====== Shelley Deeks ======

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Dr. **Shelley Deeks**, MD, MHSc, FRCPC, FFAFPM, is a Canadian epidemiologist and public health specialist based in Toronto, Ontario.

She is notable in the [[COVID-19 pandemic]] due to her role as Chair of the [[National Advisory Committee on Immunization]], responsible for approving [[COVID-19 vaccines]] in Canada.

===== Education =====

Deeks completed her Doctor of Medicine from the [[University of Toronto]] in 1988. Her postgraduate training and fellowships include:

  * FAFPHM (Fellow of the [[Australasian Faculty of Public Health Medicine]]), Sydney Australia, June 2009
  * Canadian Field Epidemiologist, Ottawa, Ontario, 1996-1998
  * FRCPC (Fellow of The [[Royal College of Physicians of Canada]]), Public Health and Preventive Medicine, [[University of Toronto]], August 1996
  * MHSc (Community Health and Epidemiology), University of Toronto, December 1994
  * CCFP, Family Medicine, [[McMaster University]], June 1990

===== COVID-19 =====

Deeks is a principal investigator in the [[Canadian Immunization Research Network]]'s "COVID-19 Vaccine Readiness" program, funded by a $3,516,000 grant from the [[Public Health Agency of Canada]].((Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). (2020, September). //Canadian Immunization Research Network: COVID-19 Vaccine Readiness.// Funding Decisions Database. https://archive.ph/zxk8f)) This is not disclosed on her NACI profile, despite this constituting a potential conflict of interest.

On December 30, 2020, Deeks delivered a presentation on the safety and efficacy data of the [[COVID-19 vaccines|COVID-19 vaccine]] product developed by [[pharmaceutical_companies:Moderna]].((NCCID • CCNMI. (2020, December 30). //Recommendations of the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) on the use of the Moderna.// YouTube. https://web.archive.org/web/20220320092116/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9E0BCZDk3U)) ((Deeks, S. (2020, December 30). //Recommendations of the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) on the use of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine.// National Collaboration Centre for Infectious Diseases. https://web.archive.org/web/20210127234019/https://nccid.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/12/EN_NACI-Moderna-COVID-19-vaccine-recs_UPDATED.pdf)) She appeared in videos promoting [[COVID-19 vaccines]] in 2021.((Nova Scotia Department of Health and Wellness. (2021, July 2). //This week, Dr. Shelley Deeks discusses how long the approved COVID-19 vaccines are projected to provide protection. Getting your second dose is... [Video].// Facebook. https://archive.ph/SMAXu)) ((Nova Scotia Government. (2021, December 17). //Dr. Deeks & Dr. Strang COVID-19 Vaccine Q&A For Families.// YouTube. https://archive.ph/qqIUW)) ((Nova Scotia Government. (2021, June 9). //If I’m young and healthy, why bother getting the vaccine?// Facebook. https://archive.ph/6AoeF)) ((Nova Scotia Gov. [@nsgov]. (2021, June 23). //This week, Dr. Shelley Deeks discusses the potential side effects of the COVID-19 vaccines. #KnowTheFactsGetTheVax [Tweet].// Twitter. https://web.archive.org/web/20220321052351/https://twitter.com/nsgov/status/1407714339977580544?lang=en))

She is a member of the [[COVID-19 Immunity Task Force]].((Deeks, S. (2021, January 28). //Declaration of Interests and Confidentiality Form.// COVID-19 Immunity Task Force. https://web.archive.org/web/20210706165200/https://www.covid19immunitytaskforce.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Deeks-Shelley_COI-Jan-2021.pdf))

Deeks, Dr. [[Theresa Tam]], and Dr. [[Howard Njoo]] were invited to a public debate during the [[Freedom Convoy 2022]] protest with Dr. [[Roger Hodkinson]], Dr. [[Paul Alexander]] and Dr. [[Byram Bridle]].((Trozzi, M. (2022, February 10). //Ottawa | Quick Collage from the Front Line.// Dr. Trozzi. https://web.archive.org/web/20220210153538/https://drtrozzi.org/2022/02/10/ottawa-quick-collage-from-the-front-line/)) They did not attend.
===== Affiliations =====

