Evidence-based decision making is a key cornerstone of Health Canada's work in developing food safety and nutrition policies and regulations. Following closely to the principles of the Health Canada Decision Making Framework, scientific evidence from various sources are used to inform post-market risk assessments, pre-market product approvals as well as policy and regulatory decisions. There are a number of current factors that impact the availability of up-to-date and reliable data that are needed to guide decisions on various complex food safety and nutrition issues. This presentation will highlight some of the challenges and opportunities in ensuring the continuing application of evidence-based decison making.
Dr. William Yan obtained his Bachelor and Master degrees in Microbiology and Ph.D. degree in Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases from the University of Alberta. He completed his post-doctoral training at Tufts University Medical School in Boston, MA before beginning his career in Health Canada as Research Scientist in 1995. Between 1999 and 2009, he was Head of the Office of Biotechnology, Chief of the Evaluation Division in the Bureau of Microbial Hazards, and Director of the Health Effects Division at the Pest Management Regulatory Agency. In 2010, Dr. Yan was appointed Director of the Bureau of Nutritional Sciences in the Food Directorate. Over a 10 year tenure, he led several high profile ministerial priorities under the Healthy Eating Strategy: the amendment of the nutrition labelling regulations; the prohibition of partially hydrogenated oils; sodium reduction, and the development of the front-of-package nutrition labelling regulations. He also led the work in developing the new Supplemented Foods Regulation in July 2022. In addition to his achievements in Health Canada, Dr. Yan has also helped shape the minds of students and young professionals as adjunct and part-time professor at the University of Ottawa for over 25 years and has continued to teach and lead undergraduate and postgraduate degree programs since his retirement from Health Canada in 2022. In 2024, Dr. Yan was awarded the CNS-SCN Fellow Distinction Award for his contribution to the work of the Canadian Nutrition Society.