Environmental exposures and health outcomes in the CanPath cohort

Principal Investigator: Dr. Jennifer Brooks

Affiliation: University of Toronto

Start Year: 2024

This project is part of four Master of Public Health students’ practicum placements at CanPath: Emilia Chryscienko, Fatima Ali, Natalie Wilson, and Taryn Thompson. It is also supported by Research Coordinator Nguyet Ngo.

This project focuses on investigating how environmental factors affect mental health and immune diseases in Canadians, using data from the CanPath study, which includes information on over 320,000 individuals across Canada. By linking this data with the Canadian Urban Environmental Health Research Consortium, the project aims to understand the impact of environmental exposures, such as air pollution and autoimmune diseases, or access to green space and mental health conditions. The project aligns with CanPath’s goals by utilizing its extensive datasets to explore how the environment influences health outcomes. This not only demonstrates CanPath’s capabilities in supporting research on the right to a healthy environment but also aids in securing funding for future sustainability efforts. Additionally, it showcases the potential for securing large grants for CanPath. As part of a 16-week practicum for four Master of Public Health (MPH) students, the project will culminate in each student producing a draft manuscript and presenting their findings in a CanPath webinar. This provides a practical learning opportunity for the students while contributing valuable research to the field.