Nancy Ross

Associate Professor

Nancy has an ongoing research program investigating income inequality as a determinant of population health in North America. This program encompasses a broad range of studies including the relationship between residential segregation, public goods in urban areas and health outcomes. Nancy is continuing work at the health region level in Canada on the determinants of disability-free life expectancy as well as regional and neighbourhood scale work on the net social-contextual influences on health status. Nancy currently holds research funding from the Canadian Population Health Initiative (CPHI), The Canadian Institues of Health Research (CIHR), Fonds de la recherece en Sante Quebec (FRSC) and Fonds québécois de la recherche sur la société et la culture (FRSC).

Current Position/Address:   Associate Professor, Department of Geography
                                                    Associate, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics
                                                   McGill University
                                                   805 Sherbrooke St. W., Montreal, Quebec H3A 2K6
                                                   tel: (514) 398-4307 fax: (514) 398-3747
                                                   e-mail: nancy.ross@mcgill.ca
Citizenship:                             Canadian
Family Status:                        Married with two children: William (15), Isabel (12)

EDUCATION
Postdoctoral Training – 1998-2001
Population Health Program of the Canadian Institute of Advanced Research
General Motors (GM) Postdoctoral Fellow (1998-2001)

Harvard University School of Public Health
Summer Program in Design, Measurement and Evaluation for Health Outcomes Research (2001)

University of Michigan
Summer Program in Quantitative Methods (1999)

Doctoral  - 1992-1997 Department of Geography, McMaster University
   Supervisor: Dr. S. Martin Taylor
   Thesis title:     Attitudes Towards Smoking in the Community Intervention Trial for Smoking Cessation      (COMMIT).
Masters – 1990-1992 Department of Geography, Queen's University
   Supervisor: Dr. Mark Rosenberg
   Thesis title:     Women's Access to Health Care: A Case Study of The Ontario Breast Screening Program,      Kingston, Ontario.
Undergraduate – 1986-1990
   BA (hons.) - Department of Geography, Queen's University

AWARDS AND DISTINCTIONS
FRSQ Chercheurs-Boursiers, Santé et Societé, Junior 2 (2009-13).
Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) New Investigator Salary Award (2002-07)
Fonds de Recherche en Santé Québec (FRSQ) Professeur Stratégique Career Award (2002-05)
Core Member Canadian Institute of Advanced Research (CIAR) New Investigator Network (2003-07)
SSHRC Doctoral Research Fellow (1993-97)
Ontario Graduate Scholar (1990-92)
Queen’s University Class of 1990 Gold Medalist

REFEREED PUBLICATIONS

(* current/former student or post-doctoral fellow)

ARTICLES ACCEPTED FOR PUBLICATION
Lega I, Zhong L, Ross NA, Dasgupta K Gestational diabetes history may signal deprivation in women with type 2 diabetes. Journal of Women’s Health.

ARTICLES PUBLISHED ON-LINE BEFORE PRINT
Ross NA, Garner RE, Bernier J, Feeny DH, Kaplan MS, McFarland B, Orpana HM, Oderkirk J. (2011) Trajectories of health-related quality of life by socio-economic status in a nationally representative Canadian cohort.  Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.  PMID: 22037221.

Auger N, Hamel D, Martinez J, Ross NA (2011)  Mitigating effect of immigration on the relation between income inequality and mortality: A prospective study of 2 million Canadians.  Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. PMID: 21450759.

Garner RE, Blanchard C, Feeny DH, Thompson A, Bernier J, McFarland BH, Huguet N, Ross NA (2011) Bodyweight, gender, and quality of life: a population-based longitudinal study. Quality of Life Research. PMID: 21842378.

Brouillette RT, Horwood L, Constantin E, Brown K, Ross NA  (2011) Childhood sleep apnea and neighborhood disadvantage. Journal of Pediatrics. PMID: 21146181.

Stafford M, Newbold BK, Ross NA (2011) Psychological distress among immigrants and visible minorities in Canada: a contextual analysis. International Journal of Social Psychiatry. PMID: 20378661.

PUBLISHED
Ross NA, Gilmour H, Dasgupta K (2010) 14-year diabetes incidence: the role of socio-economic status. Health Reports 21(3):19-28.

Crouse DL*, Goldberg MS, Ross NA, Chen H, Labrèche F (2010) Postmenopausal breast cancer is associated with exposure to traffic-related air pollution in Montreal, Canada: A case-control study. Environmental Health Perspectives 118(11): 1578–1583.

