KEY SCIENTISTS ASSOCIATED WITH CANADIAN RESEARCH

MORTEZA BASHASH

Dr. Bashash specializes in environmental and occupational health, cancer epidemiology, and molecular epidemiology. He obtained his BSc and MS in Public Health/Occupational Health from Tehran University of Medical Sciences. Dr. Bashash pursued his PhD from the Interdisciplinary Oncology Program at the University of British Columbia in collaboration with BC Cancer, with a focus on the Molecular Epidemiology of Cancer survival. After completing his PhD, he underwent post-doctoral training at the University of Toronto's Dalla Lana School of Public Health and the BC Cancer Research Centre. He has held academic positions at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, and is currently an adjunct faculty at Toronto Metropolitan University and The University of Southern California's Keck School of Medicine.

LINDA BIRNBAUM

Dr. Birnbaum, Ph.D., D.A.B.T., A.T.S, was director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) of the National Institutes of Health, and the National Toxicology Program (NTP) from 2009 to 2019. As NIEHS and NTP director, Birnbaum oversaw a budget of more than $740 million that funds biomedical research to discover how the environment influences human health and disease. A board certified toxicologist, Birnbaum served as a federal scientist for 40 years. Prior to her appointment as NIEHS and NTP director in 2009, she spent 19 years at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), where she directed the largest division focusing on environmental health research.

HOWARD HU

Dr. Hu is an American physician-scientist, internist, and specialist in preventive medicine and environmental health. He is currently the Flora L. Thornton Chair and Professor of Population and Public Health Sciences at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California. He previously taught at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, University of Michigan School of Public Health, and University of Toronto, where he served as founding dean of the Dalla Lana School of Public Health.

BRUCE LANPHEAR

Dr. Lanphear MD MPH is a Professor of Health Sciences at Simon Fraser University. He is currently principal investigator for a study examining fetal and early childhood exposures to prevalent environmental neurotoxins including lead, pesticides, mercury, alcohol, PCB's and environmental tobacco smoke. A component of the study is the investigation of the contribution of residential hazards and residential injuries to children's health. This project recently received funding to follow the original birth cohort, until the children are five years of age. This will allow follow-up for determining the efficacy of lead hazard controls on children's blood lead levels and their risk for learning and behavioral problems. Dr. Lanphear has extensive experience conducting community-based trials, including lead poisoning prevention, epidemiology of asthma, prevention of exposure to tobacco smoke and measurement of lead and allergens in housing.

CHRISTINE TILL

Dr. Till is a Canadian neuroscientist and professor at Toronto's York University. She is well-known for her research in the fields of cognitive neuroscience and psychology, particularly her work on the brain and its relationship to memory, attention, and learning processes. One of her notable areas of research is studying how various factors—such as development, aging, and neurological disorders—can affect cognitive functions. She has also focused on understanding how the brain adapts to different environments and the ways in which cognitive functions might be improved or preserved over time.