Former Post-Doctoral Fellows and Doctoral Students
Leah M Smith (Erin Strumpf, Co-Advisor)
Leah was a doctoral student in epidemiology at McGill from 2010 to 2014. For her thesis, Leah used the regression discontinuity design to assess the impact of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination on adolescent health outcomes, such as cervical dysplasia, anogenital warts, and indicators of sexual activities. This work was executed under the supervision of Dr. Jay Kaufman (McGill University), Dr. Erin Strumpf (McGill University), and Dr. Linda Lévesque (Queen’s University). Leah also holds an MSc in epidemiology from Queen’s University and a BSc (Honours) in Psychology from Memorial University of Newfoundland. She is currently living in Toronto where she is the epidemiologist for the Canadian Cancer Society.
Leah was a doctoral student in epidemiology at McGill from 2010 to 2014. For her thesis, Leah used the regression discontinuity design to assess the impact of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination on adolescent health outcomes, such as cervical dysplasia, anogenital warts, and indicators of sexual activities. This work was executed under the supervision of Dr. Jay Kaufman (McGill University), Dr. Erin Strumpf (McGill University), and Dr. Linda Lévesque (Queen’s University). Leah also holds an MSc in epidemiology from Queen’s University and a BSc (Honours) in Psychology from Memorial University of Newfoundland. She is currently living in Toronto where she is the epidemiologist for the Canadian Cancer Society.
Hailey Banack
Hailey’s dissertation research at McGill was funded by an FRQS doctoral research fellowship, and focused on selection bias in epidemiological research, including conceptual and methodological issues in studying obesity and cardiovascular disease and the "obesity paradox". Her thesis won the two most prestigious awards available at McGill: the Gordon A. Maclachlan Prize which recognizes the most outstanding McGill graduate receiving a doctoral degree in that year in any biological or health sciences, and the Governor General’s Gold Medal which recognizes the most outstanding McGill graduate receiving a doctoral degree in that year across all disciplines. One of her PhD thesis papers also won the Tyroler Prize of the Society for Epidemiologic Research for the best paper published by any student in North America in 2015. She is currently a Banting Post-Doctoral Fellow at the University of Buffalo.
Hailey’s dissertation research at McGill was funded by an FRQS doctoral research fellowship, and focused on selection bias in epidemiological research, including conceptual and methodological issues in studying obesity and cardiovascular disease and the "obesity paradox". Her thesis won the two most prestigious awards available at McGill: the Gordon A. Maclachlan Prize which recognizes the most outstanding McGill graduate receiving a doctoral degree in that year in any biological or health sciences, and the Governor General’s Gold Medal which recognizes the most outstanding McGill graduate receiving a doctoral degree in that year across all disciplines. One of her PhD thesis papers also won the Tyroler Prize of the Society for Epidemiologic Research for the best paper published by any student in North America in 2015. She is currently a Banting Post-Doctoral Fellow at the University of Buffalo.
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Tarik Benmarhnia (Nick King, Co-Advisor)
Tarik completed doctoral studies in Epidemiology and Public Health jointly in Montreal (University of Montreal) and Paris (Paris Sud University). His PhD work focused on social vulnerability and the health impacts of climate change. He received an M.Sc in Environmental Toxicology from the Montpellier School of Pharmacy and an M.Sc in Environmental Health Sciences Engineering from the French School of Public Health (EHESP). He worked for one year as environmental scientist at the French National Railway Company (SNCF) in its contaminated soils and sites sector and one year at the French National Institute of Health Education and Prevention (INPES) as health scientist for their national environmental health program. Tarik is currently an Assistant Professor at the University of California at San Diego. |
Patricia Frenz
Patricia is a physician and public health specialist with a Masters and Doctoral degrees in Public Health from the University of Chile. Her dissertation research, under the co-supervision of Dr. Jay Kaufman and Dr. Paulina Pino focused on equity of access to health care in Chile using data from national household surveys. Patricia is currently an Associate Professor at the University of Chile’s School of Public Health, working in the Epidemiology and Occupational Health Programs and as the institution´s Research Director. Her research interests include health inequities, social determinants of health, health reform, health rights and social guarantees. She is currently the Director of the School of Public Health at the University of Chile.
