E-News August 2011
We are pleased to present the August edition of the First Nations Environmental Health Innovation Network’s (FNEHIN) newsletter, providing a monthly summary of environmental health events, funding opportunities, research etc.
FNEHIN Update – Researcher Directory
If you are seeking collaboration with the academic community or are considering applying for funding and require a scientist, check out the researcher directory.
We have recently updated this database of researchers who have experience in environmental health research with First Nations. We are requesting each researcher to provide a Letter of Support from a community that they have worked with. As these letters are received they will be uploaded into the directory.
If you know of any researchers that may be appropriate for our researcher directory, please contact FNEHIN Secretariat- contact details at end.
Funding Opportunities
A list of Canadian foundations and organisations offering grants in environment and health can be found under “What’s New” on the FNEHIN homepage, click “Looking for a grant? check out these grantmakers”.
The Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR) is offering grants with “First Nations Inuit or Métis” being a priority funding area. Deadline October 17th. Click on the grant below for more information.
Planning Grants
Dissemination Events
Knowledge Translation Supplement
Reminder – The National First Nations Environmental Contaminants Program (NFNECP) and Drinking Water Quality Program (DWQP) will be accepting proposals until November 15th, 2011.
Environmental Health Events
Healthy By Nature September 20-23, 2011 Vancouver – A forum on the physical & health benefits of time spent in nature
Big Value in Small Systems October 5-6, 2011 Hyatt Regency, Vancouver – A biennial two-day event gathering seasoned and new generation water professionals to highlight innovative solutions to meet the challenges of delivering drinking water in small systems. RES’EAU WaterNET is devoted to developing technologies to provide drinking water to small, rural and First Nations communities.
What’s Worth Knowing: Health and the Environment Symposium November 16, 2011 Toronto – This event will bring together over 150 senior sustainability experts and high school students to address the connections between health, the economy, the environment and education.
New Resource Documents
A scoping review on Early Exposures to Hazardous Chemicals/Pollution and Associations with Chronic Disease was released by the Canadian Environmental Law Association, the Ontario College of Family Physicians and the Environmental Health Institute of Canada.
Highlights in Environmental Health Research
Research looking at the association between diabetes and pollution continues to be published in August.
Association Between Urinary Arsenic and Diabetes Mellitus in the Korean General Population According to KNHANES 2008
Published in Science of the Total Environment September 2011
This study showed an association between total urinary arsenic concentration and diabetes among an adult population with relatively low environmental arsenic exposure.
Association Between Type 2 Diabetes and Exposure to Persistent Organic Pollutants
Published in Diabetes Care August 2011
This study confirms an association between type 2 diabetes and adult-only exposure to organochlorine pesticides in a general urban population.
Polychlorinated Biphenyls and Organochlorine Pesticides in Plasma Predict Development of Type 2 Diabetes in the Elderly: The Prospective Investigation of the Vasculature in Uppsala Seniors (PIVUS) study
Published in Diabetes Care August 2011
This study found that environmental exposure to some POPs substantially increased the risk of future type 2 diabetes in an elderly population.
Other…
Fellowship open to Canadians. Environmental Health Sciences (EHS) seeks nominations for Science Communication Fellows. The 12-month appointments are open to postdoctoral fellows and junior faculty at research universities that have active research programs related to environmental health sciences.
2 Day Training Session “First Nations Environmental Assessment Toolkit For Ontario” September 28 – 29th Toronto
Please contact Melissa Pomeroy at AFN, Environmental Stewardship Unit at mpomeroy(at)afn.ca or 613-241-6789 ext. 294 (toll free at 1866-869-6789) if you would like to be involved with FNEHIN and/or you have information for the website or newsletter. Thank you!