Dr. Yassen Tcholakov is a public health physician and Head of the Clinical Department of Public Health in Nunavik. From 2020 to 2026, he led infectious disease prevention and control, including the regional tuberculosis (TB) response in Inuit communities of northern Quebec. His work focuses on strengthening surveillance, outbreak response, and health system capacity to address persistently high TB incidence in remote and under-resourced settings.
Dr. Tcholakov is an Assistant Professor (Clinical) in the Department of Global and Public Health at McGill University, where he teaches global health governance and infectious disease epidemiology. He contributes to TB policy and advocacy through the WHO Civil Society Task Force on Tuberculosis, the Steering Committee of Stop TB Canada, and the World Medical Association. Within the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union), he serves as President of the Global Indigenous Stop TB Initiative and Scientific Liaison Officer of the TB Section. His work bridges implementation, policy, and research to advance equitable and sustainable TB control.
His current research interests include wastewater and environmental surveillance for TB and other infectious diseases, the evaluation of TB contact investigation strategies, ethical and equity implications of Directly Observed Therapy (DOT), and the integration of community leadership models in TB prevention and care. He contributes to developing surveillance approaches adapted to remote communities and trucked wastewater systems, with an emphasis on linking surveillance findings to public health action. He is also involved in national-level efforts to improve TB medication access, modernize data systems, and align Canada’s response with international elimination targets.
Current research projects:
- Wastewater-based health monitoring in northern communities in Nunavik, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, collaborator with PI Stéphanie Guilherme (Université Laval). This multidisciplinary project develops wastewater surveillance methods for early detection of infectious disease outbreaks in remote Indigenous communities in Nunavik. Specifically tailored to the unique challenges posed by decentralized truck-based wastewater collection systems, the study focuses on pathogens such as SARS-CoV-2, influenza, RSV, tuberculosis, vaccine preventable disease, etc. The project integrates engineering, statistical modelling, and public health surveillance, aiming to optimize sampling techniques and analytical methods. Results will inform local public health strategies, improve infectious disease surveillance capacity, and contribute to the resilience and health of northern Indigenous communities, serving as a model applicable across similar Arctic regions.
- Community-partnered infectious disease modelling to inform COVID-19 policies and advocacy in Nunavik, Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), co-investigator with PI Faiz Ahmad Khan (McGill University). This project aimed at enhancing public health response through improved disease modelling techniques specifically adapted for Nunavik. By leveraging local epidemiological data, this initiative sought to produce robust predictive models to guide health authorities' decision-making during the COVID-19 pandemic. The model incorporated regional specificities, addressing gaps in data availability, cultural considerations, and logistical constraints in remote northern communities. Outcomes included enhanced capacity for local public health teams to anticipate disease trajectories and implement timely, targeted interventions, significantly improving preparedness and response capabilities for future infectious disease threats. While initially aimed at COVID-19, the work eventually pivoted to tuberculosis.
Email: yassen.tcholakov [at] mcgill.ca
