Grant: Planning and Dissemination Grant - Institute Community Support

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) affects at least 270,000 Canadians and causes more years of life lost than any infectious disease in the country. The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and the Public Health Agency of Canada have identified liver disease due to HCV as a major public health problem. Providing better care for HCV-infected individuals requires interactions between researchers and policy makers across the four CIHR pillars (Biomedical, Clinical, Health Services and Social, Cultural, Environmental, and Population Health). Over the past 9 years, the National Canadian Research Training Program in Hepatitis C, now The Canadian Network on Hepatitis C Virus (CanHepC), have organized the Canadian Symposium on Hepatitis C Virus (CSHCV), using funds from CIHR, industry sponsors and our sister event immediately thereafter (The Canadian Liver Meeting). The CSHCV has been highly successful and has promoted the exchange of ideas and expertise between social scientists, public health experts, economists, basic scientists, clinicians and community members all working towards the elimination of HCV in Canada. The goal of this CIHR Meetings, Planning and Dissemination Grant is to seek support for the 9th symposium, to be held on February 28th, 2019 in Montreal. The theme of this year's symposium will be "Advances in HCV Research and Treatment Towards Elimination" and will focus on vaccine research, HCV in pregnancy and childhood, and achieving elimination targets by improving diagnosis, linkage to care and access to HCV medications. We will highlight Canadian treatment successes during an interactive, community lead lunchtime symposium. We aim to encourage collaboration and exchange among researchers, policy makers and community members to improve health and achieve elimination of HCV in Canada.