Climate Change & Global Health Research Group

Previous Staff & Post-doctoral Fellows

Graduated Msc & Phd students

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Graduated Undergraduate Students

KELSEY ROBERTSON, MPH

Research Assistant | 2021-2024

Kelsey’s Previous Bio: Kelsey completed a Master of Public Health degree at the University of Alberta in 2019, and previously studied nursing at the University of Toronto and global development at Queen’s University. She has worked in diverse clinical settings with a recent focus on public health and infectious diseases. Kelsey is passionate about health equity and working with people and communities to generate meaningful change. She recently joined the Climate Change and Global Health team as a research assistant.

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Rachael Vriezen, MFARe

Research Assistant | 2021-2023

Rachael’s Previous Bio: Rachael holds Bachelor of Arts degrees in Economics and International Development, as well as a Master’s in Food, Agricultural and Resource Economics, from the University of Guelph. Her research interests include evidence synthesis, research quality, the economic burden of illness, consumer food safety, and animal health and welfare in the context of climate change. She currently works as a Research Assistant with the Climate Change and Global Health Research Group, providing support for synthesis research projects, scientific writing and publication development, and other research activities.

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KAITLIN PATTERSON, MSC  

PHD CANDIDATE, EPIDEMIOLOGY & INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT 
2015 - 2020

Kate’s Previous Bio: Kate is a PhD student in the joint program in Population Medicine and International Development at the University of Guelph. Her Masters in Health Geography from McGill University (Supervisor: Dr. Lea Berrang-Ford) focused on food security among the Indigenous Batwa of Kanungu District, Uganda. The food insecurity reported by the Batwa is among the highest in the published literature. Kate values a community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach and incorporates both quantitative and qualitative methods into her research. Kate is now shifting her focus to maternal and infant health among the Batwa, a key priority identified at the local and national levels in Uganda for her PhD. Additionally she is the database manager for the Arctic, Peru and Uganda for the Indigenous Health an Adaptation to Climate Change (IHACC) project.

Contact: @kateepi    |    kpatte08(at)uoguelph.ca   |   https://epidemiologykate.wordpress.com

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Laura Jane Brubacher, BSc

PhD Graduate, Epidemiology & International Development
2015- 2019

Laura Jane’s Previous Bio: Laura Jane is currently pursuing a collaborative PhD in Population Medicine and International Development Studies at the University of Guelph. She graduated with an Honours Bachelor of Science degree in Biomedical Science in 2015. During her undergraduate degree, she worked on a mixed methods project that analyzed health-seeking behaviour in response to acute gastrointestinal illness among the Indigenous Batwa peoples in Uganda, a population that was recently forcibly evicted from their ancestral lands. It was over the course of this project that she became interested in the importance of place to Indigenous peoples and its association with well-being. LJ’s doctoral research will involve learning about the centrality of place and connection to the land in Inuit conceptions of well-being, and how this may be associated with individuals’ experiences of healthcare provision.

Keywords:  place; healthcare experiences; health policy; participatory research; decolonizing methodologies

Email: weberl(at)uoguelph.ca

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Dr. Paola Alejandra Torres Slimming, MD, DTM&H 

PhD Graduate, UPCH
2017-2022

Paola’s Previous Bio: Dr. Paola Torres Slimming is a PhD student in the Life Science program at UPCH in Lima, Peru. Her research interests focus on reducing health threats to vulnerable populations by trying to understand how diseases interact with social determinants of health, poverty, inequity. Paola is interested in finding novel ways of conducting effective studies that can bring primary health care level solutions by incorporating patient and community engagement through evidence based research.

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Jamie Snook, MA

PhD Graduate, Public Health  
2016 - 2021

Jamie’s Previous Bio: Jamie Snook was born, raised, and still lives in Labrador. As the Executive Director for the Torngat Secretariat he is often immersed in inter-governmental and research discussions about Snow Crab, Greenland Halibut, Northern Shrimp, Seals, Polar Bears and Caribou to name some of the highlights. Jamie is a PhD student, studying Public Health through the Ontario Veterinary College’s Department of Population Medicine at the University of Guelph. Jamie is interested in Indigenous co-management, environmental stewardship, sustainable utilization, traditional knowledge, wildlife management, public policy analysis, communications, community wellness, community engagement, and leadership. Jamie is also the Mayor Happy Valley – Goose Bay, holds a Business degree, a professional designation from the Canadian Institute of Management, as well as a Masters in Ethno-Political Conflict Analysis and Management from Royal Roads University. Jamie is well travelled having visited all of Labrador, the Canadian provinces and territories, and many international locations such as Cuba, Mexico, Dominican Republic, United States, Thailand, Russia, Ireland, Spain, Iceland, Greenland, England, Switzerland, Holland, France, Morocco, and Germany.

Contact:  jamiesnook.ca | @jamiesno

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Matthew Pike, MA

PhD Graduate, Public Health  
2017 - 2019

Matthew’s Previous Bio: Matthew is from Happy Valley – Goose Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador (NL) but recently moved to Mount Pearl, NL. Much of Matthew’s career was spent working on the Muskrat Falls Hydroelectric Project in Labrador however, he left that project in the fall of 2017 to focus on Arctic and Indigenous peoples issues. Since then, he has lived and worked in Norway with the Arctic Council and in Finland with UArctic. In May of 2017, he helped lead a Nunatsiavut delegation to the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues in New York City. Matthew is interested in public health policy in Newfoundland and Labrador and policies surrounding the well being of Indigenous communities involved in or located near major natural resource developments. Matthew has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and Aboriginal Studies with certificates in Public Administration and Criminology from Memorial University. Also, Matthew holds a Master of Jurisprudence in Energy Law degree from the University of Tulsa, Oklahoma. Matthew is an active Rotarian and has volunteered with many organizations including Habitat for Humanity, Children’s Wish Foundation and the Melville Native Housing Association.

Contact: mpike03(at)uogeulph.ca

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David Borish, PhD

Post-Doctoral Fellow    
2021 - 2023

David’s Previous Bio: David is currently a Post-Doctoral Fellow co-supervised by Dr. Ashlee Cunsolo at the Labrador Institute of Memorial University.

David is a visual-based social and health researcher pushing at the frontiers of using audio-visual methodologies to explore and understand relationships between humans and the environment. His skillset and interests sit at the interface of public health, cultural and social wellbeing, wildlife conservation, audio-visual and qualitative research methods, and documentary film. Through his PhD, David worked in partnership with Inuit from the Nunatsiavut and NunatuKavut regions to document, analyse, and communicate their relationship with caribou. He co-conducted over 80 conversational filmed interviews with Inuit participants across 11 communities in Labrador, which make up the foundation of an Inuit-led, feature-length documentary film that David has been working on, called HERD (to be released in 2021). He also developed an innovative data analytical strategy that repurposes video-editing software for qualitative inquiry, which allowed him to explore these filmed interviews in-depth. Through this methodological approach he has published in high impact journals, including Global Environmental Change and the International Journal of Qualitative Methods. David is also the recipient of several awards, including a Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada Joseph-Armand Bombardier Doctoral Scholarship (2018), a National Geographic Wildlife Early Career Grant (2017), a Northern Scientific Training Program Grant (2017), and the University of Guelph’s Excellence in International Development Studies Prize recipient (2016).   

