Document(s) 2 of 4

Primary Researchers, Canadian Community of Practice in Ecohealth (CoPEH-Can):

Dr Margot Parkes, Department of Family Practice, University of British Columbia, Canada

Dr Johanne Saint-Charles, Centre de recherche interdisciplinaire sur la biologie, la santé, la société et l’environnement (Centre for Interdisciplinary Research on Biology, Health, Society and the Environment), University of Quebec in Montreal, Canada

Dr Bruce Hunter, Department of Pathobiology, Ontario Veterinary College, Canada

Dr Robert Woollard, Department of Family Practice, University of British Columbia, Canada

Describing the International EcoHealth Forum (IEF 2008), Dr Margot Parkes, a researcher with CoPEH-Can, said, "it was a tribute to the unpredictable potential of diversity." Dr Parkes and her CoPEH colleagues said the Forum exceeded their expectations and gave them many ideas for the future.

For Dr Johanne Saint-Charles, director of CINBIOSE—an interdisciplinary research centre at the University of Quebec in Montreal—the Forum provided an opportunity to learn about other ecohealth and CoPEH research, and to work and plan with fellow CoPEH members. 

The Forum allowed participants like Drs Parkes and Saint-Charles, as well as Dr Bruce Hunter from the Ontario Veterinary College and Dr Robert Woollard from the University of British Columbia to build on existing partnerships and establish new ones.

Dr Saint-Charles strengthened ties with colleagues from the Caruso Project, which studies mercury exposure and ecosystem health in the Amazon, and the Poor Land Use, Poor Health (PLUPH) project. She connected with researchers in veterinary science.  

Dr Parkes said she saw the Forum as a venue to /weave together some of the existing networks." In particular, students working with the International Association for Ecology and Health, also known as EcoHealth, developed links with CoPEH students.

Graduates of the 2008 CoPEH-Can course met other students actively engaged in ecohealth research, including leaders in the EcoHealth Association’s student section. Dr Parkes expects communication between the student groups to grow in anticipation of IEF 2010. 

CoPEH-Can members have already followed up on many of the discussions held at IEF 2008.

In her roles with both CoPEH-Can and the EcoHealth Association, Dr Parkes works to strengthen cooperation between the two groups. At a workshop in Ecuador for Masters students focusing on ecohealth research, she co-presented with Dr Oscar Betancourt from CoPEH-TLAC (Community of Practice in Ecohealth—Toxics in Latin America and the Caribbean).

Dr Saint-Charles, who is also a member of CoPEH-Can, has already welcomed a Cuban CoPEH-TLAC researcher to the CINBIOSE group. She is now collaborating with researchers in Costa Rica and New Brunswick on projects discussed at the Forum.

The primary researchers for CoPEH-Can see the role of the EcoHealthe Association as pivotal in expanding the international ecohealth network. They said they expect the organization to continue to be responsive to diverse members of the ecohealth community.

Dr Woollard will sit on the committee of CoPEH representatives that is already planning for IEF 2010 in London.

Dr Parkes said she hopes the momentum of IEF 2008 will be carried into London in 2010. "I would like to see planning as a before / during / after approach, where meeting each other becomes the midpoint catalyst in a process, rather than an end-point."

The researchers said they expect the 2010 meeting, like IEF 2008, to push participants "out of their comfort zones," and to go beyond business as usual. 

Canadian Community of Practice in Ecohealth (CoPEH-Can)
CINBIOSE
Poor Land Use, Poor Health (PLUPH) project
International Association for Ecology and Health
Sustainably Managing Environmental Health Risks in Ecuador
Caruso Project
Community of Practice in Ecohealth Latin America and the Caribbean (CoPEH-TLAC)
IEF 2010 in London

Document(s) 2 of 4