Chen H, Goldberg MS, *Crouse DL, Burnett RT, Jerrett M, Villeneuve PJ, Wheeler AJ, Ross NA (2010) Back-extrapolation of estimates of exposure from current land-use regression models. Atmospheric Environment 44(5): 4346-4354.

Stafford M, Brunner EJ, Head J, Ross NA (2010) Deprivation and the development of obesity a multilevel, longitudinal study in England. American Journal of Preventive Medicine.39(2):130-9.

Dasgupta K, Khan S*, Ross NA (2010) Type 2 diabetes in Canada: concentration of risk among most disadvantaged men but inverse social gradient across groups in women. Diabetic Medicine 27(5):522-31.

Orpana HM, Berthelot JM, Kaplan MS, Feeny DH, McFarland B, Ross NA (2010) BMI and mortality: results from a national longitudinal study of Canadian adults. Obesity 18:214-8.

*Crouse DL, Ross NA, Goldberg MS (2009) Double burden of deprivation and high concentrations of ambient air pollution at the neighbourhood scale in Montreal, Canada. Social Science and Medicine 69:971-81.

*Crouse DL, Ross NA, Goldberg MS (2009) A prediction-based approach to modeling temporal and spatial variability of traffic-related air pollution in Montreal, Canada. Atmospheric Environment 43:5075-084.

McGrail KM, van Doorslaer E, Ross NA, *Sanmartin C (2009) Income-related health inequalities in Canada and the United States: a decomposition analysis. Am J Public Health 99:1856-63.

Orpana HM, Ross NA, Feeny D, McFarland B, Bernier J, Kaplan M. (2009) The natural history of health-related quality of life: 10-year cohort study. Health Reports 20:29-35.

*Richmond C, Ross NA (2009) The determinants of First Nation and Inuit health: A critical population health approach. Health and Place 15:403-411.

*Richmond C, Ross NA (2008) Social support, material circumstance and health behaviour: Influences on health in First Nation and Inuit communities of Canada. Social Science and Medicine 67:1423-33.

*Coen SE, Ross NA, Turner S (2008) “Without tiendas it’s a dead neighbourhood”: The socioeconomic importance of small trade stores in Cochabamba, Bolivia. Cities 25:327-339.

Kaplan M, Feeney D, Huguet N, Orpana H, Ross NA (2008) Prevalence and factors associated with thriving in older adulthood: A 10-year population-based study. The Journal of Gerontology: Medical Sciences 63:1097-104.

*Richmond C, Ross NA, Egeland GM. (2007) Societal resources and thriving health: A new approach for understanding the health of Indigenous Canadians. American Journal of Public Health. 97:1827-33.

Dunn JR, Schaub P and Ross NA (2007) Unpacking income inequality and population health: The peculiar absence of geography. Canadian Journal of Public Health. Jul-Aug;98 Suppl 1:S10-7.
Haase I, Olson S, Behr MA, Wanyeki I, Thibert L, Scott A, Zwerling A, Ross NA, Brassard P, Menzies D, Schwartzman K (2007) Use of geographic and genotyping tools to characterize tuberculosis transmission in Montreal. International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease 11:632-638.

Ross NA, Tremblay S, *Khan S, *Crouse D, Tremblay M and Berthelot J-M (2007) Body mass index in urban Canada: Neighbourhood and metropolitan area effects. American Journal of Public Health 97:500-508.

Dasgupta K, Chan K, DaCosta D, Pilote L, DeCivita M, Ross NA, Strachan I, Sigal R, Joseph L (2006) Walking behaviour and glycemic control in type 2 diabetes: seasonal and gender differences-Study design and methods. Cardiovascular Diabetology 6:1.

*Wilson D, Gilliland J, Ross NA, Derevensky G, Gupta R (2006) Video lottery terminal access and gambling among high school students in Montreal. Canadian Journal of Public Health 97:202-06.

Frohlich KL, Ross NA, *Richmond CAM (2006) Health disparities in Canada today: Evidence and pathways. Health Policy 79:132-43.

*Coen SE and Ross NA (2006) Exploring the material basis for health: characteristics of parks in Montreal neighbourhoods with contrasting health outcomes. Health and Place 12:361-371.

Wanyeki I, Menzies R, Olson S, Ross NA, Behr M,  Schwartzman K (2006) Dwellings, crowding and tuberculosis in Montreal. Social Science and Medicine 63:501-11.

