André-Philippe Drapeau Picard is an entomologist and research associate at the Montreal Insectarium, Espace pour la vie. His interests focus on the relationships between humans and arthropods. He collaborates on various participative science projects, including Mission Monarch, eButterfly and the Quebec Moth Atlas.  

André-Philippe Drapeau Picard sits on the committee of Axe 3 of the HEALTHY PARKS project (Citizen Science) and plays a key role in the development and implementation of the knowledge mobilization plan. He also participates in the co-supervision of undergraduate students completing internships in this field.

Ariane Dumas is an epidemiologist with the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC). She works within the Modeling Hub of the Directorate General for the Integration of Sciences and Policies and is part of the unit responsible for tick-borne diseases. More specifically, her work involves studying environmental and population risk factors, such as the impact of climate change on these diseases, and optimizing surveillance and control efforts.

Ariane Dumas lends her expertise to many aspects of the HEALTH PARKS project, including co-supervising Ph.D student Jessica Hainault whose research project is part of Axe 1 (Ticks and their pathogens).

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Ariane Massé is a biologist and researcher at the Wildlife Health Directorate for the Ministère de l’Environnement, de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques, de la Faune et des Parcs. Her work focuses on wildlife disease and exotic invasive species knowledge acquisition. Some of the wildlife diseases she is currently investigating are raccoon and arctic fox rabies, avian influenza, white-nose syndrome in bats, COVID-19 and other zoonoses.

Ariane Massé sits on the scientific committee and the committee for Axe 1 (Ticks and their pathogens) of the HEALTHY PARKS project.

Camille Desbiens is a Master’s student in biology at Laval University. Her academic background reflects her interest in the preservation of biodiversity and ecosystem functions. She loves to explore nature by taking part in outdoor activities and backpacking through various countries. Her research project is part of Axe 2 of the HEALTHY PARKS project (white-tailed deer and ecosystem restoration). It focuses on the impact of selective grazing of plants by white-tailed deer on the regeneration of forest ecosystems. She evaluates the resilience of protected natural habitats facing pressure from white-tailed deer using an experimental network of sentinel plants and develops ecological indicators to guide conservation efforts.

Dr. Catherine Bouchard heads the Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases Unit of the Science and Policy Interation Branch of the PHAC and is an adjunct professor at the University of Montreal. Dr. Bouchard has been working in the field of vector transmission of zoonoses since obtaining her doctorate from the University of Montreal in 2014, and has created a complete and innovative research program in the field of emerging tick-borne diseases (TBD) in the context of climate and environmental change. Her research is dedicated to improving the response to and prevention of emerging, re-emerging and endemic TBDs. Her research program includes four axes : (1) Integrated evaluation of risk, (2) Understanding of the dynamics of infection in natural hosts and in the environment, (3) Optimization of integrated surveillance/One Health approaches, and (4) Innovation in risk reduction and health promotion. Catherine Bouchard lends her expertise in eco-epidemiology to the HEALTHY PARKS project, to evaluate the risk of ticks and tick-borne diseases and develop effective prevention strategies. She co-supervises Axe 1 (Ticks and their pathogens), the communications committee and participates in the supervision of Sabrina Faubert.

Cécile Aenishaenslin is a professor of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Montreal and researcher at the Centre for Public Health Research (Centre de recherche en santé publique) and the Epidemiology of Zoonoses and Public Health research group (Groupe de recherche en épidémiologie des zoonoses et santé publique).  

Veterinarian and epidemiologist, Dr Aenishaenslin is also trained in public health and international studies. Recipient of the Quebec Health Research Fund (Fonds de la recherche du Québec en Santé), she leads transdisciplinary research which aims to better understand the effects of global change on animal and zoonotic diseases and develop interventions, programs and policies consistent with the “One Health” approach.

Principal investigator responsible for the HEALTHY PARKS project, Dr Aenishaenslin sits on all committees and collaborates in the supervision of several students, including Jessica Hainault for Axe 1 (Ticks and their pathogens) and Manon Boiteux for Axe 3 (Citizen Science).

