Viral Hepatitis B and C among Immigrants: A Population Based Comparison Using Linked Laboratory and Health Administrative Data

Description

In Ontario, hepatitis is the most burdensome infectious disease, and disproportionately affects migrant groups. Novel treatments are constantly being developed, making treatment and prevention more economical; which subsequently impacts screening and testing practices. As such, continuous evaluation is needed to ensure efficient and effective use of public health resources. Abdool’s current research investigates the burden of viral hepatitis B and C among immigrants to Canada, using linked health admin data. There is currently a lack of population-level information on the distribution of viral hepatitis within Ontario, and his research will shed new light on its epidemiology, with applications towards the development of novel public health policies.

Abdool Yasseen is currently a doctoral candidate in epidemiology at the University of Toronto, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, and a senior Lupina fellow at the Munk school of global affairs. He has a BSc in biochemistry and statistics and an MSc in theoretical evolutionary ecology from Carleton University. He worked as an epidemiologist / biostatistician for the Public Health Agency of Canada, and as a methodologist for the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario, while continuing his studies in a graduate diploma in Population Health Risk Assessment and Management at the University of Ottawa. Abdool has developed expertise in obstetric / pediatric epidemiology, and became interested in hepatitis research through collaborative work focused on universal hepatitis screening during pregnancy.