Dunn JR, Veenstra G, Ross NA (2006) Psychosocial and neo-material dimensions of SES and health revisited: determinants of self-rated health in a Canadian national survey. Social Science and Medicine 62:1465-73.

*Sanmartin C and Ross NA (2006) Experiencing difficulties accessing first-contact health services in Canada. Healthcare Policy 1:103-119.

Dunn JR, Burgess W, Ross NA (2005) Income distribution, public services expenditures, and all-cause mortality in U.S. states. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health 59:768-774.

Ross NA, Dorling D, Dunn JR, Hendricksson G, Glover J, Lynch J. (2005) Metropolitan scale relationship between income inequality and mortality in five countries using comparable data. Journal of Urban Health 82:101-110.

Gilliland JA and Ross NA (2005) Opportunities for video lottery terminal gambling in Montreal: an environmental analysis. Canadian Journal of Public Health 96 (1):55-59.

Ross NA, Houle C, Dunn JR, Aye M. (2004) The dimensions and dynamics of income segregation in Canadian metropolitan areas: 1991-96. The Canadian Geographer 48: 433-445.

Lynch J, Harper S, Davey Smith G, Ross NA, Wolfson M, Dunn J. (2004) US regional and national cause-specific mortality and trends in income inequality: descriptive findings. Demographic Research Special Collections: Article 8:184-228.

Ross NA, Tremblay S, Graham K. (2004) Neighbourhood influences on health in Montreal, Canada. Social Science and Medicine 59:1485-1494.

Lynch J, Davey Smith G, Harper S, Hillemeier M, Ross NA, Kaplan GA, Wolfson MC (2004) Is income inequality a determinant of population health? Part 1. A systematic review. Milbank Quarterly 82(1):5-99.

*Sanmartin C, Ross NA, Tremblay S, Wolfson, Dunn JR, Lynch JL (2003) Labour market income inequality and mortality in North American metropolitan areas. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health 57:792-797.

Ross NA (2002) Community belonging and health. Health Reports 13:33-39.

Ross NA, Nobrega K, Dunn JR (2002) Economic segregation and mortality in North American metropolitan areas. Geojournal 53:117-124.

Tremblay S, Ross NA, Berthelot J-M (2002) Regional socio-economic context and health. Health Reports 13:33-44.

Mayer F, Ross NA, Berthelot J-M, Wilkins R (2002) Disability-free life expectancy by health region. Health Reports 13:49-60.

Tremblay S, Ross NA, Berthelot J-M (2002) Ontario grade 3 student achievement. Canadian Social Trends 65:1-12.

Tremblay S, Ross NA, Berthelot, J-M (2001) Individual and community factors affecting grade three academic performance: a multi-level analysis. Education Quarterly Review 7: 25-36.
 

Ross NA, Wolfson MC, Dunn JR, Berthelot, J-M, Kaplan G, Lynch J (2000) Relation between income inequality and mortality in Canada and in the United States: cross sectional assessment using census data and vital statistics. British Medical Journal 320:898-902.

Wilkins R, Houle C, Berthelot J-M, Ross NA (2000) The changing health status of Canada’s children. ISUMA: Canadian Journal of Policy Research 1: 57-63.

Wilkins R, Houle C, Berthelot J-M, Ross NA (2000) Health status of children. Health Reports 11:25-34.

Wolfson MC, Kaplan G, Lynch J, Ross NA, Backlund E (2000) Relation between income inequality and mortality: empirical demonstration. Western Journal of Medicine 172:22-24.

Ross NA, Wolfson MC, Berthelot J-M (1999) Income inequality and mortality. Health Reports 11:77-82.

Ross NA and Wolfson MC (1999) Income inequality and mortality in Canada and the United States: an analysis of provinces and states. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 896: 338-340.

Wolfson MC, Kaplan G, Lynch J, Ross NA Backlund J (1999) The relationship between income inequality and mortality is not a statistical artefact – an empirical assessment. British Medical Journal 319: 953-957.

Cole DC, Eyles J, Gibson BL, Ross NA (1999) Links between humans and ecosystems: implications of framing for health promotion strategies. Health Promotion International 14:65-72. 

Ross NA and Perez C (1999) Attitudes toward smoking. Health Reports 10:23-33.

Ross NA and Taylor SM (1998) Geographical variation in attitudes toward smoking: findings from the COMMIT communities. Social Science and Medicine 46:703-717.

