A scene from "The Triumph of Death", by Peter Bruegel (1562), reflecting some of the social chaos wrought by the Black Plague (Yersinia pestis) in the 14th Century AD.
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The Simon Fraser University Disease Research Group (DRG) is currently an informal organization dedicated to bringing together researchers and students who are interested in the study of disease. The DRG is primarily an information group that organizes seminars and promotes contact and collaboration, both within the University and with the wider scientific community. The DRG is open to all interested members of the University Community. Staff and students have contributed significantly to the organization of the DRG.
In its first year the DRG has organized a disease-issues seminar for Public Health Officers, sent delegates to the Wildlife Disease Surveillance Workshop, hosted the British Columbia Parasitologists Meeting and presented many lunch-hour seminars by a number of disease researchers and medical and veterinary officials. The DRG has also initiated collaborative research with the Centre for Coastal Health, the Vancouver Aquarium and the University of British Columbia.
At SFU there are disease researchers in the Departments of Biological Sciences, Chemistry, Criminology, History, Kinesiology, Mathematics and Statistics, and Sociology and Anthropology. Their fields of research include Immunology, Oncology, Parasitology, Fish Health, Microbiology, Vector Biology, Toxicology, Pest Management and Epidemiology, as well as cultural, historical and geographical aspects of disease and health care. In combination, these researchers could create novel approaches to disease research. The Organizing Committee of the DRG is proposing the creation of a formal centre for disease research at SFU.
We propose the formal designation of a Disease Research Group under SFU's Policy R40.01 (Centres and Institutes).
Mission
1. To pursue a broad range of disease research and develop new approaches to disease research.
2. To provide an interdepartmental focus for disease researchers at Simon FraserUniversity which will stimulate collaboration and the exchange of information.
3. To form a collaborative network with government, university and private researchers in British Columbia to focus on issues in disease research.
4. To stimulate interest in disease research among graduate and undergraduate students through seminars and involvement in disease research projects.
5. To provide information on disease issues to the community through public lectures and seminars.
Administration
1. The DRG shall consist of SFU faculty members, adjunct professors, post-doctoral researchers, graduate students, undergraduates and staff members with interests in disease research.
2. A Director will be elected from among the members of the DRG, by the members themselves.
3. Day-to day administration of funds and of personnel employed under the aegis of the DRG shall be by the Director or his/her desiginate and members in accordance with university policies.
4. The Director shall normally act on group matters only after consultation with the members. This includes, but is not limited to use of the group's name or logo in funding applications and joint ventures with other agencies or individuals.
5. Any profits from patents or endeavours arising from activities conducted under the aegis of the DRG shall normally be placed in a seperate university account, the sole purpose of which shall be to fund future research and operations of the DRG.
6. All matters of policy and procedure will be according to Policy R40.01 and the by-laws of the Group. Any additional policy that may be required will be framed by the members following normal parliamentary procedures and in consultation with the governing committee identified in Policy R40.01.
To Be Announced
Centre for Coastal
Health(UBC)
Center for Disease Control (USA)
CDC Morbidity and Mortality
Weekly Report
PAHO (Pan American Health Organization)
homepage
WHO (World Health Organization) homepage
WHO Tropical Diseases
Division
Base de Dados Tropical
homepage
WWW Virtual Library:
Epidemiology
Dr. Stephen Blythe's Travel Health
Information Service
National Wildlife
Health Center (USA)
Wildlife Health
Information Partnership
USDA Animal and Plant
Health Inspection Service (USDA-APHIS)
Entomology Index of Internet
Resources
Society for Invertibrate Pathology
David Gibson's
Parasitological URLs
American Society of Parasitologists
British Society for Plant Pathology
American Phytopathological Society
International Society for Plant Pathology
Simon Fraser University home page
This page was last updated on November 10, 1997
Faculty Research Interests
Dr. Lawrence J. Albright, Professor, Department of Biological Sciences Fish and Shellfish Diseases, Fish Immunology
Dr. Gail S. Anderson, Assistant Professor, Department of Criminology Medical, Veterinary and Forensic Entomology
Dr. Charmaine B. Dean, Associate Professor, Department of Mathematics and Statistics Derivation of Methods for Mapping Disease/Mortality Rates
Dr. Chris J. Kennedy, Assistant Professor, Department of Biological Sciences Aquatic Toxicology, Environmental Modulators of Toxicity, Immunological Systems in Fish
Dr. J.P.M. Mackauer, Professor Emeritus, Department of Biological Sciences Parasitoid Ecology, Biological Pest Control
Dr. Bernard D. Roitberg, Professor, Department of Biological Sciences Behavioral Ecology, Spatial Patterns of Parasitism, Evolution of Behavior and Disease Dynamics
Dr. Miriam P. Rosin, Professor, School of Kinesiology; Senior Staff Scientist, B.C. Cancer Agency Oncology, Identification of Genetic Alterations That Will Predict the Development of Cancer
Dr. Jamie K. Scott, Assistant Professor, Department of Biological Sciences Molecular Biology and Immunology, The Molecular Basis for Antigen Recognition by Antibodies
Dr. John M. Webster, Professor, Department of Biological Sciences Nematology, Parasitology, Parasites of Plants and Insects, Metabolites of Bacterial Symbionts of Nematodes as Pharmaceuticals
Adjunct Professors
Dr. Peter Belton, Department of Biological Sciences Biology, Taxonomy of Vector Arthropods, Pest Management
Dr. Hilda L. Ching, Department of Biological Sciences; Hydra Enterprises Parasitology, Parasites of Fishes, Birds and Invertebrates, Zoonotic Parasites of Fish and Shellfish
Dr. Craig Stephen, Department of Biological Sciences; Director, Centre for Coastal Health, UBC Veterinary Medicine, Medical and Veterinary Epidemiology, Wildlife Disease Surveillance
Associate Members
Dr. E. Brian Hartwick, Associate Professor, Department of Biological Sciences Marine Ecology, Scientific Diving, Seastar Populations and Disease
Dr. Jianxiong Li, Research Director, Pharmaceutical Division, J.R. Laboratories Inc. Bioorganic and Medicinal Chemistry, Antibiotics and Bioactive Compounds from Natural Sources
PDFs and Graduate Students Undergraduate Students
Amanda Chau Alex Frame Markus Clodius Alex Hodge Leigh Dillon Jackie Thai Mathias Hennig Priyanthini Thiagra Kaiji Hu Liz Hui Peter Isaacson Alida Janmaat Niki MacDonell Crawford McNair Jon Moran Jenny Rogers Jasmine Wiles Konrad Wee Chun Zhen Yang
Lab Instructors, Staff, Research Assistants
Dick Jol (Fac. Sci.) Manager, Animal Care Bruce Leighton (BISC) Aquatic Technician (leighton@sfu.ca) Joan Sharp (BISC) Lab Instructor Cyril Thong (BISC) Lab Intructor Keith Tierney (BISC) Research Assistant
Library Liason
Marjorie Nelles 
a sign of bacterial kidney disease (BKD) on chinook salmon (courtesy of Dr. L. Albright)
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salmonid macrophages engulfing Aeromonas salmonica bacteria
(photo by Dr. A. Yousif)
(click to enlarge)Related Sites
Got ya! (parting image courtesy of Dr. P. Belton)