*** Sorry for cross-postings. Please post and disseminate.  M.O. ***

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Post-Doctoral Position

Complementary projects in response to climate change in the North:
1) Capacity Building of Environment and Health Surveillance in Inuit 
Regions, and
2) Better understanding the influence of climate change on food security

A one to two year post-doctoral fellow is sought to work with 
research teams on two Arcticnet projects dealing with climate change 
and health among Inuit populations in northern Canada. The main 
project's purpose is to augment the capacity of public health 
surveillance systems, environmental monitoring systems, and their 
interface with respect to health protection of Inuit populations in 
response to climate change. The second project will focus on one 
particular aspect of the way climate change may be influencing health 
status in the North, and that is by investigating the impacts of 
climate and environmental change on food security in small northern 
communities.

The individual will have a multidisciplinary background and/or 
appropriate experience in one of the following areas: health 
sciences, particularly public health, community health or health 
administration or human geography, nutrition, medical anthropology, 
environmental studies, or risk assessment, with experience in 
surveillance or monitoring. Experience in qualitative (semi-directed 
interviews, surveys, qualitative analysis) and quantitative methods 
(univariate and multivariate statistics, risk analysis with programs 
such as @risk) will be an asset.  The individual must be fluent in 
English with strong written and oral communications skills. 
Experience working in or with northern communities is preferred. 
Solid interpersonal skills are required and French language skills 
are an asset.

Rationale:
A number of health endpoints have the potential to be either directly 
(e.g. injury) or indirectly (e.g. nutrient profile shift) influenced 
by reported climate changes from Nunatsiavut in the East to 
Inuvialuit in the West.  Several studies at large have identified 
associations between health outcomes and climate change. A small 
number of studies have begun to document the reporting of adverse 
health problems associated with climate change in the Canadian North. 
In terms of health endpoints there are mortality, morbidity, injury, 
social determinants including physical infrastructure, community 
wellness, search and rescue and biomonitoring (human tissues) 
indicators that have the potential to be influenced by one or several 
climate related changes. These climate related indicators are grouped 
as weather, ice, water levels, permafrost and erosion, biota, 
drinking water, biomonitoring.  Public health surveillance is the 
systematic collection and   analysis of appropriate data and the 
health protection actions that follow as a result of such data 
systems.

Traditional food is well documented as a critical resource to 
northern populations for its nutritional, economic, social and 
cultural benefits. However, these important foods are also the main 
source of exposure for many environmental contaminants among northern 
Aboriginal people via their traditional diet based on land and sea 
species.  Climate related changes in the North have been associated 
with alterations in animal, fish and plant population distribution, 
abundance, morphology, behaviour and community structure 
(availability). Climate changes have also been associated with 
changes in ice, snow, precipitation regimes, and other environmental 
factors potentially influencing travel and transportation in the 
North.  Recent work has suggested that these climate related changes 
may influence components of Inuit traditional food security.  In this 
way, climate has the potential to influence nutrition and health 
status in relation to such things as the incidence of disease, 
contaminant affected health outcomes (e.g. child development) and 
general individual and community health related to aspects of diet 
and lifestyle.


Objectives:
The surveillance project is taking a participatory approach to 
capacity building of the networks of managers responsible for 
surveillance (health indicators) and monitoring (environmental 
indicators).  In its first phase (2004-2006), case studies of the 
state of health surveillance and environmental monitoring were 
undertaken.  Case study results will be released in the form of 
reports in 2006.  The case studies (one per Inuit region) accessed 
published and unpublished documentation and carried out interviews 
with informants responsible for data pertaining to any of the 
categories of indicators of interest. This portrait will enable the 
evaluation of strengths and weaknesses within these systems and 
enable the development of a strategy to move towards capacity 
building.  The development of a network of partners and initiation of 
pilot projects will mark the beginning of phase 2 of the project 
(2006-2009).  Policy recommendations for strengthening public health 
surveillance are also part of the expected outcomes.

The food security project is taking a mixed qualitative and 
quantitative focus on: 1) nutrition and potential changes in intake 
of nutrients; 2) exposure to contaminants and 3) levels of food 
security (availability and access to traditional foods).  The 
research seeks to investigate to what extent, and how climate change 
is affecting the traditional diet profile of northern Aboriginal 
residents presently and potentially into the future and what 
implications this may have for individual and community health.

Post details:
Salary of 40-50k depending on experience.  Start date: Spring or 
summer 2006. Location: Quebec City University Hospital Research 
Center (CHUQ) with some travel in the Canadian North and other 
locations.  Application deadline: open.  Informal inquiries welcome.

Contact persons:
Pierre Gosselin MD (PI on the surveillance project): 
[log in to unmask]
+1 418 650 5115 ext. 5205
Christopher Furgal PhD (PI on the nutrition project and 
co-investigator on the surveillance project): 
[log in to unmask] +1 418 656 4141 ext.46521

April 25, 2006.


--
Michel O'Neill, Ph.D.

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Adresse Postale: Faculte des Sciences infirmieres; 4108-J Pavillon 
Paul-Comtois, Universite Laval, Quebec, Qc, Canada, G1K 7P4.
Localisation de mon bureau: Faculte des Sciences infirmieres; 1038-F 
Pavillon Lacerte, Universite Laval, Quebec, Qc, Canada, G1K 7P4.
tel: +1-(418)-656-2131 #7431; telecopieur: +1-(418)-656-7825
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