Science Advisory Committee on Pest Control Products: Membership

Dr. Valérie Langlois, PhD
Professor,
Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS),
Centre Eau Terre Environment
Québec City, Québec

Valérie Langlois is a full professor at the National Institute for Scientific Research (INRS) and holder of a Research Chair in ecotoxicogenomics and endocrine disruption. Dr. Langlois has studied effects of environmental contaminants, including pesticides, on vertebrate health to understand the effects of individual or mixed pesticides on the health of amphibians and other aquatic vertebrates. Dr. Langlois also produced studies funded by the Product Management Plan of Canada and filed and presented a brief on the effects of pesticides on the environment during of the Parliamentary Committee on Pesticides held by the Government of Quebec in 2019.

Dr. Eric Liberda, PhD, MASc, MES
Professor,
School of Occupational and Public Health,
Toronto Metropolitan University,
Toronto, Ontario

Eric Liberda is a Professor at the School of Occupational and Public Health, Toronto Metropolitan University, Toronto. Dr. Liberda has a PhD in environmental health sciences from New York University and Masters in Medical Science, Toxicology and Risk Assessment from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology University. His career focus has been organic (pesticide) and metal contaminants and health outcomes, particularly in Indigenous populations. He has won several awards, including Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR) Doctoral Researcher Award (DRA (2008-2011), Novartis Fellowship (2010-2011) and Mary Amdur Inhalation and Respiratory Toxicology Award (2010-2011). Dr. Liberda is a current member of several professional organizations including the Society of Toxicology, Society of Toxicology of Canada, Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry and Developmental Origins of Health and Disease Canada.

Dr. Maricor Arlos, PhD, MASc,
Assistant Professor,
Civil and Environmental Engineering,
University of Alberta,
Edmonton, Alberta

Maricor Arlos obtained a Ph.D. Biology from the Collaborative Water Program, University of Waterloo in 2018 and an MASc in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Waterloo in 2013. Dr. Arlos has been in the position of Assistant Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Alberta, since 2020. Between 2018 and 2020, Dr. Arlos completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag). Dr. Arlos' work focused on the implications of pesticide dynamics and changing concentrations in receiving streams by quantifying exposure from the source and linking pesticide behaviour to effects using the toxicokinetics-toxicodynamics approach.

Dr. Kyle Bobiwash, PhD, Msc,
Assistant Professor and Indigenous Scholar
Department of Entomology,
Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences,
University of Manitoba,
Winnipeg, Manitoba

Kyle Bobiwash is currently Assistant Professor and Indigenous Scholar in the Department of Entomology, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences, at the University of Manitoba. He received a PhD in pollination ecology from Simon Fraser University in 2018, and an MSc in pollination biology from McGill University in 2012. Dr. Bobiwash also holds a BSc in biomedical science from the University of Ottawa. Dr. Bobiwash's current research focuses on understanding the ecology of beneficial insects in agro-ecosystems and the greater landscape, to better characterize the landscape and resources utilized by insects to understand how land management might affect insect community composition and ecosystem service delivery. Dr. Bobiwash was a member of the Aboriginal Reconciliation Council charged with developing Simon Fraser University's Indigenous Reconciliation strategy.

Dr. Maryse Bouchard, PhD
Associate Professor,
Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS),
Armand-Frappier Santé Biotechnologie Research Centre
Laval, Québec

Maryse Bouchard is an associate professor of environmental health and a researcher at the Sainte-Justine hospital research centre. Dr. Bouchard completed a degree in biology, followed by an interdisciplinary PhD in environmental sciences, at the Université du Québec à Montréal. She then completed three years of training in environmental epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health and UC Berkeley. In 2011, she was appointed as professor at the Université de Montréal's department of environmental and occupational health, and joined the INRS in 2023. She is co-principal investigator of the Maternal-Infant Research on Environmental Chemicals (MIREC), a research platform based on a pan-Canadian cohort of 2,000 pregnant women and their children. She has conducted several studies in different populations to investigate sources of pesticide exposure, as well as their health effects, particularly on the neurodevelopment of children.

Dr. Christy Morrissey, PhD
Professor, with tenure,
University of Saskatchewan,
Department of Biology
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

Christy Morrissey obtained a PhD in Avian population ecology and Wildlife ecotoxicology from Simon Fraser University in 2003. Since 2010, she has been a Professor (with tenure) in Biology with Associate appointments in the School of Environment and Sustainability, and Toxicology, at the University of Saskatchewan. Dr. Morrissey has been studying the ecotoxicological effects of current and legacy pesticides for over 20 years and has participated in research on Monosodium Methanearsonate (MSMA) used to control Mountain Pine Beetle in BC forests and more recently, the fate, distribution and effects of pesticides in aquatic ecosystems and avian wildlife in Canada. Additionally, Dr. Morrissey has also been recognized by the Royal Society of Canada as a member of the College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists.

Dr. Sean Prager, PhD, BA,
Associate Professor with Tenure, Department of Plant Sciences,
Associate Member, Department of Biology,
University of Saskatchewan,
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

Sean Prager received a PhD in Biological Sciences, Ecology and Evolution from Brock University in 2008 and a BA with a major in Biology (Ecology & Evolution) from Clark University, Worcester, MA in 2000. Since 2017, Dr. Prager has been an Assistant Professor, with a recent promotion to Associate Professor with Tenure, in the Department of Plant Sciences at the University of Saskatchewan. Dr. Prager has been an Associate Member, Department of Biology, at the University of Saskatchewan since 2020. As the sole entomologist in the College of Agriculture and Bioresources at the University of Saskatchewan and one of several university entomologists in the prairies, Dr. Prager conducts applied research on insect management. This includes development of economic thresholds for insecticide application, testing of new and alternative insect control materials, and studies of ecological impacts of insect control. He has also performed studies that examined insecticide levels in plants and soil.

