ABOUT US
CANADIAN CENTER FOR VACCINOLOGY (CCfV)
The Canadian Center for Vaccinology is a collaboration of Dalhousie University, the IWK Health Centre, and Nova Scotia Health.
CCfV is Canada’s first and only fully integrated collaborative vaccine research facility spanning basic science, clinical studies, and social sciences. Focused on infectious disease and vaccine research, CCfV has conducted hundreds of academic and industry-sponsored clinical trials; surveillance studies; epidemiological studies; and social science studies.
THE CHALLENGE UNIT
Located at the IWK Health Centre in Halifax, NS, the Challenge Unit is the only of it’s kind in the maritimes. In 2022, the CCfV Challenge Unit opened its doors to the first whooping cough challenge study participants in Canada.
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The Challenge Unit was designed to contain contagious respiratory diseases. The facility features 10 isolation rooms, each equipped with HEPA-filtered exhaust air and negative pressure to prevent the spread of any viruses or bacteria.
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Participants stay in their own private room, equipped with a TV, high-speed internet, a desk, and an ensuite bathroom. Laundry and meal services are provided.
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Nurses monitor participant safety and comfort 24/7 from the Unit’s own nurse’s station. Each room is set up with monitoring and diagnostic equipment to care for participants’ health.
MEET THE TEAM
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Kara Redden (RN)
Kara Redden manages the day-to-day operations of the CCfV Challenge Unit and directs and supervises the team of nurses and research assistants. She is committed to providing quality and compassionate patient care while facilitating best practices at the patient-, clinical- and management-level. Kara’s background is in community and Public Health, pandemic response, and women’s health research. Her career has included contributing to women’s health research as a research assistant, assessing students in postpartum and newborn care as an instructor at McGill University, managing a health clinic, and, most recently, leading a team of nurses as a charge nurse with the Provincial COVID Response Team / Public Health Mobile Unit in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
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Dr. May ElSherif (MD, PhD)
Dr. May ElSherif is a clinical scientist and the Associate Director for Laboratory Management at CCfV, leading a team of research staff and collaborating with researchers from across Canada. Her background ranges from clinical responsibilities to microbiology and work related to infectious disease, vaccinology research, vaccine and clinical trials, and surveillance. In her earlier medical career, Dr. ElSherif worked as a primary health care physician in Egypt, and as a physician with a US Medical Research Unit in Cairo. She later transitioned into a role as Medical Research Scientist and Training Coordinator with her unit and held the lead lab position for the WHO/Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office Rotavirus Surveillance Network (EMRSN).
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Dr. Scott Halperin (MD, PhD)
Dr Scott Halperin is the Director of the Canadian Center for Vaccinology (CCfV) and Nominated Principal Investigator of the Canadian Immunization Research Network. He has played a foundational role in the establishment of these and other Canadian collaborative research networks undertaking evaluative vaccine research that informs public health policy and practice. Dr. Halperin’s area of expertise is pertussis, and his research focuses on the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of pertussis and other vaccine-preventable diseases. Dr. Halperin is also a Professor of Pediatrics and Microbiology and Immunology at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia.