Bio
Dr. Jean-François Éthier is 1 of 2 members representing Quebec (Region 4) on CIHI’s Board of Directors. Dr. Jean-François Ethier is a clinical research scholar (FRQS Junior 2) and a professor in the departments of Medicine and Computer Science at Université de Sherbrooke. He is also the co-director of the Groupe de recherche interdisciplinaire en informatique de la santé (GRIIS.ca) and practises as an internal medicine physician at the Centre hospitalier universitaire de Sherbrooke. In addition, he has been a member of the board of directors of Génome Québec since 2017.
Dr. Ethier is involved in a number of provincial, national and international projects. For example, he is a member of the executive committee and head of technology for the Health Data Research Network Canada (IRSC) as well as co-director of Ensemble pour les maladies rares, a collaboration between France and Quebec. Dr. Ethier’s work focuses on learning health systems. In particular, it centres on methods for accessing data in which citizens play active roles. A large part of the work also addresses the legal and ethical aspects of citizens’ access to health data. For example, his previous work on meta-consent has had tangible effects, including influencing the recently assented-to Bill 3.
Dr. Ethier develops theoretical approaches and concrete tools (platforms, ontologies, etc.) so that information and research systems can communicate with each other. For example, he is coordinating the development of the PARS3 data access platform, through which TGV certification will enable a secure rollout in Quebec and elsewhere. His work also focuses on methods to enable data usage in several jurisdictions without requiring bulk data pooling (distributed analysis). These solutions facilitate the flow of information between science and clinical practice. They propel health research while supporting health care professionals who make many clinical decisions every day.