Keywords: Caribou; Indigenous Knowledge; Inuit; Wildlife Conservation; Indigenous Health; Traditional Knowledge; Participatory Research

Contact: dborish(at)uoguelph.ca   www.davidborishvisuals.com

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Crystal Gong, MSc

Research Assistant
2018-2020

Crystal’s Previous Bio: Crystal completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Guelph specializing in Biomedical Sciences. She contributed to several projects, including an analysis on nutritional health and food security within Inuit communities, and a systematic review on maternal health within Nunavut.

She completed her MSc in Epidemiology at the University of Alberta in the Climate Change & Global Health Research Group. Her research was centered on the intersection of health and the environment in the context of climate change in Bwindi, Uganda.

After graduating from her MSc in 2020, Crystal began medical school at the University of British Columbia - Vancouver Campus located on unceded Coast Salish Territory. She is excited to continue working with the Climate Change & Global Health Research Group as a part-time research assistant.

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Jacqueline Middleton, PhD

PhD Graduate
2015 - 2020

Where did Jacqueline go? Jacqueline works full-time as a Senior analyst with the Canadian Institute for Health Information. She is part of the Research and Analysis Data Division, working to deliver actionable information that will improve population health across Canada. On a casual basis, Jacqueline continues to apply her expertise in environmental epidemiology and provides project support for climate change and community health research through the School of Arctic and Subarctic Studies at Memorial University.

Jacqueline’s bio: Jacqueline completed her PhD in Population Medicine at the University of Guelph in 2020 under the supervision of Drs. Sherilee Harper and Ashlee Cunsolo. Using community-driven epidemiology and place-based approaches to health, Jacqueline’s thesis explored the mental health impacts of climate change in Nunatsiavut, Labrador, Canada. Prior to her graduate studies, she graduated with an Honours Bachelor of Science degree in Life Sciences from the University of Toronto in 2014, where she completed a major in Human Biology and Psychology, and minored in Environmental Biology. This diverse academic background developed her curiosity in interactions between the physical environment and human health and has drawn her to the field of EcoHealth. Jacqueline’s time spent as a research assistant in Psychiatry has led to her interest in mental health and well-being in the context of climate change. 

As a Project Manager in the Climate Change and Global Health Research Group, Jacqueline applied her research interests in environmental epidemiology and community health while providing support with various outreach and research projects.

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SHAUGN COGGINS, BSCH

Assistant Research and Program Coordinator
2019-2022

Shaugn’s Previous Bio: Shaugn was a research assistant with the Indigenous Health Adaptation to Climate Change (IHACC) Program through the University of Leeds from 2018-2019. She joined the Climate Change and Global Health Research Group as an Assistant Research and Program Coordinator after graduating with her Bachelor of Science in Environmental and Conservation Sciences at the University of Alberta in the spring of 2019. In this role she provided research and administrative support on various projects, with a primary focus on research activities under the IHACC program. During her time with the CCGH team, she further developed her passion for interdisciplinary and holistic approaches to research, particularly with respect to complex environmental issues, climate justice and community-based climate adaptation initiatives.

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Steven Lam, PhD, MPH

PhD Graduate
2017-2022

Where did Steven go? Steven offers research and evaluation services as an independent consultant. He supports community, academic, and governmental organizations in measuring and improving the impact of health and other development programs. He specializes in results-based management, theory-driven evaluation, qualitative research, mixed methods research, evidence synthesis, and knowledge translation. 

Steven’s bio: Steven holds a Credentialed Evaluator designation from the Canadian Evaluation Society, an MPH from the University of Guelph, and a PhD from the University of Guelph. His doctoral explored strategies for integrating climate change and equity into program evaluation, with the aim of ensuring that programs and their evaluations contribute to change in climate-responsive and equitable ways. This research was motivated by his interests in enhancing evaluation practice. 

Contact: thestevenlam(at)gmail.com | @thestevenlam | thestevenlam.com 

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Carlee Wright, MSc

MSc Graduate & Research Manager | 2017-2022

Where did Carlee go? Carlee is currently working as a research associate with ACER Consulting, based in Guelph, Ontario. ACER is an epidemiology and research communications team that specializes in agriculture, One Health research, and science communication. Carlee looks forward to bringing the experience and perspectives gained from her time with the Climate Change and Global Health Research Group to this new position. Check out her bio on the ACER website here!

Carlee’s Bio: Carlee completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Guelph in 2014, majoring in biological science. She joined the CCGH research team in 2014 to complete a thesis-based MSc in epidemiology at the Ontario Veterinary College, working under supervision of Dr. Sherilee Harper. Her research focused on drinking water and acute gastrointestinal illness (AGI) and was done in partnership with the Inuit community of Rigolet, Nunatsiavut.

After graduating in 2017, Carlee continued on as the Program Management Lead for the CCGH research team, and in 2018 moved to the University of Alberta in Edmonton to continue this position. During this time, Carlee supported a wide array of research project activities and administration, with a key focus on the CIHR-funded Indigenous Health Adaptation to Climate Change Research Program. Carlee’s years working at the University of Guelph and University of Alberta provided her with a number of learning opportunities, networks, and experiences which she will carry forward throughout her career.

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Danielle Julien DVM, MPH, PhD

PhD Graduate | 2013 – 2020* 

*2 years maternity leave 

Danielle was born in Grenada, West Indies and lived in St. Kitts and Barbados with her family, and many beloved dogs before moving to Guelph, Ontario, Canada. Danielle completed her PhD at the University of Guelph, Ontario Veterinary College (OVC), in the Department of Population Medicine (supervised by Drs. Jan Sargeant and Sherilee Harper) in May of 2020. 

Prior to this, Danielle completed a Master of Public Health (OVC, 2013) and a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) degree (OVC, 2008). As a veterinary student, Danielle had the unique and life-changing opportunity to volunteer in Kenya, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe as part of the Global Vets program facilitated by Veterinarians Without Borders. During this experience, Danielle became passionate about sustainable community health and One Health resulting in her desire to combine skillsets in veterinary medicine with One Health toward the control and prevention of zoonoses. She completed her veterinary student externship in the New Forest, Hampshire, UK before graduating from the DVM program. 

Danielle worked companion animal veterinary practice, biosecurity, and livestock research management before starting her PhD. Using epidemiological skills and the principles of One Health, Danielle’s collaborative research pertained to the sovereign states and dependant territories of North America, including southern Ontario and Iqaluit, Nunavut, Canada. Danielle’s PhD thesis (http://hdl.handle.net/10214/18039) was entitled: Epidemiology and One Health: Collaborative Research Investigating Public Health Challenges Related to Canines in Rural, Urban, and Remote Communities in Canada. This research resulted in four publications with two pending submission for publication. Danielle is exceedingly passionate about using empirical research findings and innovative knowledge translation techniques to effectively communicate and connect with a wide variety of audiences. She has presented and received awards for poster and oral presentations. 

Danielle has worked as a Research Associate in the One Health at UCalgary Office (https://research.ucalgary.ca/one-health) since moving to Calgary, Alberta with her family in September of 2019. Currently, she is also working as a research consultant with the Canadian Animal Health Surveillance System to develop a One Health framework to guide collaborative management of issues at the wildlife/domestic animal interface. In the fall of 2020, Danielle became the first Sessional Instructor for Introduction to One Health (ONEH*1000) at the University of Guelph. 

Read Danielle’s Research

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Jen Jones, PhD, MPH

PhD Graduate | 2014 - 2020

Jen defended her PhD dissertation at the University of Guelph in the Department of Geography, Environment and Geomatics in September 2020 (supervised by Dr. Harper, Dr. Bradshaw,  and Dr. Cunsolo).

