PICNet Newsletter – August 2026
PICNet staff members attend national conference in Toronto
(From left): Diandra Mark, Katherine Sunderland, and Sabbir Hossain in the conference plenary room.
Three PICNet team members attended the IPAC Canada National Conference held on May 24-27, 2026 in Toronto.
Katherine Sunderland (Senior Epidemiologist) and Sabbir Hossain (Surveillance Systems Coordinator)were awarded Diversey scholarships to cover all costs. Diandra Mark (Knowledge Translation Leader) attended the event on behalf of IPAC BC as an executive member.
With three members present in person, PICNet showcased their work in provincial infection prevention and control (IPC) surveillance.
The conference also provided valuable opportunities to connect with colleagues and partners from British Columbia, and across Canada.
For more information about PICNet’s presentations and poster, visit PICNet Conference Posters and Publications | PICNet.
New Hand Hygiene Basics course is launching in September!
The Hand Hygiene Basics course has been revised in collaboration with the Provincial Hand Hygiene Working Group and the Hand Hygiene Course Task Group. The new course will launch on LearningHub on September 3.
PICNet gratefully acknowledges the contributions of these groups, as well as the many provincial partners, reviewers, and subject matter experts who provided feedback throughout the course development process.
A coordinated communication plan with relevant details is in place to notify all relevant parties, including notices on the LearningHub and PICNet Website. More details to come in the future edition of this newsletter.
For any questions, please contact picnet@phsa.ca.
Explore the New Interactive Surveillance Experience
Quarterly Surveillance Report, Q4 of 2025/26
Recently, PICNet and health authority partners collaborated to modernize provincial IPC surveillance. Now, the provincial quarterly surveillance reports have transitioned from a static PDF to a dashboard that offers:
- interactive capabilities
- a user-friendly interface
- enhanced analytics including trend lines
The dashboard supports a more meaningful display of data across the province, while a built-in feedback process ensures the dashboard continues to evolve in response to real decision-making needs.
View the Quarter 4 2025/26 Provincial IPC Surveillance Report to see these enhancements!
Farewell, thank you and best of luck to Dr. Sean Ling in his new role
PICNet team session, November 2025
(From left back row): MdSabbir Hossain, Dr. Sean Ling, Diandra Mark, Noorsallah Esmail, Katherine Sunderland, Dr. Titus Wong
(From left front row): Andrea Vu-Tran, Tara Donovan, Yosuf Kaliwal
PICNet had the privilege of working closely with Dr. Ling since early 2025, as the team’s Medical Lead for Special Projects . His expertise, guidance, and collaboration were instrumental in advancing several key initiatives.
As chair of the Provincial AGMP Expert Working Group, he and his colleagues advanced provincial guidance through the review and publication of the Loop Electrosurgical Excision Procedure. The group also undertook targeted evidence reviews, in partnership with the UBC Therapeutics Initiative, to strengthen the scientific basis underpinning AGMP classifications and support future updates to the provincial list.
Sean’s contributions strengthened our collective efforts, and we are forever grateful for the support provided to our team. Luckily, Sean won’t be moving far! We wish him all the best in his new role as Medical Director, Infection Prevention & Control (IPAC) with PHSA.
Provincial Guidance for Viral Respiratory Illness in Health Care Settings
We are pleased to let you know that the updated Provincial Guidance on Return to Work and Exposure Management for Health-Care Workers with Viral Respiratory Illness is now available on the PICNet website.
We encourage you to share and disseminate the updated guidance with your teams and networks, as appropriate, to support awareness and implementation across your organizations.
Next, we will be updating existing VRI resources to ensure consistent formatting across all documents.
Partner events at PHSA
Join the 2026 BC Sepsis Symposium Series
Registration is now open for the 3rd Annual BC Resuscitation Sciences Series: Beyond Survival – A Sepsis Symposium for Systems, Science and Recovery, presented by Critical Care BC, Emergency Care BC, Child Health BC and Health Quality BC.
This virtual series brings together clinicians, researchers, health-system leaders, patients and families to explore sepsis prevention, recognition, treatment, recovery and research.
All sessions take place from 11:00 am to 12:30 pm:
September 1: Setting the Context
September 10: Sepsis Care Trajectory: Prehospital, Emergency Department, and Guidelines
September 22: Optimizing Recovery and the Future of Sepsis
September 29: Pediatric Sepsis: Advances, Insights, and Opportunities
Participants are welcome to attend individual sessions or the full series. Learn more and register on the Critical Care BC learning webpage.
We look forward to seeing you there!