Walker Panel

The Walker Panel is also known as Ontario's Expert Panel on SARS and Infectious Disease Control. The Panel was established by the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care in May 2003. On 15 December 2003 the Panel released its Initial Report, which provided a series of 53 recommendations requiring urgent action. The Final Report of the Walker Panel was released in April 2004. It contained 103 recommendations.^[1][2][3][4]

SARS highlighted to the Panel key longstanding shortfalls with respect to infection control, including a need for provincial standards, shortages of necessary human resources and training opportunities, and facility design barriers.^{[citation needed]}

Members

The members of the Expert Panel on SARS and Infectious Disease Control were:^{[citation needed]}

• Dr. David Walker (medical academic), Dean, Faculty of Health Sciences and Director, School of Medicine, Queen’s University (Chair)
• Dr. Wilbert Keon, Chief Executive Officer, University of Ottawa Heart Institute (retired, April 2004) and Senator, Senate of Canada
• Dr. Andreas Laupacis, President and Chief Executive Officer, Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences, Toronto
• Dr. Donald Low, Chief of Microbiology, Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto
• Dr. Kieran Moore, Emergency Room Physician, Sudbury Regional Hospital
• Dr. Jack Kitts, President and Chief Executive Officer, The Ottawa Hospital
• Ms. Leslie Vincent (nurse), Senior Vice President, Nursing, Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto
• Dr. Robin Williams (paediatrician), Medical Officer of Health, Niagara Region and Clinical Professor, Department of Paediatrics, McMaster University