Wild About Wildlife Health
I’m a scientist and science communicator with a passion for One Health. One Health is the idea that human, animal, and environmental health are interconnected. This concept of “shared” or “collective health” is transformative for exploring ways to support healthy multispecies communities. I wear a few hats - I’m a senior scientist with the Pacific Institute on Pathogens, Pandemics and Society at Simon Fraser University where I work on One Health and Health Communications. I am also the Deputy Director of the British Columbia node of the Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative, Canada’s national wildlife health surveillance initiative. I completed my PhD in the Department of Interdisciplinary Studies at the University of British Columbia where I studied urban rats, their pathogens, and the risks that they pose to human health. Beyond my research, I am passionate about science communication. I host Genome BC’s podcast Nice Genes!, and I am the co-founder and co-boss of Nerd Nite Vancouver, a monthly science seminar series and bi-weekly Nerdin’ About Podcast where we chat with expert nerds about their work and what they’ve been nerding about lately. In addition, I am a facilitator for SciCATs: Vancouver’s Science Communication Action Team and I serve on the organizing committees for ComSciConCan and ComSciCon-CanWest, training programs designed for graduate students in STEM to explore and build their science communication skills.
