Dr. Jennifer Gardy has been named as a 2014 YWCA Woman of Distinction, one of British Columbia’s most distinguished awards for women.
Dr. Jennifer Gardy
The award recognizes women who have made great and lasting contributions to Metro Vancouver through their leadership and innovative work. Dr. Gardy was honoured for her work in the science, technology, and research category.
“So many of these women have inspired me in my own career and life and to be counted among them now is an absolutely amazing feeling. Looking at all of their accomplishments just goes to show that when you’re passionate about something and let that enthusiasm and drive guide your work and life, there’s no limit to what you can do,” says Dr. Jennifer Gardy.
Dr. Gardy’s area of specialty is infectious disease genomic epidemiology, a new and innovative area that combines as she describes it, “whole genome sequencing with both new and old epidemiological techniques to understand the origins, evolution, and transmission dynamics of outbreak organisms.” Using genomic epidemiology, she can now track the tiny mutations that occur when a disease pathogen moves from person to person. A better understanding of how outbreaks occur is crucial to establishing the types of health interventions necessary to stop the outbreak.
Dr. Gardy is also being acknowledged for her work in science communication and science media. She produces and hosts CBC’s Nature of Things and is a reoccurring guest on the Discovery Channel’s Daily Planet. Her entrepreneurial and communication skills have caused the Globe and Mail to refer to her as the “new Suzuki.” She published her first children’s book, It’s Catching: the Infectious World of Germs and Microbes through Owlkids Books in 2014.
by Bryan Nordley