Ethical Preparedness: 'Ethics to Policy' in Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response

This research aims to enhance 'ethical preparedness' for infectious disease emergencies, i.e., being ready as a society not just to deal technically with an infectious disease emergency (e.g., epidemic, pandemic), but to do so in a way that is ethically appropriate and justified in ethical terms. The achievement of this objective is contingent on two activities: (1) rigorous and systematic research on key ethical issues expected to arise in future infectious disease emergencies, with a specific focus on how such issues have been shaped by Canadians' experiences with the COVID-19 pandemic and responses to it; and (2) effective translation and integration of such research and knowledge into decision-making in infectious disease emergencies (i.e., 'ethics to policy'). Working with public health decision-makers locally, provincially, and internationally, this program of research will significantly advance both of these aims in Canada by examining three central ethical challenges identified by policymakers that require scrutiny in the post-COVID-19 landscape (that is, following the advent of COVID-19), and by doing so in a way that is oriented toward the practical realities faced by decision-makers. These challenges include: (a) the equitable allocation of scarce resources like vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics; (b) balancing the rights of the individual and the interests of society when using population health interventions like isolation, quarantine, and mandates; and (c) the design and conduct of research in and for infectious disease emergencies. The principal outputs of this program of research will include a comprehensive 'Infectious Disease Ethics Playbook' that offers policy-oriented guidance in these domains, designed for use by decision-makers, as well as the establishment of best practices for generating ethical information, analyses, and advice for decision-makers in real-time when making decisions during infectious disease emergencies.