April 18, 2023 - Communities' observations to inform environmental health research

Abstract:  Anthropogenic pressures lead to rapid and significant changes in the environment, posing a threat to public health. While several studies confirm that some communities are disproportionately affected by environmental changes, few have received support and guidance from researchers in implementing research projects based on their concerns. Our lab highlights community knowledge as a valuable source of information in order to explore the relationships between environmental factors and health. Most of our lab’s research concerns the health impacts of unconventional natural gas operations in Northeast British Columbia. This region sits on an important source of natural gas with approximately 35,000 wells drilled so far, representing 25% of Canada’s natural gas production.

Professor Elyse Caron-Beaudoin

Unconventional natural gas operations can release volatile organic compounds and trace elements naturally occurring in the rock formation. Many of these chemicals are known or suspected reproductive and development toxicants, carcinogens, endocrine disruptors and respiratory irritants. During this presentation, Dr. Caron-Beaudoin will present community-based research regarding exposure to contaminants associated with unconventional natural gas operations and maternal and birth outcomes in Northeast British Columbia.

Élyse Caron-Beaudoin is an Assistant Professor in environmental health in the Department of Health & Society at U of T Scarborough. Her research focuses on the development of transdisciplinary community-based research projects to assess the impacts of anthropogenic pressures on health by combining information across multiple levels of biological organization. The mission of her lab, “From Bench to Communities,” is to investigate exposure to environmental contaminants and their associated health outcomes and mechanisms of toxicity. Dr. Caron-Beaudoin holds a PhD in biology with a specialization in toxicology from the INRS – Armand-Frappier Institute in Laval, Quebec. From 2018 to 2020, she was a Canadian Institutes of Health Research-funded postdoctoral fellow at the Université de Montréal. During her fellowship, she investigated the associations between density and proximity to oil and gas wells and birth outcomes in Northeast British Columbia. Her research interests are at the nexus of toxicology, molecular biology, public and environmental health, and community-based research.

Great Explorations, is a series of academic discussions we hope will inspire our communities. Our special thanks to our engaged, critical thinkers who attend our speaker series. The dialogues that came out of these talks, both in-person and online via Zoom, are integral to our campus community and Scarborough communities at large. We welcome your input for future topics, as well as a review of previous recorded sessions available on YouTube.