BY PAMELA FAYERMAN
ScienceUpFirst is a consortium of Canadian experts who are trying to disrupt the flow of misinformation by countering with accurate, science-based facts that will help individuals make truly informed decisions for their health.
You can read about the mission of the collective here in an article that appeared in Scientific American.
The consortium is independent of government but it receives an undisclosed amount of money from the Public Health Agency of Canada.
The experts include a broad array of doctors, mental health clinicians and researchers, and science communicators like Samantha Yammine.
On October 7th at 5 pm PST (and streaming live across Canada), the 2nd ScienceUpFirst virtual (on Zoom) panel will help guide families through safe events like Thanksgiving and Halloween, discuss a broad array of topics such as precautions for in-person sporting events, and address the matter of influenza season which is predicted to come roaring back this year.
Those who tune in can pose questions to a panel of doctors, psychologists, and public health experts. They are willing to cover everything from vaccines to virus science. They will also offer tips around difficult conversations such as those with anti-vaxxers. They can also address questions about mental health.
The experts include:

  • Dr. Tyler Black: suicidologist, emergency psychiatrist and pharmacologist.

  • Sabina Vohra-Miller: Pharmacologist and Advisor of the Institute for Pandemics at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health

  • Dr. Janine McCready: Infectious Disease Physician

  • The panel will be moderated by the aforementioned neuroscientist and science communicator Samantha Yammine.

This event is free for all to attend. You can register here.

The first TakeScience Town Hall focused on the return to school.  You can watch the recording here on the group’s YouTube channel.