S P E A K E R B I O G R A P H I E S

Stephanie Agyepong, B.Sc. BEH, CPHI(C)

Stephanie Agyepong has been an Environmental Health Officer with Health Canada’s First Nations and Inuit Health, Environmental Public Health Program for six years. She has provided Environmental Health Services to the four Nations of Hobbema for the past four years. Stephanie is currently the department’s specialist on Children’s Environmental Health and Safety. Her goal is to build awareness and deliver programs that promote children’s environmental health in First Nations communities.

Chantelle Cardinal

Chantelle has been with the First Nations (Alberta) Technical Services Advisory Group (TSAG) since 2003. Chantelle oversees TSAG’s Animals and Human Health Program, Water Communications Strategy, and coordinates education and training services under the First Nations SchoolNet program. Chantelle is a member of Whitefish Lake #128 (Goodfish Lake).

Winnie Cheng, B.Sc., M.Sc.

Winnie graduated from University of Saskatchewan with a Bachelor of Science degree. She obtained her Masters in Environmental Toxicology from Simon Fraser University. Over the years, Winnie developed her professional expertise from various government departments. In her early career path, Winnie worked as a team leader (chemist) in environmental analysis and research development and as an environmental quality guidelines scientist at Environment Canada. She later worked as an environmental officer at Transport Canada, a safety evaluator and a toxicologist for the Canadian Food and Inspection Agency, a senior risk assessor and a toxicology specialist with Public Works and Government Services Canada. In 2008 Winnie joined Health Canada as the Senior Risk Manager under the Chemicals Management Plan (CMP). Her principal duties include leading and contributing to risk management activities in the region in support of the goals of the CMP.

Bryan Haggarty

Bryan Haggarty is the Acting Regional Director of the Healthy Environments and Consumer Safety program within the Regions and Programs Branch of Health Canada. Bryan is a graduate of the University of Alberta and has, over his 18 years as a federal public servant, served in a variety of capacities, beginning his career with the former Employment and Immigration Commission.

In his present role with Health Canada, Bryan provides oversight to the work carried out by a number of regional programs including Consumer Product Safety, Tobacco Control, Drug Strategies and Controlled Substances, Workplace Health and Public Safety, the Pest Management Regulatory Agency and the Safe Environments program.

Rose Martial

Originally from Cold Lake First Nations, Elder Rose Martial now lives here in Edmonton. She is a community health practitioner who works with the Faculty of Nursing and Health Research at the University of Alberta. She keeps herself very busy and is engaged in a number of research projects including one that is focusing on how emergency rooms can be inclusive of Aboriginal culture.

Walters Munde

With a background in human and environmental health hazards associated with chemical use, Walters has developed a passion in advocating for greater public awareness in this field. He is currently involved in public awareness on chemical use and management strategies in First Nation communities.

Nancy Reynolds

Nancy Reynolds is the inaugural President and CEO of the Alberta Centre for Child, Family and Community Research. Her expertise in building and maintaining successful partnerships, both public and public/private, led to her moving seven years ago from Alberta Children and Youth Services to establish The Centre. As CEO, her goal is to ensure that The Centre is recognized as being a global leader in mobilizing priority research findings in childhood well-being as it strives towards achieving its vision; “To improve the well-being of children, their families and communities in Alberta, Canada and internationally, by mobilizing research evidence into policy and practice.”

Under her leadership The Centre has become a well respected organization within both the academic and policy communities, recognized for its innovative approachesto the generation, gathering and mobilization of policy relevant evidence.

In addition to her role with The Centre, Ms. Reynolds currently serves on the Board of Directors of The Capital Region United Way and is a member of the Child and Youth Advisory Committee to the Mental Health Commission of Canada.

Alvaro Osornio-Vargas, PhD, MEd

Dr. Alvaro Osornio-Vargas is a physician trained in Pathology with a Master’s Degree in Medical Sciences and a PhD in Biomedical Research by the National Autonomous University of Mexico. He has dedicated most of his career to experimentally study the effects of the pollutant: Particulate Matter. He has more than various 100 publications, including six children books on Health Education. He served as an Expert in the Advisory Board for the Commission for Environmental Cooperation on Children’s Environmental Health between 2002 and 2004. He also served as a reviewer of Chapter 8: Human Health, IPCC WGII Fourth Assessment Report. During all his professional life he has been involved teaching Health to high school students. Dr. Osornio is an experienced researcher who has identified the pathways of research necessary to ameliorate issues of child health and the environment. He is developing a program at the University of Alberta where local environmental issues linked to important health outcomes in children will be identified and investigated. The goal of the program is to effect appropriate protective actions and policies based on local evidence to better serve the community.