Dr. Xianming Zhang, PhD, MSc,
Assistant Professor,
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry,
Concordia University,
Montreal, Québec

Xianming Zhang received a PhD in Chemistry and the Collaborative Program of Environmental Studies from the University of Toronto in 2012, and an MSc in Physical Geography and the Collaborative Program of Environmental Studies from the University of Toronto in 2008. He is currently an Assistant Professor at the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Concordia University, Montreal. He previously worked as a scientific evaluator at the Pest Management and Regulatory Agency, Health Canada. With his current research, Dr. Zhang aims to develop and apply novel monitoring and modeling tools to advance the science on the environmental processes and impact of organic chemicals. These monitoring and modelling tools can be applied for chemical management and regulations, which would help maximize the benefit the chemicals used and ensure safety of the products. Through his prior work experience at PMRA as a scientific evaluator, Dr. Zhang has gained in depth understanding of the science used for pesticide assessment and regulation.

The following summarizes details regarding the affiliations and interests relevant to the Science Advisory Committee on Pest Control Products mandate declared by committee members. Health Canada considered these declarations as part of the selection process and has made this summary available as part of its commitment to be transparent about the membership of its advisory bodies.

Members are asked on an ongoing basis to declare the following affiliations and interests.

Responses are provided in the table below.

1. Direct financial interests

• Current employment, investments in companies, partnerships, equity, royalties, joint ventures, trusts, real property, stocks, shares or bonds, with the regulated industry.

2. Indirect financial interests

• Within the past five years, payment from regulated industry for work done or being done, including past employment, contracts or consulting; or financial support including research support, personal education grants, contributions, fellowships, sponsorships, and honoraria.
• Within the past five years, materials, discounted products, gifts or other benefits, or attended conferences or meetings where all or part of the travel and accommodation costs were provided by regulated industry.
• Within the last three years, grants or other funding from the regulated industry to any of the organizations where you are currently employed or participate in internal decision-making.

3. Intellectual interests

• Within the last five years, any formal advice or opinion to industry, a government organization or a non-government organization on a matter of relevance to the SAC-PCP.
• Within the last five years, any published or publicly stated point of view on issues of relevance to the SAC-PCP mandate.
• Current professional or voluntary affiliations, including as a member of professional societies, lobbying, public interest or advocacy groups that may have an interest in the SAC-PCP mandate.

4. Other

• Any other affiliations and interests or potential circumstances that might give a well-informed member of the public reasonable grounds for concern regarding the integrity and objectivity of your participation.

Dr. Subrata Chowdhury, DVM, PhD
CEO and Chief Scientist, RPS BIologiques, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada and Adjunct Professor, Adjunct and Graduate Faculty, University of Prince Edward Island, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada.
Areas of expertise: Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, Biochemistry, and Natural Products.

Dr. Christopher Fernandez-Prada, DVM, PhD
Associate Professor, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Pathology and Microbiology, University of Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada.
Areas of expertise: Animal Parasitology, Human Parasitology, and Veterinary Medicine.

Dr. John (Jack) Gray, PhD
Full Professor, Tenured, Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.
Areas of expertise: Pesticides, Neuroethology, Insect Habits, and Neurophysiology.

Dr. Caroline Jolly, PhD
Researcher, Ergonomist, The Institut de recherche Robert-Sauvé en santé et en sécurité du travail (IRSST), Montréal, Québec, Canada.
Areas of expertise: Occupational Health and Safety, particularly amongst persons working where pesticides are used.

Dr. Carolina Koutras, PhD
Director of Clinical Studies, R-Zero Systems, Salt Lake City, Utah, United States of America and Founder, Mindelio Inc, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Areas of expertise: Ultraviolet-C technologies, Clinical Research, and Infectious Diseases.

Dr. David Lobb, PhD
Full Professor, Department of Soil Science, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
Areas of expertise: Soil Science, Agronomy, Watershed Management, Wetlands, and Riparian Areas.

Dr. Rafikali Momin, PhD
Co-Executive Director, Laboratory Services Division and Director, Agriculture and Food Laboratory
University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
Areas of expertise: Agriculture, Food, Biochemicals, Biotechnology, and Toxicology Industry.

Dr. Debjani Mukherjee, PhD
Founder, Environmental and Polymer Consultancy and e-Training Center, Clean-Tech Poly Consultancy, K-ILU eVarsity, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada.
Areas of expertise: Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, Novel Polymeric Film for Environmental Detoxification, Smart Materials for Pesticides & Drugs, and Water Treatment.

Dr. Medhat Nasr, PhD
Apiculture Research Scientist, Saskatchewan Technology Adaptation Program Team Lead, Prince Albert, Saskatchewan and Bee Health Consultant.
Areas of expertise: Apiculture, Honey Bee Health, Pollination Biology, and Sustainable Agriculture Systems.

Dr. Manjeet Singh, DVM, MVSc, PhD, Postdoc
Senior Scientist, Research and Development and Regulatory Affairs, Roshni Biotech Inc, Guelph, Ontario, Canada.
Areas of expertise: Developmental Neurotoxicity, Reproductive Toxicity, and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment of Pesticides.

Dr. François Tardif, PhD
Professor, Department of Plant Agriculture, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada.
Areas of expertise: Weed Science, Physiological Effects of Herbicides, Herbicide Resistance, and Weed Biology.

Dr. Lisa Wood, PhD, RPF
Associate Professor, Faculty of Environment, University of Northern British Columbia, Prince George, British Columbia, Canada.
Areas of expertise: Forest Ecology, Forest Management, and Exploring Influences of Human-Induced Stress on Forest Plant Communities.