==== University of Toronto ====

Deeks is an Associate Professor at the [[Dalla Lana School of Public Health]] at the [[University of Toronto]].((//Deeks, Shelley L.// Dalla Lana School of Public Health. Retrieved March 19, 2022, from https://www.dlsph.utoronto.ca/faculty-profile/deeks-shelley-l/))

==== Canadian Immunization Research Network ====

Deeks is a member of the Management Committee for the [[Canadian Immunization Research Network]] (CIRN).((//Dr. Shelley Deeks.// Canadian Immunization Research Network. Retrieved March 19, 2022, from https://archive.ph/Cnu2q))

==== Public Health Ontario (2009-2021) ====

In 2009, Deeks joined [[Public Health Ontario]]. She served as Chief of Communicable Diseases, Emergency Preparedness and Response and was at some point appointed Chief Health Protection Officer. Deeks was the "overall executive lead" on Ontario's [[COVID-19 pandemic]] response.((//Briefing with Public Health Ontario.// (2020, September 28). Long-Term Care COVID-19 Commission. https://web.archive.org/web/20210810150355/http://www.ltccommission-commissionsld.ca/transcripts/pdf/GovOntario_PHO_Briefing_with_Public_Health.pdf)) She announced her departure in December 2020, citing the Ontario government's failure to follow [[public health]] guidance.((McPhee, J. (2020, December 10). //Public health chief who made waves in Ontario moving to Nova Scotia.// SaltWire. https://archive.ph/cpCBY)) ((//Dr. Shelley Deeks.// Public Health Ontario. Retrieved March 20, 2022, from https://archive.ph/i16k5)) 
==== World Health Organization (2017-present) ====

Deeks has acted as a [[World Health Organization]] SAGE Polio Working Group Member since October 2017.((//SAGE working group on polio.// (2023, February 3). World Health Organization. http://archive.today/2023.04.19-193056/https://www.who.int/groups/strategic-advisory-group-of-experts-on-immunization/working-groups/polio-vaccine)) She has received compensation for travel expenses in the range of $1,000-$5,000.
==== GAVI, the vaccine alliance	(2018-2020) ====

From October 2018 to October 2020, Deeks served as a member of the [[Vaccine Innovation Prioritisation Strategy]] (VIPS) Steering Committee for [[GAVI|GAVI, the vaccine alliance]]. She has received compensation for travel expenses in the range of $1,000-$5,000.
==== Province of Nova Scotia (2021-present) ====

In February 2021, Deeks was appointed the inaugural public health surveillance medical officer of Nova Scotia.((McPhee, J. (2020, December 10). //Public health chief who made waves in Ontario moving to Nova Scotia.// SaltWire. https://archive.ph/cpCBY)) The press release said she would "lead Public Health surveillance, support epidemiologists and support Nova Scotia's publicly funded immunization program".((Yang, J. (2020, December 9). //Shelley Deeks, the Public Health Ontario whistleblower on colour-coded COVID restrictions, is leaving for a job in Nova Scotia.// The Toronto Star. https://archive.ph/KyBkT))

In October 2021, Deeks and Nova Scotia’s Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. [[Robert Strang]] criticized media allegations that healthcare providers were failing to identify and report adverse reactions to the [[COVID-19 vaccines]], asserting that the risk of a serious adverse event was "about seven for every 100,000".((Communications Nova Scotia. (2018, May 11). //Public Health Committed to Monitoring Vaccine Safety.// Province of Nova Scotia. https://archive.ph/DoNsV))