Taylor SM, Ross NA, Cummings KM, Glasgow RE, Goldsmith CH, Zanna MP Corle DK (1998) Community Intervention Trial for Smoking Cessation (COMMIT): Changes in community attitudes toward cigarette smoking. Health Education Research: Theory and Practice 13:109-122.

Taylor SM, Ross NA, Goldsmith CH, Zanna MP, Lock M (1998) Measuring attitudes toward smoking in the Community Intervention Trial for Smoking Cessation (COMMIT). Health Education Research: Theory and Practice 13:123-132.

Ross NA, Eyles J, Cole DC Iannantuono A (1997) The ecosystem health metaphor in science and policy.  The Canadian Geographer 41:114-127.

COMMIT Research Group (1995) Community Intervention Trial for Smoking Cessation (COMMIT): I. cohort results from a four-year community intervention. American Journal of Public Health 85: 83-192.

COMMIT Research Group (1995) Community Intervention Trial for Smoking Cessation (COMMIT): II. Changes in adult cigarette smoking prevalence. American Journal of Public Health 85:193-200.

Ross NA, Rosenberg M, Pross D and Bass B (1994) Contradictions in women's health care provision: A case study of attendance for breast cancer screening. Social Science and Medicine 39:1015-1025.

Ross NA, Rosenberg M, Pross D (1994) Siting a women's health facility: A location-allocation study of breast cancer screening services in Eastern Ontario. The Canadian Geographer 38:150-161.

INVITED COMMENTARIES/LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Ross NA (2005) Commentary: Health, happiness and higher levels of social organization. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health 59:614.

Ross NA and Lynch J. (2004) Commentary: The contingencies of the income inequality-health relationship. International Journal of Epidemiology 33:318-319.

Ross NA (2000) Author’s reply. British Medical Journal  321:1532 .

PUBLISHED ABSTRACTS

Ross NA, Houle C, Dunn J (2002) Urban health and the dimensions and dynamics of income segregation in Canadian cities. Journal of Urban Health 79: S60-S62.

PEER REVIEWED BOOK CHAPTERS

Dunn JR and Ross NA (2009). ‘Public goods’, metropolitan inequality and population health in comparative perspective: Policy & theory. In: Babones, S. (ed) The New Public Health of Social Inequality: Pathways and Evidence. Bristol: Policy Press.

Shea A, Heymann J, Ross NA (2008). Trade, inequalities, and health: Making the important measurable. In Blouin C, Drager N, Heymann et al.) (eds) Trade and Health: Seeking Common Ground. Montreal-Kingston:McGill-Queen’s University Press.

*Richmond C, Ross NA, Bernier J. (2007) The dimensions of Métis and Inuit health. In: White J. (et al.) (eds) Aboriginal Policy Research: Directions and Outcomes Volume 4. Toronto: Thompson Educational Publishing.

Frank JW, Mustard C, Dunn JR, Ross NA, DiRuggiero E. (2006) Assessing and addressing health inequalities: The Canadian experience. In: Killoran A. (ed) Manual of International Health Inequalities. Oxford University Press.

Ross NA, Wolfson M, Kaplan G, Dunn JR, Lynch JL. (2006) Income inequality as a determinant of health. In: Heymann J, Hertzman C, Barer M and Evans RG (eds) Healthier Societies, Oxford University Press.

Dunn JR, Frohlich K, Ross NA, Curtis L, *Sanmartin C. (2006) Geography matters: The role of place in explaining social inequalities in health and human development. In: Heymann J, Hertzman C, Barer M, and Evans RG (eds) Healthier Societies, Oxford University Press.

Ross NA, Wolfson MC, Dunn JR. (2004) Why is mortality higher in unequal societies? Interpreting income inequality and mortality in Canada and the United States. Chapter in Boyle, Curtis, Gatrell, Graham and Moore (eds) The Geography of Health Inequalities in the Developed World. Ashgate Publishing.

CONTRIBUTIONS TO A COLLECTIVE WORK/COMMISSIONED PAPERS AND REPORTS
Ross NA (2006) Obesogenic environments. Canadian Issues/Themes Canadiens Winter 2006; 64-66.

Ross NA, Berthelot J-M, *Crouse D, Fines P, *Khan S, *Sanmartin C, Tremblay S. (2005) Unpacking The Socioeconomic Health Gradient: A Canadian Intra-Metropolitan Research Program. Ottawa: Health Canada: HPRP # 6795-15-2003/5740001.