Tony Thepsouvanh, B.Sc., CPHI(C)

Mr.Tony Thepsouvanh works as an Environmental Health Officer in the Environmental Public Health Program with Health Canada, First Nations and Inuit Health. He has been in the field of environmental health for about ten years, six of which have been with Health Canada. Mr. Thepsouvanh’s previous area of responsibility included First Nations in the Athabasca Tribal Council and he currently holds the food safety specialty portfolio for the environmental public health program.

Opel P. Vuzi, B.Sc., CPHI(C)

Opel Vuzi has worked in the field of Environmental Public Health with Health Canada for 12 years. During that time, as an Environmental Health Officer, he provided environmental public health services to a number of First Nations Communities in Alberta Region. Opel has had firsthand experience in the types of challenges the First Nations Communities face on daily basis in relation to indoor air quality and all aspects of environmental and public health. He continues to work with Health Canada as the Regional Air Quality and Health Specialist for Alberta Region. His day-to-day activities relate to outdoor/indoor air quality and human health.


Brenda Woo, B.Sc., BEH

Brenda is the Safe Environments Specialist in Healthy Environments and Consumer Safety of Health Canada, Alberta Region. Over the past few years she has also acted as the Regional Manager for the Safe Environments Program. Before joining the Safe Environments Program in 2004, Brenda joined Health Canada 12 years ago as an Environmental Health Officer with the First Nations and Inuit Health Branch. As the Safe Environments Specialist/Liaison, she participates on multi-disciplinary teams and develops collaborative partnerships on regional environmental health issues. Brenda has been involved in leading/co-leading the Alberta Advisory Group on Child Health and the Environment since its inception five years ago.

Brenda has a Bachelor of Science in Human Biology from the University of Toronto and a Bachelor of Applied Science in Environmental Health Science from Ryerson University in Toronto. She also completed some graduate work in Environmental Health Sciences at the University of Alberta.

Kyle Wosniak, B.Sc., BEH

Kyle grew up in Edmonton Alberta, but is proudly Saskatchewan born. He received his Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences from the University of Alberta, and then followed it with his Bachelor of Environmental Health from Concordia University College of Alberta. Kyle was recently married and no longer has any hobbies or pastimes, but he used to enjoy cheering on his beloved Detroit Red Wings, and playing guitar in a hard rock band.

Wadieh R. Yacoub, M.B., B.Ch. M.Sc. FRCP(C)

Dr. Wadieh Yacoub is a community medicine specialist working as the Medical Officer of Health and Director of Health Protection at First Nations and Inuit Health of Health Canada in the Alberta Region since 1998. His focus is on Communicable Disease Control, Environmental Health Services and Communicable Disease Emergencies

Dr. Yacoub is a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and a clinical assistant professor in the departments of Public Health and Community Health Sciences at the Universities of Alberta and Calgary.

Dr. Yacoub graduated from the University of Alexandria’s Medical School in 1981, completed his Masters of Science Degree in Experimental Pathology at the University of Alberta in 1988 and his community medicine fellowship at the University of Calgary in 1998. Prior to joining Health Canada, he served as a Clinical Medical Officer with the Capital Health Authority [formerly the Edmonton Board of Health] for 12 years. There, he specialized in the fields of injury prevention and neurodevelopmental assessment of preschool and school age children.

Dr. Yacoub greatly enjoys working with the Alberta regional and community Public Health teams to address the First Nations community health issues including children health. He is a 'believer' in the value and power of prevention.

Tannis Zuk, B.Sc.

Tannis Zuk graduated from the University of Alberta in 2007 with a Bachelor of Science Degree, in Earth and Atmospheric Sciences and Biological Sciences. She began her career at Health Canada three years ago working within the Safe Environments Programme in Edmonton in Environmental Assessment. For the last year, she has held a position as a Product Safety Officer with Health Canada’s Consumer Product Safety Program.