Catherine Girard
PhD student Catherine Girard is particularly interested in how mercury interacts with traditional foods in the North and how it impacts the health on those living there. Her project has taken her to Resolute Bay, a remote hamlet in Nunavut, where she collects samples from the local Inuit population.
When mercury is deposited onto land or into water, it is picked up by micro-organisms, which convert some of it to methylmercury, a neurotoxin. "Methylmercury can accumulate in the aquatic food web," says Ms. Girard. "In the North, Inuit rely on their country food, which includes caribou, seal and char, as a source of protein. I'm working to find out how different dietary practices affect the fate of mercury in the body."
At the Université de Montréal, Ms. Girard analyzes gut bacteria to understand the impacts of mercury on the human body. She works in two CFI-funded biology labs and uses a gut simulator to conduct her experiments.
Canada Foundation for Innovation More at innovation.ca
Photo credit: Christinne Muschi
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