Ross NA and Dunn JR. (2006) Canadian Neighbourhoods, Social Exclusion and Place-Based Policy Prescriptions – An Overview. Peer reviewed paper prepared for the Social Development Canada-sponsored expert meeting on place-based policy frameworks, Ottawa, November 2005.

Frohlich KL and Ross NA (2004). Health disparities in Canada today: evidence and pathways. Peer-reviewed report prepared for Health Canada for the June 2004 Deputy Ministers of Health meeting.

Ross NA (2004) What Have We Learned Studying Income Inequality And Population Health? Ottawa: Canadian Institute for Health Information.

Analytic contributor to: Co-chairs: Hon. Margaret Norrie McCain and J. Fraser Mustard’s (1999) Reversing the Real Brain Drain: Early Years Study Final Report. Toronto: Government of Ontario, April 1999. My research on the relationship between grade 3 test scores, low birth weight and social characteristics of Ontario communities was reported on by Sean Fine in the Globe and Mail, August, 1999. This work was also featured in Canadian Initiative on Social Statistics: A Prospectus produced by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and Statistics Canada, September, 1999.

Devereaux MS, Ross NA, Siroonian J Wilkins K (eds.) (1998) National Population Health Survey Overview 1996/7. (Statistics Canada, Catalogue 82-567-XPB) Ottawa: Minister of Industry.

Ross NA and Lockhart P (1995) The McMaster Handbook for TA Teaching and Learning. McMaster University, Hamilton Ontario: Instructional Development Centre. This publication was distributed to all new teaching assistants at McMaster University.

RESEARCH FUNDING

Grants Awarded 2010
CIHR Operating Grant “Metropolitan Income Inequality and Mortality in Canada and the United States During a Time of Rising Inequality.” $107,000 (2010-2012). NA Ross, nominated principal applicant with JR Dunn, McMaster University.

Grants Awarded 2009
CIHR Operating Grant “Exploring Hypotheses Linking Type II Diabetes and Neighbourhood Environments.” $63,000. NA Ross, nominated principal applicant, with K Dasgupta, McGill.

CIHR Individual Grant “Project Development Meeting: NPHS and Whitehall Comparative Research on Social Determinants.” $21,343. NA Ross, nominated principal applicant, with M Stafford (University College London)

Grants Awarded 2006

1. Neighbourhood Health Effects: A Systematic Review of Research Evidence and Place-Based Policy Prescriptions. CIHR Operating Grant – N. Ross, Principal Investigator. Operating and Equipment: $71,250. (2006-08)
2. Health Disparities: Intergenerational Dynamics and Empirical Assessment Strategies (HD:IDEAS.) CIHR Institutional Capacity Enhancement (ICE) Grant. Principal Applicants: John Lynch (McGill), Rebecca Fuhrer (McGill), Jody Heymann (McGill), Celine LeBourdais (McGill), Michael Meaney (McGill), Nancy Ross (McGill). Average annual operating funds: $147,908 for five years. Total allocation from CIHR: $739,540. (2006-2011)
3. Globalization and the Health of Canadians: A Transdiciplinary Research Network. CIHR Institutional Capacity Enhancement (ICE) Grant. Ron Labonte (University of Ottawa) Nominated Principal Investigator, Ross NA Co-Applicant, with others). Average annual operating funds: $161,129 over five years. Total allocation from CIHR: $805,645. (2006-2011)
4. Walking Behaviour and Glycemic Control in Type 2 Diabetes: Seasonal and Sex Differences. CIHR Operating Grant – Kaberi Dasgupta (McGill) Principal Investigator, Ross NA Co-Applicant, with others. Average annual operating funds: $52,080 over 3 years. Total allocation from CIHR: $156,240. (2006-2009)

Grants Awarded 2004

1. Traffic-related Air Pollution and Socioeconomic Gradients in the Incidence of Cancer. CIHR operating grant – Mark Goldberg (McGill) Principal Investigator, Ross, NA Co-Investigator with others. Operating and equipment: $500,000 over five years beginning April 2004. (2004-2009)