==== Public Health Agency of Canada (2021-present) ====

Deeks is a member of the Canadian Federal/Provincial/Territorial Special Advisory Committee (SAC) under the [[Public Health Agency of Canada]].((Public Health Agency of Canada. (2022, February 25). //National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI): Membership and representation.// Government of Canada. https://web.archive.org/web/20220318105951/https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/immunization/national-advisory-committee-on-immunization-naci/naci-membership-representation.html#fn1-rf))
==== National Advisory Committee on Immunization ====

Deeks is the Chair of the [[National Advisory Committee on Immunization]] (NACI).((Public Health Agency of Canada. (2022, February 25). //National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI): Membership and representation.// Government of Canada. https://web.archive.org/web/20220318105951/https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/immunization/national-advisory-committee-on-immunization-naci/naci-membership-representation.html#fn1-rf)) She previously served as Chair of the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) Herpes Zoster Working Group, and Vice-chair of NACI before her ultimate promotion to Chair.

She is a member of the [[Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices]], serving as a liaison representative on behalf of NACI.((//ACIP Member Roster.// (2021). U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. https://web.archive.org/web/20220419012215/https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/acip/members/members-508.pdf)) ((//ACIP Current Membership Roster.// (2022, January 12). U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/acip/members/index.html))
===== Research =====

Deeks' areas of research interest include communicable disease outbreaks, [[vaccine safety]], vaccine program evaluation, [[human papillomavirus]] vaccine, [[herpes zoster]] vaccine, and [[polio]] eradication.((//Deeks, Shelley L.// Dalla Lana School of Public Health. Retrieved March 19, 2022, from https://www.dlsph.utoronto.ca/faculty-profile/deeks-shelley-l/))

She has received funding from the [[Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation]], [[Canadian Institutes of Health Research]] (CIHR), [[Canadian Immunization Research Network]] (CIRN), [[Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences]] (ICES), [[Ottawa Hospital Foundation]], [[Public Health Agency of Canada]], [[SickKids]], [[University of Toronto]], and the [[University of Ottawa]].
==== Digital Proof of Vaccination ====

In a paper published June 15, 2015, Deeks advocated for the use of mobile devices (cell phones) to improve centralized vaccine databases. She proposes there are other possibilities such devices present "that could be exploited to improve immunization information systems include mobile reporting of adverse events following immunization, the capacity to scan 2D barcodes, and enabling bidirectional communication between individuals and public health officials." The authors acknowledge the issues of "privacy of data, access, and equity concerns, obtaining consent and ensuring adoption of technology at sufficiently high rates." Lastly, the paper references the use of such a system as a passport for cross-border travel.((Wilson, K., Atkinson, K. M., Deeks, S. L., & Crowcroft, N. S. (2015). //Improving vaccine registries through mobile technologies: a vision for mobile enhanced Immunization information systems.// Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, 23(1), 207–211. https://doi.org/10.1093/jamia/ocv055))

The paper was co-authored with the founders of [[Sigvaria Mobile Technologies]], the inventors of [[ImmunizeCA]], a smartphone application with various vaccine-related capabilities resembling an early version of a digital [[vaccine passport]].((Wilson, K., Atkinson, K., & Keelan, J. (2014). //Using Mobile Technology To Overcome Jurisdictional Challenges To A Coordinated Immunization Policy.// Forefront Group. https://doi.org/10.1377/forefront.20141114.042462))

==== Vaccine Safety ====

In 2015, Deeks co-authored a paper exploring the correlation between influenza vaccination and [[Guillain-Barré syndrome]] (GBS).((Hawken, S., Kwong, J. C., Deeks, S. L., Crowcroft, N. S., McGeer, A., Ducharme, R....Wilson, K. (2015). //Simulation Study of the Effect of Influenza and Influenza Vaccination on Risk of Acquiring Guillain-Barré Syndrome.// Emerging Infectious Diseases, 21(2), 224-231. https://doi.org/10.3201/eid2102.131879.)) One of the other authors is [[Allison McGeer]], former member of NACI and current member of the [[Ontario COVID-19 Science Advisory Table]]. The study was funded by the [[Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences]] (ICES), [[Canadian Institutes of Health Research]] (CIHR), [[University of Toronto]], [[University of Ottawa]], and the [[Ottawa Hospital Foundation]].((Moore, P. (2015, January 19). //Flu shots decrease overall risk of acquiring Guillain-Barré Syndrome.// Ottawa Hospital Research Institute. https://archive.ph/UE2Ip))