Patricia is a physician and public health specialist with a Masters and Doctoral degrees in Public Health from the University of Chile. Her dissertation research, under the co-supervision of Dr. Jay Kaufman and Dr. Paulina Pino focused on equity of access to health care in Chile using data from national household surveys. Patricia is currently an Associate Professor at the University of Chile’s School of Public Health, working in the Epidemiology and Occupational Health Programs and as the institution´s Research Director. Her research interests include health inequities, social determinants of health, health reform, health rights and social guarantees. She is currently the Director of the School of Public Health at the University of Chile.
Lena Shah (Tim Brewer, Co-Advisor)
Lena Shah was a Steinberg Global Health Postdoctoral Fellow at McGill from 2015 to 2017. She received her PhD in Epidemiology from McGill University and a Master´s of Community Health from the University of Manitoba. Lena spent past three years in Lima, Peru undertaking her doctoral research on the role of household contact tracing in a tuberculosis (TB) endemic area. Previously she was a Field Epidemiologist (2006-08, cohort 32) with the Canadian Field Epidemiology Program (CFEP) of the Public Health Agency of Canada placed at the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control in Vancouver. Lena’s collaboration on the investigation of a TB outbreak on Vancouver Island resulted in a co-authored publication in the New England Journal of Medicine (2011). Her areas of interest include field epidemiology, transmission of TB, HIV and sexually transmitted infections, social network analysis and applied public health research. She currently works for Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC).
Lena Shah was a Steinberg Global Health Postdoctoral Fellow at McGill from 2015 to 2017. She received her PhD in Epidemiology from McGill University and a Master´s of Community Health from the University of Manitoba. Lena spent past three years in Lima, Peru undertaking her doctoral research on the role of household contact tracing in a tuberculosis (TB) endemic area. Previously she was a Field Epidemiologist (2006-08, cohort 32) with the Canadian Field Epidemiology Program (CFEP) of the Public Health Agency of Canada placed at the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control in Vancouver. Lena’s collaboration on the investigation of a TB outbreak on Vancouver Island resulted in a co-authored publication in the New England Journal of Medicine (2011). Her areas of interest include field epidemiology, transmission of TB, HIV and sexually transmitted infections, social network analysis and applied public health research. She currently works for Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC).
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Jeremy Labrecque
Broadly speaking, Jeremy is interested in the relationship between poverty and child health. Methodologically, he is interested in using exogenous variation to identify causal effects. He is also interested in policy evaluation, which is where his two previously mentioned interests intersect. For his thesis work, Jeremy used data from the Pelotas Birth Cohort to measure the impact of Bolsa Família, the Brazilian conditional cash transfer program, on maternal and child health outcomes. He is currently a post-doctoral fellow at Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam, under the supervision of Sonja Swanson. |
Loreto Villanueva
Loreto holds a Master’s degree in Public Health with specialization in Epidemiology, from the Florida International University. She has developed her career working on socioeconomic and racial inequities in health. She completed a doctoral degree the University of Chile under Dr. Kaufman's supervision on the effect of neighborhood in health, and analysis of geographical inequalities in mortality. The aim was to analyze the distribution of standardized mortality rate in Santiago and the relationship with socio-economic characteristics of each census track using a Bayesian approach for small areas.
Loreto holds a Master’s degree in Public Health with specialization in Epidemiology, from the Florida International University. She has developed her career working on socioeconomic and racial inequities in health. She completed a doctoral degree the University of Chile under Dr. Kaufman's supervision on the effect of neighborhood in health, and analysis of geographical inequalities in mortality. The aim was to analyze the distribution of standardized mortality rate in Santiago and the relationship with socio-economic characteristics of each census track using a Bayesian approach for small areas.
Former Research Assistant (and Designer of this Web Page)
Lena Dolman
Lena holds a Master's in Human Genetics from McGill University. At McGill she worked on systematic reviews and analysis projects on the contribution of genomic research to the understanding and explanation of racial disparities in health. Currently she is Operations Manager for the Global Alliance for Genomics and Health in Toronto, Ontario (www.genomicsandhealth.org). In July 2018, she begins medical school at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario.
Lena holds a Master's in Human Genetics from McGill University. At McGill she worked on systematic reviews and analysis projects on the contribution of genomic research to the understanding and explanation of racial disparities in health. Currently she is Operations Manager for the Global Alliance for Genomics and Health in Toronto, Ontario (www.genomicsandhealth.org). In July 2018, she begins medical school at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario.