Upcoming PhD Defense for Gabrielle!!!

Congratulations to math.epi.lab member Gabrielle Turcotte who is set to defend her PhD on July 24, 2024!

Gabrielle’s research focuses on assessing the role of biosecurity in the equine industry with a focus on horses that compete in the Olympic disciplines in Ontario, Canada. She explores the complexities within this field through the use of surveys, isolation activities, and agent-based modelling.

She has worked very hard developing this research and we are all very proud of her! Thank you to Gabrielle’s co-supervisor Dr. Terri O’Sullivan, and her committee members, Dr. Kelsey Spence, and Dr. Charlotte Winder. We are also welcoming our external examiner Dr. Brandy Burgess to OVC for the day from the University of Georgia, College of Veterinary Medicine.

Congratulations Roxy!

Photo courtesy of Amy Greer

Congratulations to mathepilab member Roksolana Hovdey for the successful completion of her master’s thesis defense. Here she is discussing the environmental drivers and transmission dynamics of E. coli infection in humans. Well done Roxy!

We are looking for a new PhD student with an interest in horses!

PhD student  - Equine Network Epidemiology and Biosecurity (ENEBT)  Team 

The Mathematical Epidemiology Laboratory, University of Guelph

Application Deadline: June 30, 2019

 Applications are invited for a PhD position in veterinary epidemiology and mathematical modeling in the Mathematical Epidemiology Laboratory (www.mathepilab.org) at the Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph. The successful applicant will be involved in a research program that will apply quantitative methods to the area of equine infection control and biosecurity. The project will be co-supervised by Dr. Amy Greer and Dr. Terri O’Sullivan who co-lead the ENEB team at the Ontario Veterinary College. 

Applicants should have significant experience in veterinary medicine, epidemiology, and/or population health. The successful candidate will have excellent English language communication skills (both verbal and written), strong analytical skills, and experience conducting research in a highly interdisciplinary environment. Prior experience with R and working with horses and/or horse owners would be considered an asset. Preference will be given to applicants who also hold a DVM degree and who have experience working with veterinary professionals in a research environment. 

The starting date is September 2019 (contingent on funding), or as soon as possible thereafter.All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority. Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. Incomplete applications will not be considered and only selected applicants will be contacted for an interview.

 How to apply:

Applicants should first review the Graduate Studies website to ensure that they meet the requirements for admission to our graduate program (https://www.uoguelph.ca/graduatestudies/).  Applicants must submit a cover letter that specifically addresses the applicants interest in equine epidemiology and biosecurity, a recent curriculum vitae, and a copy of their academic transcript (unofficial is fine). Applicants should also submit contact information for at least two individuals who can provide letters of recommendation to Dr. Amy Greer.

 

2017 AAAS Golden Goose Award for Dr. Joyce Longcore

Dr. Joyce Longcore. Photo courtesy of the University of Maine.

This morning I arrived at the office to an email from my doctoral supervisor Dr. Jim Collins at Arizona State University (ASU). The email had been sent to a long list of current and past collaborators of the lab all of whom have worked on or are currently working on research questions related to amphibian decline. The email was to inform us that last night in Washington, Dr. Joyce Longcore, Elaine Lamirande, Dr. Don Nichols and Dr. Allan Pessier, were awarded the 2017 AAAS Golden Goose Award. The award celebrates scientific success stories and Dr. Longcore and the other awardees are the perfect example of a great team doing some wonderful investigative work. 

Jim's email was also a reminder to me of how fortunate I was to complete my graduate training at ASU being mentored by Jim. As a member of his team, I also had the ability to interact with a large network of scientists, and graduate students from across the country that were all a part of a large, NSF funded Integrated Research Challenges in Environmental Biology (IRCEB) project focused on amphibian decline (Dr. Longcore was one of those scientists). It serves as an important reminder to me how experiences, conversations, and being treated as a colleague even when you are a graduate student can really shape the experience of graduate students. I have very fond memories of my time at ASU and the wonderful training environment in which I was "raised". Jim Collins, Elizabeth Davidson and the rest of the IRCEB team were all a huge part of that and seeing Dr. Longcore receive such a prestigious award in recognition of her work in the area of amphibian decline was a really wonderful surprise for a Thursday morning. 

Happy New Year!

It's a new year and that means that I have officially taken up my position as a new Canada Research Chair in Population Disease Modeling at the University of Guelph. I will miss many aspects of my former role at the Public Health Agency of Canada but I am really excited to be starting a new research program here in Guelph! In case you missed it, I did a brief interview with the Guelph Mercury when my chair was announced on November 14, 2013 to discuss my area of research. You can find the article here. 

I am busy getting settled, unpacking my office, setting up computers and getting positioned to start recruiting new students for Fall 2014. If you are a student interested in graduate studies in my research group please review the Opportunities page of the website. New information will be available once the semester gets underway so check back often to see what we are up to. 

U of G Gets $2.4 Million Via CRC Program

Today was the official announcement of my Canada Research Chair position at the University of Guelph. 

The University of Guelph press release is here.