Grants Awarded 2003

1. Unpacking the Socioeconomic Health Gradient: A Canadian Intra-Metropolitan Research Program. Health Canada RFP 12: Health Impacts of Economic Change – Nancy Ross Principal Investigator, with others. Operating and equipment: $290,000 over two years beginning November 2003. (2003-2005)
2. Raising and Leveling the Bar: A Collaborative Research Initiative on Children’s Learning, Behaviour and Health Outcomes. SSHRC Initiative on the New Economy (INE): Research Alliances – Douglas Willms (UNB) Principal Investigator with several senior and junior co-investigators. Operating and equipment: $3,000,000 over four years beginning October 2003. (2003-2007)
3. Programme de formation transdisciplinaire en recherche en santé publique et en santé des populations : accroître la capacité de recherche et d'action dans le système de santé publique au Canada CIHR Training Grant – Gilles Paradis Principal Investigator with several Montreal area epidemiologists and social scientists. Operating and equipment : $1,785,000 over six years beginning April 2003. (2003-2008)
4. Centre for Urban Health Initiatives. CIHR Centre Grant – John Myles (U of T) Principal Investigator with others. Average annual operating: $387,327 over six years beginning October 2003. Total allocation from CIHR: $2,348,115. (2003-2009)
5. Multilevel Studies of Adolescents’ Healthy Developmental Trajectories. Successful letter of intent prepared for the CIHR’s RFA on Healthy Developmental Trajectories of Infants, Children and Youth. Douglas Willms (UNB) Principal Investigator with several senior and junior co-investigators. Operating: $7,500. (2003)
6. McGill Centre for the Comparative Study of Social Environments and Health. Succesful letter of intent prepared for CIHR’s Centre Development Grants. Rebecca Fuhrer (Epidemiology), Nancy Ross (Geography) and Michael Kramer (Pediatrics and Director of the Canadian Institute of Child and Maternal Health, Co-Principal Applicants, $10,000, March-May, 2003. (2003)

Grants Awarded 2002

1. Community and Health in Quebec. FRSQ Professeur Stratégique – Nancy Ross Principal Investigator). Equipment: $10,300; Operating: $45,000, 2002-06.
2. Urban Opportunity Structures for Youth Gambling. Fonds de Recherche sur la Société et Culture (FQRSC) – Nancy Ross Principal Investigator, with Sherry Olson, Jason Gilliland, and the McGill Centre for Youth Gambling). Equipment and Operating: $105,000, 2002-06.
3. Tuberculosis in Montreal: Where is it? CIHR Operating Grant – Kevin Schwartzman (McGill) Principal Investigator, Ross NA Co-Applicant, with others). Average annual operating funds: $41,828 over 2 years. Total allocation from CIHR: $83,656.

Grants Awarded 2001

1. Multi-level Patterns and Processes of Health in Canada. CIHR Operating Grant ($35,000) and New Investigator Award ($300,000) – Nancy Ross Principal Investigator, 2002-07. Total allocation from CIHR: $335,000.
2. Metropolitan Socio-economic Inequality and Population Health. Canadian Population Health Initiative (CPHI) – James Dunn (University of Toronto) and Nancy Ross Co-Principal Investigators. Operating and Equipment: $600,000, 2001-07.

OTHER PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Statistics Canada
Senior Social Science Researcher, Health Analysis and Measurement Group, June 1998 to 2001.
Economist/Sociologist/Statistician Recruit, Health Statistics Division, September 1997 to May 1998.

Teaching Positions
Sessional Lecturer - Department of Geography, Queen’s University. (January 1996 - April 1996 and September 1996 - December 1996)
Course: Intermediate Quantitative Methods (GPHY 343).
Sessional Lecturer - Department of Geography, McMaster University. (January 1994 - April 1994)
Course: Urban Development and Policy Issues (GEOG 4F03).

ACADEMIC SERVICE

Scientific Community

• CIHR Operating Grants Committee Member – Community, Population and Public Health – Committee A (Fall 2006- )
• Editorial Board – Health Reports, Health and Place
• Scientific Editor-in-Chief of Health Reports – (Canada’s flagship population health and health services research journal) (Summer 2007-2010)
• North American Editor of the international journal Health and Place (Fall 2006-Winter 2008)
• Health Council of Canada Steering Group Member (Return on Investment Committee) (Fall 2006-Fall 2008)
• Expert consultant to the Canadian Public Health Agency for content of the  (2008) Chief Public Health Officer’s report on health disparities in Canada
• CIHR Institute of Population and Public Health Summer Institute Mentor (June 2006)
• Reviewer for 2006 Canadian Public Health Association conference abstracts
• Reviewer for 2006 Canadian Population Health Initiative flagship report on Urban Health
• Reviewer for Canadian Population Health Initiative Research Program on Child Health Disparities in Saskatchewan (June 2006)
• Member of the Board of Directors, CIHR-funded Centre for Urban Health Initiatives, University of Toronto (2003-05)
• Referee for the following journals: Social Science and Medicine, Canadian Medical Association Journal, Canadian Social Trends, European Journal of Epidemiology, Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, World Development, Health Economics, Health Policy, Health and Place, International Journal of Epidemiology, World Health Organization Journal, Canadian Journal of Urban Research.

