Sara Packull-McCormick

PhD student, Public Health and Health Systems

Sara Packull-McCormick.

Program 

PhD, Public Health and Health Systems

Graduate supervisor

Brian Laird

My thesis

Our research team conducts contaminant biomonitoring in Northern Indigenous communities to promote the consumption of traditional foods in a way that maximizes nutrient intake while minimizing the risks posed by exposure to environmental contaminants. My thesis aims to construct, refine, and validate a model of mercury exposure from fish consumption for First Nations communities in the Northwest Territories, Canada. To do this, I am combining data from the analysis of traditional food samples, dietary surveys, and human biological samples. This thesis will contribute to the on-going work being conducted by Professor Laird's research team in northern Canada.

My time in the School of Public Health and Health Systems (SPHHS)

I have been fortunate to be a part of an amazing research team doing important work that has real-world implications for the communities that we work with. Having a chance to meet and work with community members and local researchers in Canada’s north has been an incredible privilege. For me, SPHHS has provided a supportive and welcoming place to develop as a researcher.