Dr. Goodarzi is the Scientific Director of the Evict Radon National Study. He is also an associate professor at the University of Calgary (UC) and the Director of the Robson DNA Science Centre, and the lead of Science Communication for the Charbonneau Cancer Institute. He obtained his PhD from the UC in 2005, and his postdoctorate in 2010 from the University of Sussex in the UK. In 2011, he opened his laboratory at the UC’s Cumming School of Medicine and, since then, has been named one of Calgary’s Top 40 Under 40 for achievements in science and education, and a “Peak Scholar” by UC’s President Elizabeth Cannon for innovation and knowledge translation in the community.

Dr. Alison Wallace is a thoracic surgeon and scientist who treats lung cancer. Based at Dalhousie University (NS), her research is focused on studying how environmental exposures lead to the development of lung cancer. Dr. Wallace is working in partnership with the Lung Association of Nova Scotia, as well as the teams led by Evict Radon members Dr. Dellaire and Dr. Goodarzi, to understand the relationship between residential radon exposure and lung cancer incidence and outcomes in Canada.

Dr. Anne-Marie Nichol is an epidemiologist and toxicology expert who has helped shape the Canadian national “Take Action on Radon Program”. Based at Simon Fraser University (BC), she leads community-level initiatives to reduce radon levels and promotes environmental knowledge translation for public health professionals. Dr. Nichol is also a founding member of Carcinogen Exposure (CAREX) Canada.

Mr. Austin Atkins is a Masters student in the Goodarzi Laboratory studying human genetic susceptibility to alpha particle radiation. His project uses human cell line models to uncover genetic requirements for the effective repair of DNA damages induced by alpha particle radiation, with the intent to define populations that are uniquely susceptible to radon-induced lung cancers.

Mr. Behnam Ashrafkhani is a Ph.D. candidate in physics at the Wieser laboratory of the University of Calgary. Behnam’s work occurs in collaboration with TRIUMF’s Ion Trap for Atomic and Nuclear Science (TITAN) in Vancouver and focuses on designing and implementing advanced mass spectrometry techniques for the detection of unique atomic signatures. The focus of his research is to develop reliable tools and methods for measuring lifetime radon exposure in humans.

Dr. Cathryn Ryan is a groundwater and water quality scientist interested in free phase gases’ behaviour as a rapid gas transport mechanism in groundwater. Based at the University of Calgary (AB), her team works to understand the links between indoor air radon and dissolved radon gas in the ground (well) water that supplies drinking water to homes in rural areas.

Dr. Cheryl Peters is an occupational hygienist and an epidemiologist focused on the impact of cancer-causing exposures in the workplace, community and environments. Based with Alberta Health Services, she is interested in minimizing exposures to known hazards such as radon to reduce cancer risks for workers and Canadians in general. Dr. Peters is also a founding member of Carcinogen Exposure (CAREX) Canada.

Dr. Darren Brenner is a population health scientist focused on the impact of lifestyle and genetics in the development of cancer and epidemiologic trends in cancer survival. Based at the University of Calgary (AB), his team processes data from across the nation to calculate region-, tissue- and cause-specific cancer risk statistics. He is particularly interested in developing new Canadian radon-attributable lung cancer risk estimates. 

Mr. David Griffin is a Master’s student at the University of Calgary working in the Goodarzi laboratory. His work focuses on determining a cost-effectiveness analysis of radon reduction techniques and their impact on lung cancer treatment costs.

Dr. Dustin Pearson is one of the senior scientists in the Goodarzi laboratory and is the research operations manager for the Evict Radon National Study. His work focuses on the biology of alpha particle exposure, as well as the study of the real-time indoor air dynamics of radon within the residential built environment. In this project, Dr. Pearson serves as the primary manager for all radon databases, masterminding the security, annotation and analysis of our complex datasets relating to radon exposures, participant demographics, building metrics and more. Dustin’s work is currently supported by the Canadian Cancer Society.

Ms. Evelyn Boland is the Business Operations Specialist for the Evict Radon National Study and the Robson DNA Science Centre at the University of Calgary. She has had several positions in Research Administration since 2007 including within the Charbonneau Cancer Institute and with the Canadian Institutes of Health Research-Institute of Cancer Research. Her roles have given her the privilege of working and connecting with researchers, trainees, health professionals, funding partners, and patient advocates across Canada.

Dr. Graham Dellaire is a biologist studying DNA damage repair related to cancer biomarker discovery, chemotherapy resistance and environmental causes of cancer. Based at Dalhousie University (NS), he is particularly interested in the dynamics between radon and arsenic exposure, both of which cause lung cancer. Graham also founded the Canadian Environmental Exposures of Cancer (CE2C) network.

Dr. Hali Morrison is a medical physicist who ensures safe and accurate radiation therapy treatments for cancer patients at the Tom Baker Cancer Centre (AB). Apart from working as a clinical medical physicist, she and her team collaborate with biologists to accurately model the interactions of alpha particle radiation through advanced computer simulations and novel measurement techniques.

Dr. Jean-Yves Masson is a biochemist and molecular biologist studying genomic instability. He is an expert in DNA damage and repair responses, and exploring their potential as therapeutic approaches. Based at the CHU de Québec-University Laval, he is interested in genome-wide responses to radon and alpha particle radiation exposure using genetic screens. Jean-Yves is funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and holds the Canada Research Chair in DNA repair and Cancer Therapeutics.

