Event Details

Candida auris (C.auris) is an emerging, multidrug resistant organism that poses significant challenges for infection prevention and control across health care settings. In January 2025, C. auris was classified as a Disease of Public Health Significance (DOPHS) under the Health Protection and Promotion Act (HPPA) in Ontario. 

This PHO Rounds will present an overview of C. auris and focus on an upcoming Ministry of Health (MOH) Enhanced Surveillance Directive (ESD) expected in July, which will communicate changes to the C.auris reporting expectations. Speakers from the MOH and PHO will cover the upcoming reporting changes, provide a refresher on infection prevention and control management, and provide an overview of available resources. The session will be followed by a 15-minute Q&A and a short survey. 

Intended Audience: 
Public health units

By the end of this event, participants will be able to:

• Describe the upcoming Enhanced Surveillance Directive (ESD) and summarize the new reporting requirements for C. auris.
• Identify PHO’s C. auris resources and explain how they can be applied in practice.
• Outline key infection prevention and control considerations associated with C. auris.
• Recognize the respective roles of the Ministry of Health and PHO in supporting implementation of the updated C. auris reporting expectations.

Kasey Gambeta, RN, MN, CIC is a Team Lead with Infection Prevention and Control (IPAC) at Public Health Ontario, where she leads teams providing provincial IPAC implementation and support across healthcare and congregate living settings. She has extensive experience in outbreak response, needs assessments, program development, and translating evidence into practical IPAC resources. With over 18 years of experience in healthcare and public health, Kasey has held roles as a Team leader, IPAC Specialist, and Registered Nurse. 

Dr. Julianne Kus, PhD, MSc, FCCM is Deputy Chief of Microbiology and Laboratory Science at Public Health Ontario. She leads a team of medical and clinical microbiologists which oversee diagnostic testing, quality, biosafety, test utilization, and pathogen preparedness at PHO’s laboratory. Additionally, as a Clinical Microbiologist, Dr. Kus oversees the clinical mycology laboratory, which includes Candida auris. She is internationally recognized as a leader and expert in mycology and bacteriology and chairs the Mycology Scientific Committee at the Institute of Quality Management in Healthcare, is a volunteer with several groups within the Clinical Laboratory Standards Institute and serves on editorial boards for Medical Mycology and the Journal of Clinical Microbiology. Julianne is also an Assistant Professor, Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology at the University of Toronto.

Dr. Kate Bingham, MD MSc CCFP(EM) FRCPC is an Associate Chief Medical Officer of Health for the province of Ontario. She was previously an Associate Medical Officer of Health in Peel Region for nine years, including serving as the Acting Medical Officer of Health. Kate completed her MD, Family Medicine residency, and Public Health and Preventive Medicine residency at the University of Toronto, and her MSc in Public Health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

The opinions expressed by speakers and moderators do not necessarily reflect the official policies or views of Public Health Ontario, nor does the mention of trade names, commercial practices, or organizations imply endorsement by Public Health Ontario.

Public Health Ontario Rounds are a self-approved group learning activity (Section 1) as defined by the Maintenance of Certification Program of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC).

Other colleges, including the College of Family Physicians of Canada, Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario and the Canadian Institute of Public Health Inspectors, may accept RCPSC accredited events on a per-hour basis. Please contact your relevant college should you have any questions.

In order to receive written documentation for Continuing Medical Education (CME) credits, please check "Yes" beside the question "Do you require CME credits?" on the registration form.

For more information or for a record of registration for other Continuing Education purposes, please contact capacitybuilding@oahpp.ca.

Public Health Ontario is committed to complying with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). If you require accommodations to participate in this event, please contact 647-260-7100 or capacitybuilding@oahpp.ca.