Overseeing and ensuring scientific rigor and integrity of Task Force review process;
- Acting as main link from the Task Force to external organizations;
- Participating in the selection process for new Task Force members;
- Overseeing, with assistance from support staff, activities and events between meetings;
- Facilitating and managing interactions and relationships among Task Force members;
- Chairing three two-day meetings per year and teleconferences each month;
- Undertake the review, planning, feedback and communication between meetings;
- Managing a Contribution Agreement with the team of administrators from the Task Force Office
If you are interested in the Chair’s position, please submit an application package with the following information:
- A letter explaining how your training, practice and experience fit with the Task Force’s mandate (see below)
- Your curriculum vitae
- Three reference letters that support your application.
In order to ensure the integrity of the task force’s work, applicants must have no substantial conflicts of interest and be willing to complete conflict of interest disclosures prior to meetings. The Chair is appointed for a 4-year term.
Please send your complete application package to Chantal Plante, Business Manager, Public Health Agency of Canada by e-mail at chantal.plante@phac-aspc.gc.ca before September 30, 2022. A selection committee will review all submissions. Candidate recommended for appointment will be approved by the Chief Public Health Officer, Public Health Agency of Canada and the Executive Director of Professional Development and Practice Support of the College of Family Physicians of Canada.
Essential attributes:
- Expertise in disease prevention and health promotion of children and/or adults;
- Experience with systematic reviews, their methodology and their application to clinical decision-making and/or policy;
- Experience in guideline production and dissemination;
- Ability to be rigorous but open-minded when reviewing and interpreting scientific evidence and associated recommendations;
- Knowledge and experience in critical appraisal of peer-reviewed publications;
- Ability to work collaboratively with peers;
- Able to allocate the necessary time to participate actively in the Task Force (half day a week);
- Working in Canadian health care or university setting;
- Strongest consideration will be given to individuals who are widely recognized for scholarly leadership within their fields of expertise;
- A background in family practice will be considered an asset;
- No significant secondary interests (including financial or intellectual conflicting interests) that would impair the integrity of the Task Force.
Qualifications for Chair
In addition to the qualifications for membership, the candidate should have:
- Excellent skills in consensus building, negotiating, and conflict resolution;
- Comfortable speaking on behalf of the Task Force in public venues;
- Evidence of having participated in (preferably led) end-to-end development of evidence-based guidelines;
- Evidence of leadership experience with a similarly sized group or entity, from organizational, scientific, interpersonal, financial/budget perspectives;
- Strongest consideration will be given to individuals who:
- Are well networked within the healthcare sector and public health and are recognized nationally or internationally for scientific leadership within their field of expertise;
- Have presence and excellent interpersonal and communication skills to champion the rigour behind the methodology and scientific approach;
- Have proven their ability to encourage consensus and collaboration among members of working groups, committees or boards;
- Have successfully facilitated and developed evidence-based guidelines and recommendations.