Our Collaborators

Dr. Marie Breton is the Section Head of the Standard Setting Section, developing policies to minimize food risks, advising consumers on food practices, and evaluating microbiological methods. Recent work includes the revision of HC’s Listeria Policy (2023), risk analysis for Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC), and microbiological criteria review for the Food and Drugs Act and Regulations.

Climate change risks are complex and interconnected, and impacts can propagate through natural and human systems in ways that are difficult to anticipate. My interest is to study these interconnections through a One Health approach that collaboratively incorporates Indigenous knowledge to better equip Canada to anticipate, prevent and respond to complex challenges.

Dr. Carrillo's research program is focused on the application of whole-genome sequencing (WGS) technologies for the detection, identification and characterization of foodborne bacterial pathogens. Dr. Carrillo currently leads the sequencing component of the interdepartmental Genomics Research and Development Initiative project on antimicrobial resistance (GRDI-AMR).

I work on intersectoral risk assessments topics, such as HPAI pandemic and human health risks. I was involved in developing OH capacity-building frameworks with the World Organisation for Animal Health/World Health Organization and in projects related to climate change and animal health.

Angela is the Section Head of the Health Risk Assessment Section, assessing microbial contaminants in food and identifying their risk to human health. This section supports the management of food safety incidents and completes risk analysis projects, monitoring food safety intelligence signals and emerging issues and analysing Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR).

Dr. Brent Dixon is a research scientist in the Bureau of Microbial Hazards, Food Directorate, Health Canada. His research focuses on the detection and molecular characterization of food-borne parasites. His laboratory uses a variety of technologies for concentrating and detecting these parasites in foods, as well as in environmental and clinical samples.

Dr. Duplessis is a research scientist in smart and sustainable dairy production, with a special focus in B-vitamin and trace mineral nutrition, based at the Sherbrooke Research and Development Centre. Through a One Health approach, her research program aims to develop knowledge for sustainable dairy production and cow and calf health optimization, helping dairy nutritionists and producers.

My interest is in the geographic and environmental epidemiology of pathogens like HPAI that exist at the interface of domestic animals and wildlife, particularly those with zoonotic potential. Understanding the affects of anthropogenic environmental change can help to prepare Canadians for novel, emerging and expanding diseases moving forward.

I head the Verotoxigenic Escherichia coli (VTEC) laboratory at BMH. My research areas include the development of methods for the detection of VTEC in food samples, VTEC virulence genes, the potential for VTEC to survive in foods, and decontamination technologies.

My research focuses on the evolution, ecology, and natural history of insects. My lab has pioneered a data-driven and specimen-focused approach to increase our knowledge of insect biology and develop tools to understand the mechanisms underlying the maintenance and loss of insect biodiversity.

Dr. Hongsheng Huang’s research mainly focuses on the development of methods for the detection and molecular characterization of food-borne bacterial pathogens, and antimicrobial resistance genes in food and environment. His lab uses various approaches including bacterial isolation, molecular and immunological detection and genomic characterization.

Lead Biologist on the aquatic animal health program with Fisheries and Oceans Canada in New Brunswick. Currently collaborating with research team with Agriculture and Agri-foods Canada (AAFC) and industry on improving disease resilience of farmed Atlantic salmon and mitigation of antimicrobial resistance in through One Health approach, including the use of probiotics.

Collaborate with Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) on improving disease resilience of Atlantic salmon and mitigation of antimicrobial resistance in Canadian finfish aquaculture through One Health approach, including the use of probiotics.

Neda is a research scientist and the head of the food virology laboratory at Health Canada. She is also an adjunct professor at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa. Her research interests and projects include detection, genomic characterization, and inactivation of foodborne viruses.

I was one of the main authors of the Zoonotic Tuberculosis Road Map, and continue to lead global efforts to control bovine, human, and zoonotic TB with multiple institutions globally. Since 2021, I have worked as part of the Asia Pacific Cities Alliance for Health and Development (APCAT), implementing a dog’s Rabies vaccination campaign in Bali, Indonesia.

Capacity Enhancement Coordinator for the Québec Network Environment for Indigenous Health Research, which aims to improve Indigenous Peoples' health through the assertion of Indigenous understandings of health, fostering innovative community-based and scientifically excellent research. Patrick is also a lecturer at the School of Nutrition, specializing in ethnobotany and evolutionary health.

Dr. Pagotto’s lab studies foodborne pathogens Listeria monocytogenes and Cronobacter sp., including microbiological hazard identification and risk assessment, molecular typing and genomic characterization, and pathogenesis and virulence determinants. Dr. Pagotto is a PulseNet Canada steering committee member and Listeriosis Reference Centre for Canada co-director.

Dr. Renée Petri is a research scientist working on the rumen microbiome and digestive system of livestock animals, based at the Sherbrooke Research and Development Centre for Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. Dr. Petri's research program aims to improve dairy cattle health, nutrient utilization, and environmental performance by understanding and altering microbiome function.

The lab investigates gene regulation in trypanosomatid pathogens implicated in global health in response to environmental shifts like varying hosts. The primary objective is identifying therapeutic targets to mitigate these pathogens' adverse health impacts worldwide.

My lab studies bacterial toxins and secretion systems, focusing on their effect on interbacterial interactions, anti-phage defenses, and virulence. We work on human, plant, and aquatic pathogens, such as Vibrio, Aeromonas, and Pantoea.

We recently demonstrated that intestinal nematode infection of mice promotes earlier neurological development in uninfected offspring, and that prior exposure to a putative cue released by ectoparasite-infected guppies impedes Gyrodactylus spread. I also completed a review suggesting that host-helminth-environment interactions may increase resilience to environmental change.

Dr. Nariman Shahhosseini is the Head of Center for Vector-Borne Diseases at Canadian Food Inspection Agency. His research focuses on novel/emerging zoonotic viruses, as well as arboviruses and associated vectors. He integrates virology, entomology and bioinformatics to better understand virus/vector ecology, and predict spillover events into humans in order to prevent future outbreaks.

One of the century’s great challenges is to provide nutritional and sustainable foods to meet the demands of an expanding global population. My program lays the foundation for unique methods to identify biotic and abiotic stress-associated genes in cereals, capitalizing on modern genomics, biotechnology, and gene editing to develop next-generation climate-resilient crops.

Neil is the Section Head of the Novel Foods Section, conducting pre-market assessment of novel foods and maintaining up-to-date guidance regarding novelty and safety assessments. Recent work includes updating Health Canada’s Guidelines for the Safety Assessment of Novel Foods to address innovations in plant breeding and ongoing work addressing food innovation in cellular agriculture.

I lead the NRC’s Molecular Modelling Team with a current research focus on the design and optimization of innovative biologics and therapeutic antibodies against cancer, neurological disorders and infectious diseases. We develop and apply a wide array of molecular simulation and bioinformatics methods from classical mechanics to machine learning models.

My research centers on bacterial pathogens and food safety. Specifically, I work with Salmonella and Vibrio species and study their behaviour in food and food production environments. The goal of my research is to advance standard setting, guidance and policy related to food safety. I have also have projects related to antimicrobial resistance and its role in food safety.

The objective of my research program is to design, validate, and apply innovative approaches to improve the management of livestock in order to prevent and control disease. Specifically, we are working on the reduction of antibiotics usage in farm animals, antimicrobial resistance in bacteria of animal origins and bovine mastitis.