• Invited member of Health Canada’s Health Policy Research Program’s (HPRP) review panel to evaluate applications for the policy priority “Women’s Health Indicators.” This panel met on May 18th, 2004 in Ottawa and reviewed seven applications.

• Invited Scientific Review Committee Member: CIHR Committee Addressing and Health in Vulnerable Populations, February 18-19, 2003.
• Funding adjudicator for: Canadian Population Health Initiative (CPHI), January 15, 2001 intake (2 proposals), March 29, 2001 intake (1 proposal), September 2001 intake (1 proposal) and February 14, 2002 (1 proposal).
• Funding adjudicator for: Nova Scotia Health Research Foundation (NSHRF), April, 2002 intake.
• Funding adjudicator for: Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), Institute of Population and Public Health, June, 2002.

McGill University Community

• Invited Lecture, Faculty of Science Undergraduate Research Day, “The World Needs Big Social Science.” October, 17, 2011.
• University Tenure Committee - Recruitment (2010- )
• University Tenure Committee – Faculty of Management (2010- )
• Admissions Committee, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics (2007-  )
• Search Committee, Director McGill Institute for the Study of Canada (2010)
• Canada Research Chair Search Committee, Institute for Health and Social Policy (2007, 2009, 2011).
• Graduate Internship Applicant Review Committee, Institute for Health and Social Policy (Fall 2007).
• “Health Research Funding for Social Scientists” – Invited Participant in McGill Research Grants Office Annual Grantsmanship Meeting (June 2003, June 2005, June 2006)
• Member of the Management Committee of the Statistics Canada Research Data Centre of McGill University (2006-2009)
• Advisory Committee for the Selection of a Dean for the Faculty of Arts (2005-06)
• Advisory Committee for the Selection of a Dean of the Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (2004-05)
• Dean of Science Committee on Student Standing (2003-07); (2011-  )
• Geography Department Representative to the MA program in Social Statistics (2002-03)
• Invited Member of the Associate Dean of Arts Working Group on the Strategic Development of an Undergraduate Health Studies Program at McGill (2002-03)
• Appointed as Dean’s representative on Department of Economics search committee for a Health Economist (Winter 2003)
• McGill University Ethics Committee (2001-202)

Departmental Community

• Departmental Tenure Committee,  (2010- )
• Chair, Search Committee for joint MSE-GEOG position in Urban Sustainability (Fall 2010)
• Chair, Search Committee for position in Remote Sensing (Fall-Winter, 2007-08)
• Graduate Affairs Committee (Fall 2006-2009)
• Advisory Committee for the Selection of Chair of Geography (Spring-Summer 2006)
• Search Committee for Economic Geography Position (Winter 2006)
• Departmental Retreat Coordinator and Co-Chair (Fall 2005)
• Search Committee for Economic Geography Position (Winter 2003)
• Search Committee for Development Geography Position (2001-02)
• Undergraduate Affairs Committee (2002-03)
• Urban Systems Academic Advisor (2002-03)