Jen’s Bio: As a community-engaged scholar whose work broadly focuses on Indigenous social, cultural, and environmental determinants of health and well-being, Northern and Indigenous governance, participatory research methodologies, Indigenizing data, and decolonizing research, Jen has returned to an established professional career in Northern Canada. Jen also holds a Master of Public Health from the University of Alaska Anchorage. Both her PhD dissertation and MPH thesis focused on the way how the impacts of extractive industry on the health and well-being of Indigenous peoples are addressed in mechanisms such as health impact assessments, impact benefit agreements, and regulatory processes such as environmental assessments. Jen’s PhD thesis analyzed how to account for the impact of settler colonialism in assessing mining’s impact while tracing the limitations of existing indicators and metrics to underlying assumptions embedded in assessment tools. The title of her PhD is: Confronting Settler Colonialism when Assessing the Impact of Mining on Indigenous Peoples’ Health and well-being (https://atrium.lib.uoguelph.ca/xmlui/handle/10214/21276).

Jen has authored and co-authored numerous government and policy reports, has published three peer-reviewed journal articles, and has a book chapter in review. She taught at Yukon College and guest lectured at Yukon University, McMaster University, and the University of Guelph. 

Recently, Jen has been working with First Nation governments seeking to characterize community-defined indicators to monitor the socio-economic gap, mapping Yukon First Nation’s data and information landscape, and currently analyzing COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy for Yukon Government. 

Keywords: settler colonialism, health inequities, Indigenous, northern

Contact: jenjonesconsulting(at)gmail.com | Linkedin Profile

Read Jen’s Research

I respectfully acknowledge that I live and work in the Traditional Territories and Settlement Lands of the Kwanlin Dün First Nation and the Ta'an Kwäch'än Council.

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Alex Sawatzky, PhD

PhD Graduate | 2015 - 2018

Where did Alex go? Alex is currently the Special Projects Manager at the Labrador Institute of Memorial University, where she is working with multiple partners in Labrador and at Memorial to establish a Labrador Campus as well as the Pye Centre for Northern Boreal Food Systems.  Previously, she worked as the Visual Communications and Design Lead with the Climate Change and Global Health Research Group (2018-2019). Alex is also a freelance artist and designer who collaborates with community and institutional partners to develop visual tools for co-producing and mobilizing knowledge. 

Alex’s Bio: Alex completed her PhD in Public Health at the University of Guelph, under the advisory and mentorship of profs. Sherilee Harper and Ashlee Cunsolo. Alex’s doctoral research project grew out of a larger, community-driven project initiated in 2015 by the Inuit community of Rigolet, Nunatsiavut, Canada. This larger project sought to design, pilot, and evaluate the eNuk program: an Inuit-led integrated surveillance system. 

Emergent from community needs and priorities, the central goal of Alex’s research was to work with Rigolet Inuit to characterize the contributions of Inuit knowledge, values, perspectives, and lived experiences in influencing and enhancing processes involved in monitoring and responding to impacts of climatic and environmental changes on Inuit wellbeing. Her PhD thesis, titled “The Best Scientists are the People That’s out There”: Inuit-Led Integrated Surveillance for Place-Based Health Adaptation to Climate Change, showcased how Inuit-led integrated surveillance can provide a means of reframing and reclaiming how, and by whom, knowledge for climate change adaptation is produced and used. Existing ways of producing and using knowledge can support Northern communities as they determine and drive their own pathways forward in the face of unprecedented climate change.

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Kate Bishop-Williams, PhD

PhD Graduate | 2014-2020

Kate completed her PhD at the University of Guelph in the Department of Population Medicine (supervised by Dr. Harper, co-supervised by Dr. Sargeant) in January 2020.

She completed an Honours Bachelor of Science degree at the University of Guelph in 2012 in Bio-Medical Science, and a Masters of Science in 2014 in Epidemiology. Kate’s MSc introduced her to EcoHealth. Her MSc thesis was titled: The Impact of Heat Waves in Rural Southern Ontario on Dairy Cow Mortality and Human Emergency Room Visits. Using statistical and epidemiological skills learned in her Masters, Kate worked on a project in Bwindi, Uganda, identifying seasonal and meteorological patterns in acute respiratory infections and representativeness of hospital data for her PhD research. Her PhD thesis was titled: Climate change and health outcomes by Indigenous identity: Exploring factors that modify climate change effects on health in Uganda. Kate is particularly interested in the ability of clinical data to represent vulnerable populations.

At the time of graduation, Kate’s research had resulted in 12 publications and several under review or in preparation for submission. At the time of graduation, Kate had given over 50 presentations including invited presentations and keynote presentations. Kate has been a Sessional Lecturer at the School of Public Health and Health Systems at the University of Waterloo since January 2018 and initiated and leads the Podcasts In The Classroom program.

Kate is currently working as a Program Evaluator at Haldimand Norfolk Health and Social Services.

Keywords: Respiratory Infections, Epidemiology, EcoHealth, Rural

Contact: kbishop(at)uoguelph.ca | @kbishopwilliams | LinkedIn Profile

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Amy Kipp

Research Associate | 2017-2019

Amy is a former Research Associate with the Climate Change and Global Health Research Group (2017-2019). Amy’s background is in International Development and Human Geography. She is particularly interested in global, national, and community development and social justice, and how these issues play out in the everyday experiences of individuals. During her time in the lab, she supported students and faculty with their research, drawing on her skills in qualitative research methods; critical development and feminist perspectives; and proposal, report, and grant writing.

Highlights of Amy’s Contributions:

Key words: community development, human geography, gender and feminist analysis, community-based monitoring, rural and remote regions, health and wellbeing, climate change, qualitative methods

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Amreen Babujee, MPH

RESEARCH ANALYST | 2019 - 2021

Amreen previously worked as a Research Analyst with the Climate Change and Global Health Research Group (2019-2021). During her time with the research group, she supported the design and execution of various scoping reviews intended to inform Health Canada and IPCC assessments, and supported reviews for student projects. Additionally, she also assisted with knowledge dissemination through the use of social media. With an academic background in Public Health, Amreen now works as a Project Coordinator at CAMH in Toronto, Ontario.

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KATHARINE NEALE, MA

Policy RESEARCH ANALYST | 2019 - 2020

Katharine previously worked as a Policy Research Analyst with the Climate Change and Global Health Research Group (2019-2020). During her time with the research group, she supported the design and execution of large-scale scoping reviews intended to support Health Canada and IPCC assessments. She also assisted staff and students with their diverse research projects by leveraging her skills in qualitative and quantitative analysis, copy-editing, report writing, and grant proposal development. With an academic background in International Development and Cultural Anthropology, Katharine will continue to build her career in social policy analysis and Indigenous community-led research.

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Vivienne Steele, BSc, MSc

MSc Graduate | 2015-2018

Where did Viv go? Vivienne works full-time as a Data Analyst at the Better Outcomes Registry Network in Ottawa, Ontario. She is working with the Data Analysis & Research Team to analyze maternal and newborn health data which drives practice-changing research in Ontario.

Viv's bio: Vivienne is completed a MSc in Epidemiology at the University of Guelph. After graduating from McGill University with a BSc in Environmental Sciences, Vivienne was a research assistant for the IHACC Ugandan team. Inspired by an environmental health-focused exchange in a rural community in West Africa during her undergraduate studies, and her work experience in environmental consulting, Vivienne continued to expand her understanding of environmental health research. Vivienne's thesis focused on access to maternal health care services in rural Uganda using data she collected in visits to Bwindi Community Hospital in 2015.

