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Shelley Deeks

Dr. Shelley Deeks, MD, MHSc, FRCPC, FFAFPM, is a Canadian public health expert who is the chair of the National Advisory Committee on Immunization.[1] Her advertised "specialities include communicable disease control, outbreak investigations, vaccine safety, epidemiology and program evaluation." She is a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Canada and the Australian Faculty of Public Health Medicine.[2] Deeks was the executive lead in Ontario's COVID-19 pandemic response in 2020 in her role at Public Health Ontario.[3]

Shelley Deeks
Chair of the National Advisory Committee on Immunization
Prime MinisterJustin Trudeau
MinisterJean-Yves Duclos
Personal details
BornLondon, Ontario
Children2
OccupationPublic Health Physician

Career

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SARS

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During the SARS outbreak of 2003, Deeks was working at Health Canada and then moved to the Public Health Agency of Canada in infectious diseases.[4]

Public Health Ontario (2009-2021)

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In 2009, Deeks joined Public Health Ontario, where she served as the Medical Director of Immunization and Vaccine-Preventable Diseases, and later, as Chief of Communicable Diseases, Emergency Preparedness and Response.[5][6][7] She participated as a member of the Ontario Vaccine Safety Surveillance Working Group.[8] She also contributed to a presentation on increasing uptake of adult immunizations presented by Immunize Canada in 2015.[9] At some time prior to 2020, Deeks was appointed chief health protection officer of Ontario.[2][10]

Deeks delivered several presentations at the 2018 Canadian Immunization Conference in Ottawa, on subjects including vaccine development, adverse events following immunization, HPV vaccination for gay men, risks of un-immunized Ontario children, non-medical exemptions to vaccination, and MMR vaccines.[1][11] The same year, she also presented at the Ontario Public Health Convention on the topics of the epidemiology of varicella, waning measles immunity in infants, and mumps activity in Ontario.[1]

She has served on several international committees related to vaccination programs. From October 2018 until October 2020, she was a member of the Vaccine Innovation Prioritisation Strategy (VIPS) Steering Committee under Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.[1][12] She continues to serve on the World Health Organization's (WHO) Strategic Advisory Group of Experts Polio Working Group.[1][12]

COVID-19 pandemic (2020-present)

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In 2020, Deeks left Public Health Ontario one month after she "revealed that the government ignored Public Health Ontario's recommendations on COVID-19."[2] In reality, she was not consulted in November 2020 "on colour-coded COVID restrictions", and two days after the revelations the Ford government moved to bring the colour codes into line with PHO's recommendations.[5][6] Later that month, she delivered a virtual presentation to health care providers on the safety and efficacy of the then newly-authorized Moderna COVID-19 vaccine.[13][14]

In February 2021, Deeks was appointed the inaugural public health surveillance medical officer of Nova Scotia.[2] The press release said she would "lead Public Health surveillance, support epidemiologists and support Nova Scotia's publicly funded immunization program".[6]

On 29 March 2021, as vice-chair of NACI, Deeks said that "There is substantial uncertainty about the benefit of providing AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines to adults under 55 given the potential risks." She said that the risk of a cerebral venous sinus thrombosis blood clot was "potentially as high as one in 100,000, much higher than the one in one million risk believed before... Most of the patients in Europe who developed a rare blood clot after vaccination with AstraZeneca were women under age 55, and the fatality rate among those who develop clots is as high as 40%."[15] In June 2021, Deeks delivered a presentation for CANVax outlining NACI's recommendations regarding "mixing and matching" of COVID-19 vaccines.[16] She assisted the Nova Scotia Department of Health and Wellness in a promotion campaign for the vaccine program, including encouraging second doses to protect against new variants of COVID-19 and reassuring viewers that side effects are rare and well-tolerated.[17][18][19] She later participated in Q&A-style videos answering common questions about COVID-19 vaccines for ages 5–11.[20]

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".[21] Deeks was among the public health experts invited to a public debate during the Freedom Convoy by a group including anti-mandate doctors Paul E. Alexander, Roger Hodkinson and Byram Bridle.[22]

Deeks is a member of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices as a liaison representative on behalf of NACI.[23]

Research

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Deeks' areas of research interest include communicable disease outbreaks, vaccine safety, vaccine program evaluation, human papillomavirus vaccine, herpes zoster vaccine, and polio eradication.[7]