Completed and Current Postdoctoral and Graduate Students
Primary supervisor or Co-supervisory Roles
Completed Post-doctoral Fellows:
Philippe Fines, 2003-2005, “The Meaning of Income for Health.” [funded by Health Canada]
Claudia Sanmartin, 2001-2003, “Earned Income Inequality and Working Age Mortality.” [funded by a Statistics Canada postdoctoral stipend]
Completed PhD Students:
Daniel Crouse, Ph.D., 2005-09, “Social and Physical Environmental Determinants of Breast Cancer: a Case-Control Study of Montreal Women.” (Canada Graduate Scholar)
Chantelle Richmond, Ph.D., 2003-07, “Dimensions and Determinants of Aboriginal Health in Canada” (CIHR ACADRE Scholar; SSHRC Doctoral Scholar; John Hastings Public Health Award Winner).
Dana Wilson, Ph.D., 2003-08, “Urban Environmental Influences on Youth Gambling” (Canada Graduate Scholar)
Completed MA Students:
Stephanie Coen, M.A., 2004-2006, “Neighbourhood Collective Efficacy and Cohesion in Bolivia.” (co-supervised with Dr. Sarah Turner).
Saeeda Khan, M.A., 2002-2004, “Neighbourhood Influences on Stress and Distress in Montreal, QC.
Ongoing Ph.D.Students:
Rania Wasfi (2008- ) Public Transportation as a Social Determinant of Health. (co-supervised with Dr. Kaberi Dasgupta)
Samantha Hajna (2010- ) Seasonality, Neighbourhoood Walkability and T2D. (co-supervised with Dr. Kaberi Dasgupta)
Ongoing MA Students:
Lorna Sampson (2010- ) Neighbourhood Deprivation and the Severity and Management of Gestational Diabetes.
Ph.D Committee Membership
Soultana Macridis (2011-  ), Department of Kineisiology.
Blanaid Donnelly (2011-  ), Supervisor: Dr. Lea Berrang-Ford, Department of Geography, McGill University.
Jenna Webb, Supervisor: Dr. Oliver Coomes, Department of Geography, McGill University. (2005-2010)
Papia Raj, Supervisor: Dr. Sarah Turner, Department of Geography, McGill University. (2002-2009)
Ritzsuma Kakuma, Supervisor: Dr. Rebecca Fuhrer, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, McGill University. (2002-08)

Undergraduate students trained

Morgan Braglewicz       2011-2012                   Honours thesis
Wren Laing                    2011-2012                   Honours thesis
Mirej Vasic                     2011-2012                   Honours thesis
Nathaniel DeBono       2011-2012                   Summer research student (SURA winner)
Tyler Wilson                  2011-2012                   Summer research student (SURA winner)
Sebastian Ronderos   2011-2012                   Independent research project
Anastasia Frank           2010-2011                   Honours thesis
Kelly-Marie Graham     2010-2011                   Honours thesis
Mitchell Lavoie              2008-09                       Honours thesis
Max Halperin                 2008-09                       Honours thesis
Emily Kagan                  2007-08                       Honours thesis
Emily Bennett                2007-08                       Honours thesis
Alexandre Poisson      2007-08                       Independent research project
Vanessa Redditt          2006-07                       Independent research project 
Hillary Papineau          2006-07                       Independent research project
Kristin Brewer              2006-07                       Independent research project
Scott Hong                    2004-05                       Independent research project
Kevin Brown                 2003-05                       Honours thesis
Stephanie Coen          2003-05                       Honours thesis
Sideeka Narayan        2003-04                       Honours thesis

Media Citations

• Huffington Post, November 21, 2011. “Mind the Gap: Chronicling Canada’s Growing Poor-Rich Divide.”
• Globe and Mail, June 9, 2011 – “Health linked with income, education: study. Canadians with lower income and education levels tend to experience consistently worse-than-average health throughout their adult lives, according to a new study led by a McGill University professor. Ross said the findings provide an argument for increasing efforts to improve the health of families of lower socioeconomic status by working on both "material conditions and educational opportunities for the young" in such households. Read about it: Times of India, Vancouver Sun, Globe and Mail
• Globe and Mail, June 8, 2011 (Lead Editorial) – “How a child’s breakfast can improve health in old age.”
• May 3, 2007 La Presse « Le Poids de la Banlieu »
• May 2, 2007 National Post « Urban Sprawl Hitting Canadians at their Waistlines
•  »CBC TV and Radio, June 6-7, 2006 « Youth Gambling in Montreal »
• Le Journal de Montréal, June 25, 2003 « Deux fois plus de grossesses que la moyenne »
• Le Soleil, May 18, A1-A2 « Entre des villes comme Hamilton, Winnipeg, Saint-John à Terre-Neuve ou North Bay en Ontario, c'est à Québec qu'il faut élire domicile pour qui désire vivre en bonne santé le plus longtemps possible. »
• National Post, March 13, 2002 “City Growth”
• Victoria Times, June 15, 2002 “User Fees Wrong Way to Go Say Professors”
• Globe and Mail, July 26, 2002, A8 “Longevity of Canadians Varies Widely, Study Finds”
• La Tribune, vendredi 2 août 2002, A3, « Mieux que la moyenne canadienne »
• Le Nouvelliste (Trois-Rivières), mercredi 7 août 2002, pg. 3, « Environ 10,5 % des résidants de la région jugent leur santé passable »
• Le Soleil, dimanche 25 août 2002, pg. A12, <<Canada; Les Québécois jouissent davantage de la vie>>