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SONIA WESCHE (Post Doctoral Fellow)
| My background includes studies in geography and environmental management at the University of Ottawa (BA), Imperial College (MSc), and Wilfrid Laurier University (PhD). I was introduced to northern research during my doctoral work with the Dene in Fort Resolution, NWT. My current research investigates the impacts of climate change on food-related perceptions of health, levels of food security, and environmental and social determinants of adaptive capacity across households and communities in Canada’s Arctic.
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 YEUTING SHAO (Post Doctoral Fellow)
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My background is in medicine and pathology. I completed my Ph.D. in pathophysiology at Jilin University, China in 2008. I came to Canada to join Dr. Chan’s research group in November 2008. My study will focus on the toxic effects and mechanisms of environmental contaminants such as MeHg or PCBs on the nervous system. This research will be useful to understand the relationship between exposure to environmental chemicals and neurological conditions such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases.
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 WENJING TIAN (Post Doctoral Fellow)
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I was born and raised in Harbin, Heilongjing Province, China. I completed my PhD in epidemiology at Harbin Medical University in 2007. I joined Dr. Chan’s group in November 2008. I will work on the data collected from the Inuit Health Survey to try to understand the relationship between contaminant exposure and risks of chronic diseases among Inuit in the Canadian Arctic.
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 ANKE KREY (PhD.)
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A long-term interest in the Arctic compelled me to study Zoology, Marine Biology and Toxicology at the University of Kiel, Germany and Arctic Biology at The University Centre in Svalbard, Norway. I completed my "Diplomarbeit" (Masters Thesis) on levels of organohalogen contaminants in polar bears from Svalbard. A Government of Canada Award provided me with the opportunity to study with Laurie Chan and I appreciate the current support of the Canadian Federation of University Women. I started the PhD program in Natural Resources and Environmental Studies at UNBC in 2006. My research focuses on the disruption of neurotransmitter systems by environmental chemicals in polar bears and ringed seals.
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| I am in the second year of my PhD in Natural Resources and Environmental Studies (NRES) at UNBC. I have a strong interest in ecosystem health research and have been studying contaminant exposure and effects in humans and wildlife in the Arctic since 2005. My current research is focused on potential neurotoxicity of mercury and PCB exposure in beluga whales in the western Canadian Arctic. During my Masters, I analyzed perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) in foods consumed by Inuit, and assessed the health risks associated with dietary exposure to PFCs among Inuit.
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| I completed my BSc. in Geography at the University of Victoria with a focus on medical/health geography. My work with Dr. Chan focuses on the spatial epidemiological analysis of industrial contaminants and reproductive health in B.C. We are working on creating a model capable of quantifying the risk of adverse birth outcomes in relation to environmental contaminants at the local watershed scale. We hope to expand this analysis into the Yukon and Alberta in the near future. Exposures to contaminants during pregnancy are associated with certain adverse birth outcomes, and are major determinants of morbidity and mortality among newborn infants as well as risk factors for behavioural and chronic disabilities later in life. There is a need to further understand these environmental-reproductive health relationships and identify communities at risk of potential harmful exposures.
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I completed
my BSc in ecology at the University of Toronto where I studied the
interaction among invasive and endemic crayfish in freshwater
ecosystems and developed a deep interest in environmental health. My
work with Dr. Chan will examine the use of platelet monoamine oxidase-B
as a biomarker for mercury neurotoxicity effects among Inuit in Arctic
Canada. This will be a large scale epidemiological study that will
hopefully enhance our understanding of the application of biomarkers
for mercury neurotoxic effects.
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ROSEANNE SHUSTER (M.Sc.)
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During 2008 I worked with two Yukon First Nations communities, the Vuntut Gwitchin of Old Crow and the Teslin Tlingit, on creating a record of traditional food use as part of an overall food security initiative. This involved training three research assistants from each community to conduct the food frequency questionnaires within their respective communities, analyzing the data, and then coordinating meetings in each community to gather feedback on the presented results. A second component of my work involves conducting a risk exposure assessment of the Vuntut Gwitchin's consumption of their important cultural and dietary resource, the Porcupine caribou. This has involved measuring mercury levels in muscle meat samples, combining this with information collected in the food frequency questionnaires, and communicating the results with the community of Old Crow.
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REENA TOOR (M.Sc)
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I completed my undergraduate degree in Environmental Health Sciences at BCIT. I then returned home to work as an Environmental Health Officer for the Northern Health Authority and simultaneously began my studies as a M.Sc. student at UNBC. I am studying mercury levels in Northern BC and will be focusing on species and spatial trends. Also, I will build a risk assessment tool to assist Public Health Enforcers in decision making processes where high mercury levels are concerned.
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