Spring 2026 ICS Travel Award

With support from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research Spring 2026 travel award, I will attend the New Investigator Forum to strengthen our research program in Northern Ontario that uses wastewater to promote health. For nearly four years, I led the Wastewater Surveillance Initiative in Northeastern Ontario, which provided early warnings about the coronavirus responsible for the recent pandemic, as well as influenza A and B, and respiratory syncytial virus. Results were shared with provincial agencies, public health units, and care providers to guide preparedness, interventions, and hospital planning. Building on this foundation, my team advances three interconnected lines of work. First, through a CIHR Catalyst project on bird flu, we employ a One Health approach, integrating human, animal, and environmental sampling from wastewater, rivers, lakes, and hospitals to detect and monitor influenza subtypes, including H5N1. Second, we have expanded wastewater monitoring to include sexually transmitted infections. Our work on wastewater detection of Neisseria gonorrhoeae was presented at the 2024 STI Prevention Conference in Atlanta and is currently being prepared for publication. Third, through our Natural Sciences and Engineering Discovery grant, we study how heavy metals in wastewater affect microbial communities and promote resistance to both antibiotics and metals. These insights will establish a scientific basis for improved monitoring tools and more rapid, reliable early warning systems for communities. The Forum will enable me to connect with mentors and collaborators across infection control, public health, and pandemic preparedness. I plan to share lessons learned from operating a regional network and to learn best practices in equitable partnerships and data governance. These exchanges will help us identify new scientific partners, align proposals, standardise protocols, recruit students, and accelerate actions to enhance community health.