Keywords: Maternal health, Uganda, Indigenous, rural, antenatal, community-based

Twitter: @SteeleVivienne

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Isaac Bell, BSc

UNDERGRADUATE HONOURS STUDENT
BIO-MEDICAL SCIENCE   |     2017-2019

Isaac graduated from the University of Guelph in 2019 with a bachelor's degree in Bio-Medical Science. He joined the Climate Change and Global Health Research Group in 2017 as a research assistant before completing an honours thesis course under the supervision of Dr. Harper. Isaac's project involved using survey data on research in the Canadian Arctic to examine how, and by whom, community-based research is conducted in this region. Isaac enjoys working with interdisciplinary teams and is passionate about the links between climate change, health, and environmental justice. Outside of academia you can find him playing soccer, planning a hiking trip, or hosting a radio show.

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MAESHA ELAHI

UNDERGRADUATE VOLUNTEER, BIOLOGY & PSYCHOLOGY
2019-2020

When in our research group, Maesha is a third year undergraduate student at the University of Alberta, working towards a Double Major in Biology and Psychology with a Certificate in Sustainability. After a healthcare internship, she found herself eager to learn more about and contribute to research in Social Determinants of Health as well as both social and environmental sustainability. Maesha is currently involved with the Climate Change and Global Health Research Team as a volunteer with a systematic literature review of Climate Change and Health in Eastern Africa.

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TIANNA RUSNAK

RESEARCH ASSISTANT | 2019 - 2021

Where did Tianna go? After her time in the Climate Change and Global Health Research Group, Tianna began a MSc in Human Nutrition with a focus in immunology.

Tianna’s previous bio: Tianna is a fourth year undergraduate student at the University of Alberta. She is currently finishing her last semester of a Bachelor of Science in Nutrition and Food Science, with a Minor in Global Health. Her interest in nutrition lies in the physical, emotional, and cultural significance of food preparation and sharing practices. As climate change challenges our food security and safety, Tianna found herself driven to learn more about potential solutions for communities and food systems around the world. She is involved with the Climate Change and Global Health Research Group as a Research Assistant.

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CARINA DE MICHELI

RESEARCH ASSISTANT 2020 - 2021

Carina’s previous bio: Carina completed her Bachelor of Science degree at the University of Toronto in 2018, double majoring in Human Biology: Global Health and Latin American Studies. She is currently an MPH student in Health Promotion at the University of Alberta. She has national and international experience, having volunteered in the Northwest Territories, Brazil, and Honduras. She also has experience in education. Her multidisciplinary background developed her interest in the relationship between diverse social, economic, cultural, historical, and environmental factors and health. She is passionate about equity, child health, sustainability, education, and community empowerment.

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Mark Andrachuk, PhD

Postdoctoral Fellow | 2017-2018    

Mark works with communities on issues related to human dimensions of environmental change and natural resource conservation. His background and expertise are in social-ecological resilience and transformations, governance networks, knowledge systems, and climate adaptation. As a Postdoctoral Fellow (with Dr. Ashlee Cunsolo, Labrador Institute and Dr. Dan Gillis, University of Guelph), Mark contributed to development of a community-based system for tracking environmental change in order to support wildlife stewardship and conservation. This monitoring system is centered on app-based data collection (e.g. using smart phones and tablets) in order to engage and empower Inuit sovereignty over adaptive responses to environmental change. For his doctoral studies at University of Waterloo, Mark investigated how fishing communities can create or become more engaged in programs to improve livelihoods and ecological sustainability. This work, based in Vietnam, explored questions about fishers’ perceptions of environmental change, how to further engage fishers in co-management networks, and how successes with small-scale fisheries management can be replicated across communities.

After Mark’s time in the Research Team, he began a Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Ottawa.

Contact:   Twitter: @markandrachuk

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Anna Manore, BSc, MSC  

MSc Graduate | 2015-2018

Where did Anna go? After graduation, Anna began a full-time Epidemiologist position with the Outbreak Management Division at the Public Health Agency of Canada.

Anna’s Bio: Anna graduated from the Bachelor of Science program in Microbiology at the University of Guelph in 2015. Co-op work terms at the Public Health Agency of Canada during her undergraduate degree sparked her interest in relationships between climate, environment, and human health. Anna completed her MSc in Epidemiology with the Harper Lab, where her thesis investigated the prevalence of foodborne pathogens in country foods harvested near Iqaluit. Anna's work fell under the umbrella of the larger People, Animals, Water, and Sustenance (PAWS) Project, which aims to develop a participatory, community-based environmental surveillance system to better understand and monitor pathogens causing acute gastrointestinal illness in Iqaluit.populations.

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 Stephanie Masina, BSc, MSc

MSc Graduate, Epidemiology | 2015-2018   

After graduating with her MSc in 2018, Stephanie now works as a Research Coordinator in the School of Nursing at the University of British Columbia - Okanagan Campus in Kelowna, BC. She is working on several research projects in the areas of maternal/child health, health equity, and knowledge translation.

Stephanie’s Previous Bio: Stephanie is a first-year MSc student in Epidemiology at the University of Guelph. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Sciences at the University of Guelph where she started a research project with Dr. Sherilee Harper and Kate Bishop-Williams exploring the burden of chronic gastrointestinal illness in Rigolet, Nunatsiavut. Stephanie developed an interest in how climate change affects water resources during her undergraduate co-op positions. In these roles, she monitored water quality and was introduced to waterborne disease mitigation and public health. Her thesis project aims to determine the prevalence and sources of waterborne pathogens in Iqaluit, Nunavut to explore why the rates of acute gastrointestinal illness appear to be high in this community. This is part of a broader, collaborative project (the PAWS project) aiming to develop a participatory, community-based environmental surveillance system to better understand and monitor pathogens in Iqaluit.

Keywords: parasites, water quality, waterborne disease, Inuit health, Iqaluit, Nunavut

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Nia King, BSc

Research Associate | 2015-2018

Nia’s Previous Bio: Nia is entering the fourth year of her undergraduate degree in Biomedical Sciences at the University of Guelph. Stemming from a love for global health, in 2014, Nia had the opportunity to conduct research in a small rural Kenyan village investigating community nutrition and the determinants of primary school absenteeism and dropout. For her 2015/2016 undergraduate research thesis, Nia worked with Rachael Vriezen and Dr. Sherilee Harper. She travelled to Rigolet and where she investigated the indirect economic costs of acute gastrointestinal illness (AGI) in order to inform a comprehensive cost-of-illness model. For summer 2016, Nia worked as a Research Assistant for Dr. Harper and focused primarily on Knowledge, Translation, and Exchange strategies, as well as researching the Climate Change Adaptation Landscape in Nunatsiavut, Labrador. Nia will be continuing her work as a Research Assistant this fall, and will also be completing an independent study course.

Keywords: Canada; Indigenous health; Inuit; Acute gastrointestinal illness; Cost of illness; Indirect costs; Health economics; Community-based research

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Julia Bryson

Undergraduate Honours Student
Bio-Medical Science   |     2016-2018

Julia’s Previous Bio: Julia is an undergraduate student majoring in Bio-Medical Sciences at the University of Guelph. She is passionate about global health, science, and social justice, which draws her to the interdisciplinary nature of epidemiology and the Harper Lab. Julia recently completed a systematic scoping review which investigates the associations between climate and the Neglected Tropical Diseases in East Africa with Dr. Sherilee Harper and Kate Bishop-Williams. She has also worked in Southwestern Uganda as a Research Assistant for Kaitlin Patterson’s study of maternal and infant health among the Batwa. Part of her time in Uganda was spent in local communities learning from women about their experiences with food during pregnancy. These discussions will inform her undergraduate thesis project investigating associations between climate and Indigenous maternal nutrition and food security in Kanungu District, Uganda.

