Canadian Immunization Research Network

The Canadian Immunization Research Network (CIRN) is a network of over 100 researchers in 40 Canadian institutions that evaluates the safety and effectiveness of vaccines and vaccine programs. CIRN supports collaborative research among vaccine researchers and stakeholders, trains the next generation of immunization researchers (two New Investigators are included in this application), and facilitates two-way knowledge exchange between researchers and public health decision-makers. CIRN's priorities are determined by consultation with public health stakeholders, clinicians, and vaccine researchers. CIRN develops and tests methods to assess vaccine safety; assesses how well vaccines are working; evaluates vaccine programs for uptake; examines strategies to address parents' and clinicians' concerns about vaccination; and can quickly launch research when there are outbreaks or new infectious diseases. CIRN comprises 8 sub-networks: the Clinical Trials Network, Serious Outcomes Surveillance Network, Canadian National Vaccine Safety Network, Special Immunization Clinics Network, Provincial Collaborative Network, Reference Laboratory Network, Modeling and Economics Research Network, and Social Sciences and Humanities Network. 15 projects are proposed, addressing vaccine safety and immunogenicity (3 studies), population based methods evaluating vaccine effectiveness and safety (6 studies); interventions to improve vaccine acceptance and uptake (5 studies); and modeling and economic analysis of vaccine programs (1 study). These studies use a variety of methods including randomized controlled trials, motivational interviewing, semi-structured individual interviews, ethnographic field observation, environmental scans, and participatory research in Indigenous communities. Diseases addressed in these studies include those caused by: pneumococcus, meningococcus, influenza, human papillomavirus, mumps, Haemophilus influenzae type a, and pertussis.