Practical De-identification Methods

Welcome to the Practical De-identification Methods Course

Date: October 20, 2025

Location: 150 Elgin St, 8th floor, Ottawa, ON (in-person)

Join CANON and AccessPrivacy for this in-person interactive course where our expert instructors will teach you about practical de-identification methods.

Access to and sharing of data provides great benefits - it is the foundation for research, innovation and progress - but it also brings concerns about privacy. Preserving the privacy of personal information is an ethical and regulatory responsibility when using and sharing data. Understanding the concepts of privacy disclosure and translating them into practical methodology is crucial when using or disclosing personal data in real world situations. This course on de-identification methods will guide you through the concepts and methods used in a risk-based de-identification approach.

Learning Objectives:

• Gain a broad understanding of the considerations around managing disclosure risks in data
• Learn practical methods for evaluating and managing disclosure risks
• Understand what are good practices for de-identification and for managing disclosure risks more generally
• Understand how to explain and justify practices for evaluating and managing disclosure risks.

This course is informed by and grounded in existing international standards and guidelines around the world. It is taught by technical scholars in the field of applied de-identification who have contributed to a series of books on the topic.

Instructors:

• Khaled El Emam, Canada Research Chair in Medical AI, University of Ottawa and Senior Scientist, CHEO Research Institute
• Lisa Pilgram, International Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Ottawa, and Clinician Scientist, Charité Berlin

Background Materials

This course will follow the methods outlined in:

• by Khaled El Emam
• from the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario
• ISO/IEC 27559:2022

Continuing Professional Development

• Ontario: The program contains 6 hours and 45 minutes of Substantive content.
• British Columbia: This program contains 6 hours and 45 minutes of General content.
• Québec : Ce programme est admissible à 6 heures et 45 minutes de formation continue.

Disclaimer: This course provides information on de-identification methods based on current standards and guidelines and is not intended to provide legal or regulatory advice.

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