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Mackenzie Wilson, BSc, MPH

Masters of Public Health &
International Development Studies Research   |     2017-2018

Mackenzie’s Previous Bio: Mackenzie is a first year student in the Master of Public Health and International Development Studies program at the University of Guelph, where she completed an Honours Bachelor of Biomedical Science with a minor in Nutritional and Nutraceutical Science in 2016. As part of her undergraduate research, Mackenzie worked in Cambodia studying the sodium intake of rural Cambodians. This has shaped her interest in Global Health and Nutrition.

As part of her Masters, Mackenzie is traveling to Southwestern Uganda to examine how national recommendations for antenatal care are being implemented at the community level by health care facilities to elicit understanding and compliance in women receiving care. The project aims to understand national, community and individual levels of maternal nutritional care. Using qualitative data obtained through focus group discussions and key informant interviews, the objectives of the project are to improve efficiency and delivery of antenatal care, as well as improving other areas of maternal nutrition services in the region.

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Chloe Zivot, BSc

Undergraduate Honours Student
International Development Studies   |     2017-2018

Chloe’s Previous Bio: Chloe is entering the final year of her undergraduate degree, majoring in International Development Studies, with an emphasis in Business and Economic Development. Over the course of her degree Chloe has developed a deep interest in food security, systems, and safety. After graduation she plans to pursue further studies surrounding global policy as related to food systems, climate change, and maternal and children’s health in the context of rural and indigenous populations both in Canada and abroad. Chloe really looks forward to working alongside the inspiring team in the Harper Lab this summer, and is thrilled to have the opportunity to contribute to the IHACC project.

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Jessica Purbrick, BSc

Undergraduate Honours Student
Arts & Science   |     2017-2018

Jessica'’s Previous Bio: Jessica is entering her fourth year of an undergraduate degree in Biomedical Sciences at the University of Guelph. Her academic interests span many areas including human health and physiology, population medicine and environmental science. After graduation Jessica hopes to pursue further studies in healthcare focusing on rural and indigenous communities. For the summer of 2017, Jessica will be contributing to the Indigenous Health Adaptation to Climate Change (IHACC) project, acting as an undergraduate research assistant in the Harper Lab.

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Matthew Buccioni, BSC

Undergraduate Honours Student
Biomedical Sciences   |     2017-2018

Matt’s Previous Bio: Matt is a fourth year student in the biomedical science program at the University of Guelph. Over the past few years, he has developed a passion for global health, epidemiology, and the dynamic relationship between human health and the environment. Matt has previously conducted research on implementing maternal and child health interventions in low-resource settings, leading to a strong interest in the process of translating research evidence into more equitable health policy. Matt is excited to join the Harper lab as an undergraduate research student in the Fall 2017 semester.

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Lindsay Day, MSc

MSc Graduate (2014-2017)

Where did Lindsay go? After graduation, Lindsay began a full-time position at the Gordon Foundation, as a Program Coordinator for the MacKenzie DataStream.

Lindsay's Bio: Lindsay completed her Masters of Science degree in Population Medicine at the University of Guelph. Through her graduate research, Lindsay worked with a diverse team of researchers and knowledge-holders on a Canadian Water Network-funded project that explored approaches to bringing Indigenous and Western knowledges together in water research and stewardship, and led the development of a collaborative podcast to share this emergent dialogue with a wide audience (www.WaterDialogues.ca). In 2017, she joined The Gordon Foundation as their DataStream Program Coordinator. In this role Lindsay works with communities and other collaborators to continually grow and improve Mackenzie DataStream, an online, open-access platform for sharing water quality data in the Mackenzie River Basin.

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Manpreet Saini, MSc

MSc Graduate (2014-2017)

Manpreet's Previous Bio: Manpreet completed her Bachelor of Science from McMaster University in 2013. Her undergraduate studies focused on cellular and plant biology. For her MSc, she is under the advisory of Drs Sherilee Harper, Steven Roche, and Andrew Papadopoulos. Her masters project stems from her interest in the environment, health and community outreach. Manpreet is working to understand important knowledge transfer and exchange strategies for research done with Inuit communities in Nunatsiavut, Labrador. Additionally, she is working on co-developing a whiteboard video to share health information with community members from Rigolet, Nunatsiavut, and evaluating the collaborative process and tool. For more information about the video you can visit: rigoletwhiteboard.com.

Keywords: participatory research, Inuit health, knowledge transfer and exchange, health communication, health promotion

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Anna Bunce, MA

Project Manager (2015-2016)

Where did Anna go? After working as a Project Manager for our team, Anna Bunce now works as First Nations Advisor for the Ministry of Forests, Lands, and Natural Resources in British Columbia.

Anna's Previous Bio: I am a early career social scientist interested in the human dimensions of climate change.  Currently I am working as a researcher and project manager for the People, Animals, Water, and Sustenance (PAWS) project associated with the University of Guelph and Cape Breton University, as well as the eNuk Environment and Health Monitoring Project, working with Dr. Ashlee Cunsolo and Dr. Sherilee Harper.

Contact: www.annabunce.com  

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sarah Syer, MSc

MSc Graduate (2014-2015) 

Sarah's Previous Bio: Sarah completed her course-based MSc in Epidemiology. She completed an Honours Bachelor of Science degree in Nutrition and Nutraceutical Science, with a minor in Mathematical Science, from the University of Guelph in 2014. The focus of her research project was malnutrition within Indigenous Populations in Kanungu District, Uganda. Sarah has always had a passion for nutrition and health promotion at both the individual-level and community-level. She hopes that her research project will shed light on the prevalence and risk factors of malnutrition in this community through the use of effective knowledge translation strategies.

Keywords:  Clinical undernutrition; Paediatric; Prevalence; Anaemia; Uganda; Weight-for-age; Malnutrition; Kwashiorkor; Marasmus; Hospital malnutrition.

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Ellen McDonald, MSc

MSc Graduate (2013-2015)

Where did Ellen go? After graduation, Ellen began working as an Administrator at the Parry Sound Family Health Team learning about many of the behind the scenes activities in Northern Ontario primary healthcare programs (e.g., Memory Clinics, hypertension, well-baby visits, smoking cessation, postpartum depression, immunizations). She is most excited about her involvement in data collection, analysis, and interpretation at the Health Team for Ontario Quality Improvement Plan Initiatives and is looking forward to taking part in the action piece of this research-to-action.

Ellen's Previous Bio: Ellen completed an Honours Bachelor of Science degree in Biomedical Science at the University of Guelph in 2013. She is the Founder & Director of Akwaaba Education Initiative, a charity collaborating with a remote community in Ghana, West Africa to improve basic education and overall health. Stemming from a lifelong passion to better health outcomes in remote Indigenous communities internationally, she was hired as a research assistant with IHACC in the summer of 2013. As a research assistant, she travelled to Iqaluit, Nunavut to aid in the conduction of the May 2013 Burden of Illness Study. She is currently working towards an MSc in Epidemiology, and is excited to begin understanding the burden of acute gastrointestinal illness for Inuit in Iqaluit. She is also interested in determining ‘best practices’ for knowledge translation and exchange of health-research in Inuit communities.

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Emily Nunez, BSc

Undergraduate Honours Student
Bio-Medical Science   |     2016-2017

Where did Emily go? After graduation, Emily started a MSc in Epidemiology at Western University.

