Project and Research Staff
Kathleen Parewick, M.U.P., B.F.A. (Project Manager) is a professional planner and development worker with more than two decades of experience in provincial and municipal governance, economic development, and non‐governmental organizations. She made a mid‐career return to full‐time studies in 2005 to pursue her doctorate with MUN’s Geography Department. Her thesis project has examined community‐scale institutions and climate change adaptation processes. Kathleen brings her interests in broad participation and partnerships among scientists, community organizations and residents to the LeadNL project and looks forward to facilitating the interpretation of this summer’s sampling outcomes to build awareness of lead occurring in domestic St. John’s settings, and support informed decision‐making on the part of families seeking to reduce their exposure to these lead sources.
Joanne Stares is a Public Health Officer (Epidemiologist) with the Canadian Public Health Service at the Public Health Agency of Canada. She is currently on a placement at Eastern Health in St. John's working with Dr. Allison. Joanne holds a Master of Health Sciences degree in epidemiology and community health from the University of Toronto (2008) and a Bachelor of Science Honours degree in marine biology from Memorial University (2006). Joanne brings well-honed database management and statistical analysis skills to the project. Since joining the team in May 2010, she has been active in several capacities including obtaining consent from participants, environmental sampling, data input, data management and analysis. Joanne is very interested in the ties between physical and social environments, and the health status of individuals and communities. She is also very excited about the potential impact of the study on public health in St. John's and beyond, and the contribution it will make to the current knowledge base of lead toxicity in Canadian children.
Sarah Mackey M.PH, B.A (Project Support Staff) joined the project in May 2010 to complete a practicum requirement for her Master of Public Health degree. As a core field staff member, Sarah balanced the canvassing St. John’s neighbourhoods for project participants with background research on lead in paint and dust for much of the early summer. As potential participant numbers swelled however, Sarah first became responsible for maintaining confidential recruitment records, and then for greeting participants at the Janeway Specimen Collection Clinic. Thankfully for the Team, Sarah accepted the opportunity to remain with LeadNL following her graduation to support the remaining data entry, analysis and reporting phases. She has enjoyed interacting with St. John’s residents and has found that the project brings together her interests in children’s health and the environment in particularly rewarding ways. Sarah looks forward to building on her valuable experience and knowledge in environmental health research to make future contributions to a greater body of knowledge about the environment that we live in.