She was also an author on a 2018 paper supporting vaccine safety for children, funded by the [[Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation]] and [[Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences]] (ICES).((Wilson, K., Duque, D. R., Murphy, M. S. Q., Hawken, S., Pham-Huy, A., Kwong, J., Deeks, S. L., Potter, B. K., Crowcroft, N. S., Bulman, D. E., Chakraborty, P., & Little, J. (2018). //T-cell receptor excision circle levels and safety of paediatric immunization: A population-based self-controlled case series analysis.// Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics, 14(6), 1378–1391. https://doi.org/10.1080/21645515.2018.1433971)) She co-wrote a safety study of rotavirus vaccines funded by the [[Canadian Immunization Research Network]] in 2017.((Hawken, S., Ducharme, R., Rosella, L. C., Benchimol, E. I., Langley, J. M., Wilson, K., Crowcroft, N. S., Halperin, S. A., Desai, S., Naus, M., Sanford, C. J., Mahmud, S. M., & Deeks, S. L. (2016). //Assessing the risk of intussusception and rotavirus vaccine safety in Canada.// Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics, 13(3), 703–710. https://doi.org/10.1080/21645515.2016.1240846))

==== Vaccine Programs ====

Deeks co-authored a study reviewing the overall impact of Ontario's [[rotavirus]] vaccine program from 2005-2013, with "private RV vaccine sales data" provided from [[pharmaceutical_companies:GlaxoSmithKline]] and [[pharmaceutical_companies:Merck]].((Wilson, S. E., Rosella, L. C., Wang, J., Le Saux, N., Crowcroft, N. S., Harris, T., Bolotin, S., & Deeks, S. L. (2016). //Population-Level Impact of Ontario’s Infant Rotavirus Immunization Program: Evidence of Direct and Indirect Effects.// PLOS ONE, 11(5), e0154340. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0154340))

She also contributed to a presentation on increasing uptake of adult immunizations presented by [[Immunize Canada]] in 2015.((Immunize Canada. (2015). //Improving Adult Immunization Information for health care providers.// CANVax. https://web.archive.org/web/20190711211650/https://canvax.ca/sites/default/files/2018-06/IC_ImprovingAdultImmunization_2015.pdf))
===== Presentations =====

==== Canadian Immunization Conference (2018) ====

Deeks delivered a number of presentations at the [[Canadian Immunization Conference]] in 2018. The event was organized by the [[Canadian Association for Immunization Research, Evaluation and Education]] (CAIRE), the [[Canadian Public Health Association]] (CPHA), the [[Canadian Paediatric Society]], and the [[Public Health Agency of Canada]] (PHAC), and sponsored by [[Vaccines411]], [[pharmaceutical_companies:GlaxoSmithKline]], [[Innovative Medicines Canada]], [[pharmaceutical_companies:Medicago]], [[pharmaceutical_companies:Merck]], [[pharmaceutical_companies:Pfizer]], [[Public Health Ontario]], [[pharmaceutical_companies:Sanofi]], [[pharmaceutical_companies:Seqirus]] and [[pharmaceutical_companies:Valneva]].((//CIC 2018 Final Program.// (2018, November). Canadian Immunization Conference. https://web.archive.org/web/20220320193739/https://cic-cci.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/CIC-2018-Final-Program.pdf))

==== Ontario Public Health Convention (2018) ====

Deeks presented at the 2018 [[Ontario Public Health Convention]] on the topics of the epidemiology of [[varicella]], waning [[measles]] immunity in infants, and [[mumps]] activity in Ontario.