Mr. John Danforth is pursuing his Ph.D. in the Goodarzi laboratory, having obtained his MSc from the University of Oulu (Finland) in 2018 studying genetic changes in rodents inhabiting the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. His project uses human and yeast model systems to learn how long-term, repetitive, low doses of alpha particle radiation impacts genetic integrity, intending to discern the alpha particle (i.e. radon gas) induced cancer gene signature.

Professor Joshua Taron is an architect focused on advancing and applying digital design and fabrication tools, emphasizing more sustainable, efficient and livable cities. Based at the University of Calgary (AB), his team is exploring how the human-built environment influences indoor air quality and modifies the entry of radon gas into buildings, as well as the evolving building code trends that underlie Canada’s radon problem. Mr. Taron is on the board of the Evict Radon National Study. 

Mr. Joshua Rice serves as the Communications Specialist for the Evict Radon National Study. Based at the University of Calgary (AB), he employs his skills in crafting compelling narratives and strategic messaging. Passionate about public health, Joshua is dedicated to raising awareness about radon exposure and advocating for preventive measures. 

Dr. Justin Simms is a physician and biologist with a background in the biology of DNA damage repair, multiple myeloma, and psychology. Based at the University of Saskatchewan (SK), he is interested in how different people, based on their demographics, psychology and behaviour, make decisions based on radon test outcomes. He is also leading a real-time radon testing study in the city of Regina, Saskatchewan.

Dr. Kerri Miller works within the Wieser laboratory at the University of Calgary and is an expert in metal radioisotope physics, particularly as it relates to human health. Dr. Miller is currently focussing her efforts on developing a novel biodosimetric method of calculating lifetime radon exposure using mass spectrometry and readily available human specimens in a collaboration between the Wieser-Goodarzi-Brenner teams.

Dr. Linda Carlson holds the Enbridge Research Chair in Psychosocial Oncology, is a Full-time Professor in Psychosocial Oncology in the Department of Oncology, Cumming School of Medicine at the University of Calgary, and Adjunct Professor in the Department of Psychology. She is the Director of Research and works as a Clinical Psychologist at the Department of Psychosocial Resources at the Tom Baker Cancer Centre (TBCC), where she has worked since 1997. She also holds a CIHR SPOR-funded mentorship chair in innovative clinical trials, which funds the TRACTION program (Training in Research And Clinical Trials in Integrative Oncology), supporting a multidisciplinary group of University of Calgary fellows studying Integrative Oncology.

Ms. Marvit Ahanonu is currently a graduate student in Architecture from the School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape at the University of Calgary. Marvit’s work is at the nexus of science and art, working alongside other design students to distill Evict Radon’s scientific information into the most easily, publicly digestible manner.

Mr. Maxime Mayorav is a B.Sc student at the University of Calgary and the French translation specialist for the Evict Radon National Study. Maxime plays a crucial role in ensuring that the study’s findings are accessible to French-speaking communities across Canada, broadening the reach and impact of radon awareness efforts. 

Dr. Michael Wieser is an atomic physicist developing reliable analytical technologies with real-world applications to understanding the relationship between our environment and living systems. Based at the University of Calgary (AB) Department of Physics and Astronomy, his team is focused on novel biodosimetric methods of calculating lifetime radon exposure using mass spectrometry.

Dr. Monica Caicedo-Roa is an epidemiologist whose research focuses on population health, clinical studies, assessment and systematic analysis of scientific evidence and knowledge translation. Monica brings her expertise in population health to lead a study to assess the impact of radon exposure on the most vulnerable. Her transdisciplinary work focuses on the exposure to radioactive radon gas, lung cancer and those experiencing disability, with the goal of implementing high-impact radon prevention interventions.

Dr. Nicolas Ploquin is a medical physicist who designs and implements radiation therapy for cancer patients. While not delivering life-saving therapy at Alberta Health Service’s Tom Baker Cancer Centre (AB), he and his team collaborate with biologists to model and understand alpha particle radiation (that is emitted by radon) and the effects it has on living systems.

Dr. Owen Wells is collaborating with the Evict Radon National Study team as a scientific writer to compile the multiple peer-reviewed publications and current research findings from this project into a comprehensive report. Dr. Wells has five years of experience in the public health and biopharmaceutical sector and obtained his PhD in DNA repair from the University of Sussex. He pursued his research at Sussex as a postdoctoral research fellow and lecturer in Genome stability and Cancer Cell Biology.

Dr. Tiago Morais is currently working as a Postdoctoral Associate at the University of Calgary with Dr. Cathy Ryan. He received his PhD (2022) in Geoscience at the University of Calgary and his MSc (2017) and BSc (2015) in Geoscience at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, in Brazil. Tiago’s current research involves the development of monitoring techniques to mitigate fugitive carbon emissions from industrial-scale CO2 storage in the geological pore space resource, with special consideration of shallow storage in Alberta. 

Dr. Trevor Dummer is an environmental epidemiologist with training in geographic information science and determines how the environment influences health. Based at the University of British Columbia (BC) School of Population and Public Health, his current work involves cancer prevention through community knowledge translation, especially related to environmental exposures such as radon or arsenic.

Dr. Wan Lam is the Deputy Head of Integrative Oncology at the BC Cancer Agency and a pioneering expert in gene expression studies. Based on the University of British Columbia (BC), his team has developed whole-genome technologies, bioinformatics, imaging and computational biology tools for tracking genetic, epigenetic, and gene expression events critical to cancer development, progression and treatment responses in lung cancer.