Digital health

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She collaborated in 2015 with the founders of Sigvaria Mobile Technologies Inc. on a paper exploring the benefits and challenges of using mobile devices as a method of centralizing storage and access to individual vaccination information, as well as for use in cross-border travel.[24] Sigvaria developed ImmunizeCA, a smartphone application with various vaccine-related capabilities resembling an early version of a digital vaccine passport.[25][26]

Infectious diseases

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Deeks is the co-investigator of an ongoing Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) grant-funded study investigating Ontario's preparedness for the return of measles.[27] She has also worked with researchers at SickKids to study the development of asthma following severe respiratory syncytial virus infection.[28]

Vaccine safety

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Deeks participated in a 2015 simulation study exploring the relationship between influenza vaccination and Guillain–Barré syndrome, which found an overall decrease in risk of acquiring the syndrome after receiving a flu shot.[29] She was also co-author on a 2018 paper evaluating paediatric vaccine safety, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences.[30] A 2017 safety study reviewing rotavirus vaccines in Canada was co-authored by Deeks.[31]

COVID-19

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Deeks is a principal investigator in the Canadian Immunization Research Network's "COVID-19 Vaccine Readiness" program at Dalhousie University, funded by a $3,516,000 grant from the Public Health Agency of Canada.[32]

Other positions

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Deeks is also or has been:

Personal life

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Shelley Deeks is married with two adult children. In her free time, Deeks enjoys sailing. Deeks is not a vegetarian.

