Structure, Governance, and Operations
The CPHLN members and groups meet regularly to discuss public health issues as they relate to public health, share information, and work on projects, initiatives and response plans. The CPHLN supports a variety of public health issue and task groups. Issue and task groups work diligently to fulfill goals that are distinct and important goals as well as those of the CPHLN.
Expert Groups
The CPHLN has also been recognized as an Expert Group of the Pan-Canadian Public Health Network (PHN). Expert Groups coordinate activities, conduct research and facilitate the sharing of information in public health program and policy areas. They gather and consider information from Issue and Task Groups to facilitate an integrated and comprehensive perspective to public health. Expert Groups also have decision-making authority related to considering work and material from Issue Groups.
The CPHLN works cooperatively with other Expert Groups of the PHN including the Communicable Disease Control Expert Group (CDCEG), the Emergency Preparedness & Response Expert Group (EPREG), and the Surveillance and Information Expert Group (SIEG)
Executive Group
The CPHLN is led by an Executive Group which is comprised of the Scientific Director General of the National Microbiology Laboratory and a Provincial Public Health Laboratory Director who are the Federal and Provincial co-chairs respectively. The provincial co-chair elect and the past chair also sit on the Executive Group to provide insight and guidance.
Member Organizations
CPHLN members organizations include all Canadian Provincial Public Health Laboratories, the National Microbiology Laboratory (NML), the Laboratory for Foodborne Zoonoses (LFZ), the Centre for Emergency Preparedness and Response (CEPR), National HIV and Retrovirology Laboratories (NHRL), Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC) and the Council of Chief Medical Officers of Health (CCMOH).
The CPHLN also has associate memberships with Canadian Blood Services (CBS), Hema‑Quebec, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL).
Member organizations are represented by their directors or delegates appointed by the organizations Director.
Issue and Task Groups
Current Issue Groups include:
- Laboratory Preparedness and Response – LPR
- Laboratory Standardization
- Water and Food Borne Enterics
Current Task Groups include:
- gonorrhoea / Chlamydia
- HBV/Rubella
- Human Papilloma Virus – HPV
- Listeria
- Norovirus
- PulseNet
- System for Integrating Data Systems in a Laboratory Environment - SIDSLE
- Syphilis
- Pandemic Influenza Laboratory Preparedness Network - PILPN
CPHLN members utilize the Canadian Network for Public Health Intelligence (CNPHI) which is a web-driven business and communication tool. CNPHI is responsible for the Canadian Integrated Outbreak Surveillance Centre (CIOSC) which is used to rapidly disseminate information in the event of an urgent infectious disease situation such as Pandemic H1N1.
CPHLN Secretariat
The Secretariat is the cornerstone of CPHLN activities, serving as the hub for communication, organization, administration, and management of network activities and initiatives.
The Secretariat also functions to provide and support the development of strategies that promote and advocate both the Network and general public health issues
The Secretariat expedites the day-to-day activities of the CPHLN by scheduling, organizing, and facilitating meetings, conferences, and teleconferences; providing communication and information to members; and maintaining the network’s site on the Canadian Network for Public Health Intelligence (CNPHI), a web-driven toolset that enables fast and efficient communication throughout the network.
Located at the Canadian Science Centre for Human and Animal Health (CSCHAH) in Winnipeg, the Secretariat reports to the CPHLN Executive and is administered by the Scientific Director General of the National Microbiology Laboratory (NML).
The Secretariat works with the NML to respond to emerging public health situations that affect Canadians. The NML currently provides all funding for the CPHLN and its Secretariat.
