Jennifer Gardy
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Jennifer Gardy | |
|---|---|
 Dr. Jennifer Gardy | |
| Born | July 3, 1979 Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada |
| Alma mater | University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University, McGill University |
| Known for | Epidemiology,Genomics,Bioinformatics |
| Awards | National Academy of Medicine, 2021 |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, Bioinformatics |
| Institutions | BC Centre for Disease Control University of British Columbia, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation |
| Doctoral advisor | Fiona Brinkman |
Jennifer Gardy is a Canadian scientist, educator and broadcaster, with expertise in the fields of molecular biology, biochemistry, and bioinformatics. Since February 2019 she has been the Deputy Director, Surveillance, Data, and Epidemiology on the Global Health: Malaria team at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.[1] She was previously an associate professor at the University of British Columbia's School of Population and Public Health, a Canada Research Chair in Public Health Genomics,[2] and a Senior Scientist at the BC Centre for Disease Control. She is an occasional host of CBC's The Nature of Things,[3] a science communicator,[4] and a children's book author.[5] She was elected to the National Academy of Medicine in 2021 as an International Member.[6]
Gardy received her PhD in molecular biology and biochemistry from Simon Fraser University in 2006. Previously, she earned a BSc in Cell Biology and Genetics from the University of British Columbia (2000) and a Graduate Certificate in Biotechnology from McGill University in 2001.[7]
BC Centre for Disease Control
Dr. Gardy began working for the BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) in 2009.[8] During Dr. Gardy's time at the BCCDC, her team published the first paper to use next-generation DNA sequencing to reconstruct person-to-person disease transmission events in a large outbreak of tuberculosis.[9] This and subsequent work from her team helped to establish the new field of pathogen genomic epidemiology.[10] In 2014, she was made the Canada Research Chair (Tier 2) in Public Health Genomics.[11][12]
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
In her current role at the Gates Foundation, Dr. Gardy oversees strategy and investment activities for the Malaria Surveillance, Data, and Epidemiology portfolio, which focuses on empowering National Malaria Control Programs to use better-quality data and advanced analytics for malaria strategic planning, decision-making, and policy-setting.[13] Her portfolio includes work related to strengthening routine surveillance systems for malaria, improving data use within malaria programs, malaria genetic and genomic surveillance, and geospatial and mathematical modeling to understand malaria epidemiology.[citation needed]