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g Canada, Public Health Agency of (2 November 2020). "National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI): Membership and representation". www.canada.ca. Retrieved 18 June 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d "Public health chief who made waves in Ontario moving to Nova Scotia". SaltWire Network. The Guardian. 10 December 2020.
  3. ^ "Briefing with Public Health Ontario" (PDF). Long-Term Care COVID-19 Commission. 28 September 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on 10 August 2021. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
  4. ^ "Meeting with Dr. Shelley Deeks" (PDF). Ontario's Long-Term Care COVID-19 Commission. 8 January 2021. Archived (PDF) from the original on 10 August 2021. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
  5. ^ a b Yang, Jennifer (9 December 2020). "Shelley Deeks, the Public Health Ontario whistleblower on colour-coded COVID restrictions, is leaving for a job in Nova Scotia". Toronto Star Newspapers Ltd.
  6. ^ a b c Ray, Carolyn (10 December 2020). "N.S. recruits top Ontario Public Health physician for new role". CBC.
  7. ^ a b c d e "Deeks, Shelley L". Dalla Lana School of Public Health. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
  8. ^ "Not a shot in the dark: Restoring confidence in vaccine safety" (PDF). CANVax. 9 October 2012. Archived (PDF) from the original on 11 July 2019. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
  9. ^ "Improving Adult Immunization: Information for health care providers" (PDF). CANVax. 2015. Archived (PDF) from the original on 11 July 2019. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
  10. ^ "Dr. Shelley Deeks". Public Health Ontario. Archived from the original on 21 March 2022. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
  11. ^ "CIC 2018 Final Program" (PDF). Canadian Immunization Conference. 2018. Archived (PDF) from the original on 20 March 2022. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
  12. ^ a b c d "Shelley Deeks". CANVax. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
  13. ^ NCCID • CCNMI (30 December 2020). "Recommendations of the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) on the use of the Moderna". YouTube. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
  14. ^ Shelley, Deeks (30 December 2020). "Recommendations of the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) on the use of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine" (PDF). National Collaborating Centre for Infectious Diseases. Archived (PDF) from the original on 27 January 2021. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
  15. ^ Gillies, Rob (29 March 2021). "Canada pauses AstraZeneca vaccine for under 55". Chicago Daily Herald. Associated Press.
  16. ^ "NACI Recommendations on COVID-19 Vaccine Interchangeability". CANVax. 21 June 2021. Archived from the original on 20 March 2022. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
  17. ^ Nova Scotia Department of Health and Wellness (2 July 2021). "This week, Dr. Shelley Deeks discusses how long the approved COVID-19 vaccines are projected to provide protection. Getting your second dose is..." Facebook. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
  18. ^ Nova Scotia Government (9 June 2021). "If I'm young and healthy, why bother getting the vaccine?". Facebook. Archived from the original on 21 March 2022. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
  19. ^ Nova Scotia Gov. (@nsgov) (23 June 2021). "This week, Dr. Shelley Deeks discusses the potential side effects of the COVID-19 vaccines". Twitter. Archived from the original on 21 March 2022. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
  20. ^ Nova Scotia Government (17 December 2021). "Dr. Deeks & Dr. Strang COVID-19 Vaccine Q&A For Families". YouTube. Archived from the original on 21 March 2022. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
  21. ^ Communications Nova Scotia (29 October 2021). "Public Health Committed to Monitoring Vaccine Safety". Province of Nova Scotia. Archived from the original on 29 October 2021. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
  22. ^ Trucking for Freedom (8 February 2022). "Freedom Convoy 2022: Doctors in support of freedom convoy invitation to Dr. Deeks, Dr. Tam and Dr. Njoo or other doctors and scientists to bring..." Facebook. Archived from the original on 9 February 2022. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
  23. ^ "ACIP Current Membership Roster". U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 12 January 2022. Archived from the original on 19 April 2022. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
  24. ^ Wilson, Kumanan; Atkinson, Katherine M.; Deeks, Shelley L.; Crowcroft, Natasha S. (1 January 2016). "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. doi:10.1093/jamia/ocv055. ISSN 1527-974X. PMC 7814932. PMID 26078414.
  25. ^ "Using Mobile Technology To Overcome Jurisdictional Challenges To A Coordinated Immunization Policy". Health Affairs. 14 November 2014. doi:10.1377/forefront.20141114.042462.
  26. ^ "ImmunizeCA App - Immunize Canada". 12 December 2016. Archived from the original on 12 December 2016. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
  27. ^ Government of Canada, Canadian Institutes of Health Research (17 February 2022). "Is Ontario prepared for the return of measles?". Funding Decisions Database. Archived from the original on 20 March 2022. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
  28. ^ Government of Canada, Canadian Institutes of Health Research (17 February 2022). "Burden, cost, and development of asthma related to severe RSV infections". Funding Decisions Database. Archived from the original on 20 March 2022. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
  29. ^ Hawken, Steven; Kwong, Jeffrey C.; Deeks, Shelley L.; Crowcroft, Natasha S.; McGeer, Allison; Ducharme, Robin; Campitelli, Michael A.; Coyle, Doug; Wilson, Kumanan (2015). "Simulation Study of the Effect of Influenza and Influenza Vaccination on Risk of Acquiring Guillain-Barré Syndrome - Volume 21, Number 2—February 2015 - Emerging Infectious Diseases journal - CDC". Emerging Infectious Diseases. 21 (2): 224–231. doi:10.3201/eid2102.131879. PMC 4313628. PMID 25625590.
  30. ^ Wilson, Kumanan; Duque, Daniel Rodriguez; Murphy, Malia S.Q; Hawken, Steven; Pham-Huy, Anne; Kwong, Jeffrey; Deeks, Shelley L.; Potter, Beth K.; Crowcroft, Natasha S.; Bulman, Dennis E.; Chakraborty, Pranesh (3 June 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. doi:10.1080/21645515.2018.1433971. ISSN 2164-5515. PMC 6037463. PMID 29420131.
  31. ^ Hawken, Steven; Ducharme, Robin; Rosella, Laura C.; Benchimol, Eric I.; Langley, Joanne M.; Wilson, Kumanan; Crowcroft, Natasha S.; Halperin, Scott A.; Desai, Shalina; Naus, Monika; Sanford, Carolyn J. (4 March 2017). "Assessing the risk of intussusception and rotavirus vaccine safety in Canada". Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics. 13 (3): 703–710. doi:10.1080/21645515.2016.1240846. ISSN 2164-5515. PMC 5360150. PMID 27835525.
  32. ^ Government of Canada, Canadian Institutes of Health Research (2020). "Canadian Immunization Research Network: COVID-19 Vaccine Readiness". Funding Decisions Database. Archived from the original on 20 March 2022. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
  33. ^ a b "Dr. Shelley Deeks". Canadian Immunization Research Network. Archived from the original on 6 May 2021. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
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