Philip Abdelmalik

Role: Senior Programme Committee
Affiliation: Public Health Agency of Canada, Canada

Biography:

With an interest in creative technological solutions to applied public health problems, Philip has had the privilege of working with diverse interdisciplinary teams in multiple settings for over 15 years. Today, Philip is consulted on a variety of topics, both within Canada and internationally, ranging from the development and facilitation of training for public health professionals to non-traditional surveillance systems for public health intelligence and early detection.

Philip completed his Master’s in Community Health and Epidemiology at the University of Toronto and holds a doctorate in Health Informatics from the Universities of Plymouth and Exeter in the UK.

Abstract:

Early detection coupled with appropriate intervention can lead to improved outcomes. This was the impetus for the development of the Global Public Health Intelligence Network (GPHIN); a network capitalising on media content for the early detection of potential health threats. Maintained by the Public Health Agency of Canada, GPHIN recently began a renewal of its Web-based platform. Looking to explore the use of Social Media to complement its existing data inputs, this high-level overview of GPHIN and public health intelligence presents some of the challenges and opportunities of using Social Media for early detection and appropriate action in public health.