Emily's Previous Bio: Emily is in her fourth year of an undergraduate degree in Biomedical Sciences at the University of Guelph. She is also minoring in Neuroscience and completing certificates in Aboriginal Affairs and in Civic Engagement and Global Citizenship. For the summer of 2016, Emily is working as a Research Assistant in the Harper Lab with a focus on plain language research dissemination and writing a scoping literature review on diarrheal disease in Peru. This review will inform Emily's upcoming project on acute gastrointestinal illness in an Indigenous Shawi community in the Peruvian Amazon.

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Lisa Xuan, BSc

Undergraduate Research Assistant | 2016

Where did Lisa go? After her time in the lab, Lisa went to medical school at University of Ottawa

Lisa's Previous Bio: Lisa was a third year student in the Biomedical Science program at the University of Guelph. She worked as a research assistant for the lab during the summer of 2016. Her primary focus was knowledge translation and dissemination of research information into more accessible forms for stakeholders and community members. During her time in the lab she has made posters, infographics, websites, and more. She also worked on compiling Acute Gastrointestinal Illness survey data from Rigolet, Canada into a booklet form for policy makers.

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Julia Veidt, BSc

Undergraduate Thesis Student | 2015-2016

Julia's Previous Bio: Julia is a fourth year student in the Bachelor of Arts and Sciences (Honours) program at the University of Guelph, minoring in Biology and International Development. She is working with Dr. Sherilee Harper and MPH student Steven Lam on her honours thesis evaluating perceptions of agricultural waste management in Vietnam, which is currently under review at the International Journal of Public Health. She has a long-standing interest in health care, public health, and health education in developing countries and underserved communities. In addition to her studies, Julia is a member of the Guelph Gryphons varsity swim team and has been an Academic All-Canadian throughout her undergraduate career. Once she has completed her undergraduate studies, Julia plans to travel and go on to pursue further educational opportunities.

Keywords: Risk perceptions, health risks, public health, wastewater, waste management, agricultural intensification, Vietnam.

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Ginneth Camila Angarita, BSC

Undergraduate Research Assistant | 2015

Camila's Previous Bio: Camila is originally from Colombia, and has finished her 3rd year of her Bachelors degree in Animal Biology and Nutrition and Nutraceutical Sciences. She is the co-founder and president of Hand of Latin America; an on-growing community at the University of Guelph whose main objective is to spread awareness about the needs of the people in Latin American communities. Camila will be working as a research assistant for Dr. Sherilee Harper and PhD student Paola A. Torres Slimming. She considers herself a passionate traveller, which has led her to volunteer on some research projects around the globe.

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Rebecca Palmer, BSc

Undergraduate Research
Assistant | 2015-2016

Where did Rebecca go? After her time in the research group, Rebecca went to veterinary school to pursue a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine.

Rebecca's Previous Bio: Rebecca is currently pursuing her undergraduate degree in the Bachelor of Arts and Science (BAS Hons.) program, completing minors in Biology and International Development. She will be doing a fourth year Independent Study with Dr. Harper. While her Independent Study work is to be determined, Rebecca is very excited to become more involved in the Harper Lab and explore the intersection of health and the environment. She is currently working for both Dr. Todd Duffield and Dr. Harper as an Undergraduate Research Assistant.

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Sabrina Beauchamp, BSC

Undergraduate Honours Student
Bio-Medical Science | 2015-2016

Where did Sabrina go? After graduating from UofG, Sabrina went to McMaster University to start a two year accelerated nursing program (BScN) with goals to pursue a career as a Nurse Practitioner.   

Sabrina's Previous Bio: Sabrina is in her fourth year of her undergraduate degree in Bio Medical Science at the University of Guelph. She is looking forward to studying environmental impacts on human health, especially among populations in Uganda. Sabrina will be conducting a literature review of a climate-sensitive health topic in the summer of 2015 and will continue working in the Harper lab on a fourth year undergraduate thesis project in the fall. Sabrina's fall-winter project involves determining an approach to systematically reviewing content on blogs related to climate change and health.

Keywords:  Canadian, newspaper articles, systematic literature review, health, climate change, public perceptions.

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Jessica Helwig, BSC

Undergraduate Honours Student
Bio-Medical Science | 2015-2016

Where did Jess go?  After graduation, Jessica enrolled in the Master of Public Health program at the University of Guelph.

Jess's Previous Bio: Jessica is in her fourth year of her undergraduate degree in Bio-Medical Science at the University of Guelph. She is currently working on a fourth year undergraduate thesis project for the 2015/2016 school year with Dr. Sherilee Harper and Kate Bishop-Williams. Jessica’s project involves an evaluation of the Health Record System used in a hospital in rural Uganda. Jessica is interested in all aspects of epidemiology and is looking forward to applying Ecohealth concepts in her research. Jessica intends to pursue a MSc following graduation in epidemiology and public health.

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Jenifer Truong, BSC

Undergraduate Research Assistant | 2014

Where did Jen go?  After her time in the lab, Jen went to medical school at McMaster.

Jen's Previous Bio:  Jenifer recently graduated from the University of Guelph with a Bachelor of Science degree.  Her previous research involved assisting in a systematic review relating to waterborne disease outbreaks in Canada and the U.S. in the last fifty years, as well as looking into consumer knowledge of foodborne illness in Guelph. Jenifer will be working as a research assistant for Dr. Sherilee Harper throughout the summer of 2014. Her project will look at evaluating a public health campaign on water safety by Inuit high school students. Her research interests include food and waterborne illnesses, social determinants of health and sustainable livelihoods, ecosystems approach to health research and understanding, and the impact of climate change on indigenous health and well-being.

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Rebecca Wolff, BSc

Undergraduate Honours Student
Arts and Science | 2014-2015

Where did Rebecca go? After my B.A.S I was one of 25 young Ontario leaders accepted into an 8-month fellowship in systems change and leadership at MaRS Discovery District (Studio Y). While a part of the fellowship I worked with the UoT medical school to design and develop curriculum to teach Indigenous health to medical students, a project which I am still continuing now that the fellowship has ended. Since May 2016 I have begun a journalism project looking at the effects of oil spills on Indigenous communities in the Amazon, and starting September I will continue this project while leading gap-year semester programs in South America!

Rebecca's Previous Bio: Rebecca is a 4th year student in the Bachelor of Arts and Science program at the University of Guelph. In 2013 she spent the summer working as a research assistant with the IHACC Peru team, helping to collect medical data and profile IHACC’s partner communities in Peru. As part of an independent study, she published a paper on Indigenous health knowledge and integrative healthcare systems in Peru. For her 4th year independent study, Rebecca will be working with IHACC Shawi communities in Peru on perceptions and cosmology around water and waterborne illness. Throughout her undergrad Rebecca has worked with Latin American Indigenous communities. She plans to continue collaborating on issues of Indigenous rights and health in Peru after completing her undergraduate degree.

Keywords:  water, oil spills, one health, ecohealth, spiritual beliefs, diarrhea, Peru

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Alison Sumner, BSc

Research Assistant | 2014-2015

Where did Alison go? Alison graduated from the University of Guelph in 2015 and moved to Toronto to begin her Medical Doctor program at the University of Toronto.

Alison's Previous Bio: Alison recently graduated from the University of Guelph with an Honours Bachelor of Arts and Science in Anthropology and Biology, and completed her fourth year Independent Study in the Harper Lab, conducting research on the seasonality of AGI in Batwa communities in Uganda. She is excited to continue her work with the lab this summer as a Research Assistant, developing and implementing a Knowledge Translation and Exchange strategy to disseminate IHACC research findings to Inuit research partners and communities in the Canadian Arctic.

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Sierra Clark, BSc

Research Assistant
McGill University | 2013-2015

Research Assistant, McGill University | 2013-2015

Where did Sierra go? Sierra was recently awarded a CIHR Masters scholarship and will be starting her MSc in Epidemiology next Fall at McGill, investigating the cardiovascular impacts of clean energy interventions in the Tibetan Plateau.

Sierra's Previous Bio: Sierra graduated from McGill University with a Bachelors of Arts degree (Honours) in Geography and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) with a focus on Indigenous health and patterns of infectious disease transmission and risk.  Sierra worked with Dr. Sherilee Harper and Dr. Lea Berrang-Ford on an honours thesis that combined quantitative and qualitative methods to understand the burden and the lived experience of acute gastrointestinal illness for Indigenous Batwa in southwestern Uganda. The quantitative chapter of Sierra’s thesis was recently published in the journal Epidemiology and Infection.  More recently, Sierra has been conducting a longitudinal analysis of long lasting insecticidal net coverage and use among Batwa after a mass distribution campaign to assess socioeconomic factors affecting net retention and uptake.

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Rosalind Bihun, BSc

Undergraduate Honours Student
Bio-Medical Science | 2014-2015

Rosalind's Previous Bio: Rosalind is a 4th year undergraduate student at the University of Guelph, majoring in Bio-Medical Science. She is working with Dr. Sherilee Harper during the 2014/2015 school year in order to complete a 4th year research project. Her project will focus on water-related acute gastrointestinal illness in Rigolet, Nunatsiavut. Rosalind has previously worked on pre-clinical vaccine research as a summer lab student at Pfizer's Vaccine Research Ottawa site.

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KAREN YEE

UNDERGRADUATE VOLUNTEER, PSYCHOLOGY
2020 - 2021 

Karen’s Previous bio: Karen is entering her fourth year of undergraduate studies, majoring in Psychology and minoring in Biological Sciences. While pursuing a Research Certificate in Science (Psychology), she has developed an interest in learning more about the ways in which environmental and cultural factors play a part in healthcare and health research. At present, Karen is a volunteer with the Climate Change and Global Health Research Group, helping to transcribe and employ qualitative methods in the analysis of data studying the maternal health of Indigenous women.

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KATELYN FOX

UNDERGRADUATE VOLUNTEER, PHYSIOLOGY 
2020-2021

Katelyn’s Previous bio: Katelyn is entering the final semester of her undergraduate degree in Honours Physiology at the University of Alberta. Over the course of her degree, Katelyn has gained extensive experience in research, working in the Songbird Neuroethology Lab and the Neurochemical Research Unit, completing an undergraduate thesis, and being a recipient of the Undergraduate Research Initiative (URI) stipend. After these wonderful experiences, Katelyn wanted to focus her research skills on issues that she is most passionate about, specifically maternal health and the environment, which is why she is so excited to be joining the Climate Change & Global Health Research Group as a volunteer. 

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MAI HUYNH

UNDERGRADUATE VOLUNTEER, IMMUNOLOGY AND INFECTION HONORS
2020-2021

Mai’s Previous Bio: Mai is a fourth year undergraduate student at the University of Alberta enrolled in a Bachelor of Science with Honours in Immunology and Infection with a Certificate in Biomedical Research. With a passion for both science and research, she has sought out multiple opportunities for undergraduate research in child health and is involved in different initiatives that work towards STEM outreach. She has experience conducting research in an immunology lab studying the susceptibility of neonates to a wide array of infections. With an interest in the way climate change intersects with public health, Mai is keen on discovering more ways that she can contribute to maternal health research. 

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CHRISTOPHER CHAN

UNDERGRADUATE VOLUNTEER
2020 - 2021

Christopher’s Previous Bio: Christopher is entering his final year at the University of Alberta, currently working towards a Bachelor of Science in Biology with a Minor in History and a Certificate in Sustainability. His passion for wild spaces as well as an interest in historical and contemporary understandings of human experience have led him to pursue opportunities within a planetary health lens. Christopher is currently working with the Climate Change and Global Health Research Group on a scoping review of Indigenous Maternal Health.

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AYLA HERMANUTZ

UNDERGRADUATE VOLUNTEER, ANIMAL BIOLOGY,
2020-2021

Ayla’s Previous Bio: Ayla is a fourth-year undergraduate student at the University of Alberta, working towards her BSc Honours in Animal Biology with a Certificate in Sustainability. In the course of her degree, Ayla has developed an immense interest in climate-health research, alongside the intersection of environmental well-being and human health. She is passionate about sustainability, maternal health, and community empowerment. Ayla is currently involved with the Climate Change and Global Health Research Team as a volunteer transcriber, working on reviewing maternal care interviews with the Batwa of Uganda.

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HELEN HA

RESEARCH ASSISTANT, BACHELOR OF SCIENCE
2020-2021

Helen’s Previous Bio: Helen completed her Bachelor of Science degree at the University of Alberta in 2020, majoring in psychology with a Certificate in Research and International Learning. She is excited to learn and contribute to Indigenous health research as well as explore how environmental factors contribute to health outcomes. Helen is a part of the Climate Change and Global Health Research Team as a Research Assistant on the systematic literature review on the topic of maternal Indigenous health. 

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SUBHANA TAZRIAN

UNDERGRADUATE VOLUNTEER, BIOCHEMISTRY HONOURS
2020-2021 

Subhana’s Previous Bio: Subhana is a second year undergraduate student at the University of Alberta, currently working towards an Honours degree in Biochemistry. She aspires to get involved with medical research, preferably Oncology. Subhana is currently involved with the Climate Change and Global Health Research Team working on a systematic literature review of Aboriginal Maternal Health.

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MEGAN MACASAET

UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH VOLUNTEER, DIETETICS
2020-2021

Megan’s Previous Bio: Megan is a second-year undergraduate student at University of Alberta specializing in Dietetics. Passionate about the food security issue and rectifying global disparities in public health, she hopes to enhance her understanding of the environmental and socio-economic factors that affect access to quality health care. Currently, she is aiding a systematic literature review on Indigenous Maternal Health with the Climate Change and Global Health Research Team. 

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MARY CHEUK

UNDERGRADUATE VOLUNTEER, PSYCHOLOGY
2020-CURRENT

Mary’s Previous Bio: Mary is a third year undergraduate student at the University of Alberta, currently working towards a Bachelor of Science in Psychology. Her areas of interests include mental health and neuroscience, especially in clinical settings. She is passionate about learning more about global issues and cultures. Mary is currently working on a scoping literature review of Indigenous Maternal Health with the Climate Change & Global Health Research Group. 

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SARDEEV BAJWA

UNDERGRADUATE VOLUNTEER, HONOURS PHYSIOLOGY
2020-2021

Sardeev’s Previous Bio: Sardeev is a third year undergraduate student working towards a B.Sc. in Honours Physiology at the University of Alberta. After a year of working in a research lab and carrying out projects such as characterizing inhibitors for SARS-CoV-2 antiviral development, Sardeev developed a keen interest in the translation of 'bench' science into public health and the social context of healthcare delivery. She is currently working on a systematic literature review on Indigenous Maternal Health Outcomes with the Climate Change and Global Health Research Team. 

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Sahar Fanian, MPH

Research Assistant
University of Toronto | 2015

Sahar's Previous Bio: Sahar is currently finishing up her MPH at the University of Toronto in Health Promotion with a focus on Global Health and Indigenous Health. Broadly, her research interests involve understanding social, cultural and environmental determinants of community health and wellbeing. For her practicum last summer, she worked in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories looking at mental health resiliency and suicide prevention among Indigenous people across the circumpolar north. She also had the opportunity to design and pilot a creative arts and music workshop with the aim of using arts as an avenue for wellbeing and resiliency among Indigenous youth. For her Masters research project this summer, she is excited to be working on the Climate Change and Health Network (CCH-Net) project, exploring Inuit indicators of health and wellbeing as well as community-based climate-health adaptation strategies within the context of climate change in Nunatsiavut, Labrador. She is particularly passionate about using participatory and creative approaches, like digital storytelling and photography, to spark community discussions on the relationship between environment and health and to develop relevant and engaging knowledge-sharing strategies. Sahar is co-supervised by Drs. Sherilee Harper and Ashlee Cunsolo Willox.

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ETIENNE DE JONGH

SUMMER STUDENT
2019

Etienne’s Previous Bio: Etienne is a third-year undergraduate student at the University of Alberta, currently working towards a Bachelor of Science in Animal Health. His passion for agriculture and the outdoors—stemming from his family’s background in farming in South Africa—has led him to pursue multiple undergraduate sustainability research opportunities. These include a Certificate in Sustainability as well as research funded by the Undergraduate Research Initiative (URI) under the supervision of Dr Simon Otto, Dr Sherilee Harper, and Dr Shelby Yamamoto, looking at honey bees as a model One Health organism in a changing world. His research interests involve looking at animal health as a subset of environmental and human factors, including areas such as zoonoses, One Health, EcoHealth, public health, disease ecology, and pathogenic persistence in the environment.

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ANDREA VALDIVIA

UNDERGRADUATE HONOURS STUDENT
NUTRITION  
2019-CURRENT

Andrea’s Previous Bio: Andrea is entering the final year of her undergraduate degree, majoring in Nutrition, with an emphasis in Public Health at the Cayetano Heredia Peruvian University. Her Honours Thesis project is supervised by Drs. Zavaleta, Carcamo, Garcia, and Harper. In the course of her degree, Andrea has developed an enormous interest in Indigenous culture, food security in natural disasters and climate change. After graduation she aims to participate in the Urban-Rural Marginal Internship Program (SERUMS), working at the primary care level in the rural or urban-marginal area, where she can help provide solve nutritional problems like anemia or chronic malnutrition. She aims to do more research in the context of the impact of climate change and how it affects the food systems and food security in Peruvian Indigenous communities. Andrea is really excited to be in the Global Health and Climate Change Research Group as an academic visitor this summer and to collaborate with them, as well as working on her bachelor’s degree thesis which is going to be focused in the Shawi Indigenous People in the nutritional context.

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EDRIS FORMULI

UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ASSISTANT | 2022-2023

Edris’ Previous Bio: Edris is a second-year undergraduate student at the University of Toronto Scarborough, currently working towards an Honours Bachelor of Science in Population Health. He has a passion for science communication and has been writing science articles since high school. His journalistic scope includes critiquing environmental issues and exploring how they intersect with human health. Edris’s research interests lie within public health and he enjoys studying how climate change affects the epidemiology of infectious and non-infectious diseases.

Edris joined the Climate Change and Global Health Lab as a research assistant to assist with screening journal articles for a systematic scoping study on climate change and population health outcomes across North America. He is also writing news stories summarising recent lab publications and achievements to support knowledge translation at the lab.

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AIZA ASIF

UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ASSISTANT 2020 - CURRENT

Aiza’s Previous Bio: Aiza is an undergraduate student going into her third year at the University of Guelph, currently working towards a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Science. Originally from Northern Ontario, Aiza is passionate about improving health outcomes for individuals in rural, northern, and low resource regions in Canada and around the world. During her time at Guelph, she has been involved in a variety of global and public health related research projects. Aiza is joining the Climate Change and Global Health Research Team as a research assistant, working on a literature review which will focus on the impact of climate change on the health of rural and northern populations in North America.

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YANYA YANG

WISEST RESEARCH ASSISTANT
2022

Yanya’s Previous Bio: Yanya Yang was a Casual Research Assistant as part of the WISEST Summer Research Program in the summer of 2022. Her project looked at how Canadian articles report on terms such as "ecological grief" and "ecological anxiety" to make recommendations on how to improve the media portrayals of such terms. She is currently a high school student at Harry Ainlay High School and hopes to pursue a career that will allow her to make a difference in the world through fighting the climate crisis.

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SIMRAN PANESAR, BSC HONS.

2020 - 2022

Simran’s Previous Bio: Simran holds a degree in Honors Physiology from the University of Alberta. Simran’s passion for environmental conservation began at the age of 13 while learning about the importance of watersheds in her science class. She spent her years prior to attending university, organizing and executing conservation-based, educational events for Edmonton youth, including activities such as native tree planting. Her years of efforts in conservation earned her the City of Edmonton Urban Forestry Award in 2016. Simran is currently a senior volunteer of the University of Alberta Sustainability Council and has helped host sustainability-related events on campus while training incoming volunteers. Simran’s involvement with the Climate Change and Global Health Research Group has included transcribing and analyzing maternal health interviews with Indigenous Batwa women in Uganda. Simran’s passion lies in exploring how environmental disparities and climate change can directly/indirectly influence the health/wellbeing of our community members. She looks forward to further exploring these topics in collaboration with this research group, along with being part of innovative solutions to the global, environmental and health care crisis.

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Sarah Djuric, Rn, MPH

2024

Sarah’s Previous Bio: Sarah is a Masters in Public Health student, specializing in Environmental and Occupational Health. She completed her Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 2018 from MacEwan University and has been working in the Operating Room at the Stollery Children's Hospital in Edmonton ever since! Sarah also has experience working with the Cancer Strategic Clinical Network where she helped work on the provincial roadmap for cancer care in Alberta. Sarah also has experience with occupational health nursing, having worked for Amazon where she was the first point of care for more than 800+ people. Sarah shifted gears to explore the intersection between health and climate change after noticing how the environment is changing and was left wondering how this will impact our health and wellbeing, and more importantly, what can be done about it. After hours, Sarah looks forward to daily walks with her doggie Zeus and brewing the perfect cup of London fog. 

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Madison Cooper

MSc Candidate, Health Promotion and Socio-behavioural Sciences
2020 - 2024

Madison’s Previous Bio: Madison is a Master's student at the University of Alberta, pursuing an MSc in Health Promotion and Socio-behavioural Sciences. Her research interest is in climate change and mental health. She completed her undergraduate degree in Environmental Studies at Laurentian University, where she began research on how "ecological grief," the grief felt in relation to real or anticipated loss, manifests in the post-secondary classroom. Under the supervision of Drs. Sherilee Harper and Ashlee Cunsolo, Madison's research will examine how the incidence, prevalence, and distribution of climate-sensitive mental health outcomes, including ecological grief, are affecting youth across the country.

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Tony Yuen

Adaptation Resilience Training Intern

Tony’s Previous Bio: Tony Yuen is a BA (Honors) student studying economics, sociology, and sustainability. He is currently completing his Adaptation Resilience Training (ART) internship at the Climate Change and Global Health Research Group where he supports events and outreach that brings together researchers, experts, and leaders from across Alberta and beyond to mobilize climate action. Born and raised in Edmonton, Tony has witnessed Edmonton's rapid growth and transformation, which inspired him to pursue a career in city building and urban planning. He hopes to contribute to a healthier, greener, and friendlier Edmonton for all of us. He is passionate about sustainability and in the warmer months you can find him growing vegetables at his favorite community garden!

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