Evelyne de Leeuw holds the Canada Excellence in Research Chair of Canada, One Urban Health, at the University of Montreal, and is Research Fellow at the University of New South Wales, Sydney.

Professor at the School of Public Health (ESPUM), and researcher at the Public Health Research Center (CReSP) of Montreal, her principal area of study is the determinants of health in an urban context, and the interactions between nature, humans and their ecosystem.

Previously, as a scientific advisor for the WHO One Health Technical Advisory Group (TAG), she has been involved in the Healthy Cities movement since its beginnings, contributing to their evaluation.

Evelyne de Leeuw has contributed to the implementation of public health schools across the world, from Kazakhstan to Salvador, teaching and publishing over 400 peer-reviewed scientific articles, a half a dozen scientific books and 3 novels.

She contributes to Axe 3 (Citizen Science) of the HEALTHY PARKS project and collaborates in the supervision of Manon Boiteux.

Frédéric Bussière is a biologist working for the City of Montreal’s Large Parks, Mount Royal and Sports Services. Since joining the service in 2017, he has been entrusted with wildlife management mandates and has worked on the development of the City of Montreal’s coyote management plan, which he coordinates. He has a keen interest in issues pertaining to cohabitation. He has been Wildlife Management Practice Expert for the city since 2025, a position which will allow him to devote more time to the protection of wildlife and to issues related to the presence of certain animal species in urban areas.

Frédéric is involved in all three axes of the Healthy Parks project.  

Coming soon...

Heather Braiden is a landscape architect and assistant professor of Landscape Architecture at the University of Montreal. She is a founding member of the Land | Terre Design Research Network and has played a pivotal role in the development of the University of Dalhousie’s BTech program in Landscape Architecture. Her research focuses on the rehabilitation of « reclaimed » post-industrial sites in Canada and on design education.

Heather Braiden coordinates a course at the University of Montreal’s School of Planning that offers students in landscape architecture the opportunity to get hands-on training as part of the HEALTHY PARKS project. The students will participate in the development of landscaping projects for the six parks.

Jacques Brodeur is Full Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences of the University of Montreal and member of the Institute of Research in Plant Biology (IRBV). He previously held the Canada Research Chair in Biological Control (2005-2019) and currently pursues three main objectives. The first consists of exploring the theoretical bases of ecology, population biology and modelling to promote the use of biological control. A second objective aims to accelerate the development of new biological control agents. Thirdly, Prof. Brodeur’s research contributes to the promotion of biological control among decision-makers, users, and the public. The issue of synthetic pesticides is at the heart of Prof. Brodeur’s concerns. He is also interested in the environmental risks associated with voluntary (in the context of biological control programs) or accidental introduction of exotic or invasive arthropods.
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Jacques Brodeur contributes to the HEALTHY PARKS project with his expertise in parasitism and biological control. More specifically, he collaborates with Axe 1 (Ticks and their pathogens) and 2 (White-tailed deer and ecosystem restoration) and sits on the communications committee.

Dr. Jade Savage if Full Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Bishop's University. She obtained a Bachelors in Biology and PhD in Entomology from McGill University and has experience in electronic surveillance of ticks.

Dr. Savage is the Principal Investigator with eTick (www.etick.ca ), an electronic public platform for image-based identification and population monitoring of ticks in Canada. This citizen science project invites members of the public to participate in the monitoring of ticks in Canada by submitting photos of ticks on the eTick website or application for identification by a professional.

Dr. Savage is involved in Axe 3 (citizen science) of the HEALTHY PARKS project, providing her expertise in entomology.

Doctor of Veterinary Medicine and PhD in Epidemiology from the University of Montreal, Jean-Philippe Rocheleau began his career as a companion animal clinician and surgeon. He then pursued his career as professor and coordinator of the Animal Health Department at CEGEP Saint-Hyacinthe. He is also an Adjunct Professor at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine since 2019. His work focuses on the application of the "One Health" principles to various issues at the frontier of the human-animal-environment interface. He is interested in the application of epidemiological methods, spatial analyses, and from qualitative research to integrated analysis of data from different species, including humans.

Jean-Philippe Rocheleau lends his veterinary expertise to the HEALTHY PARKS project. He collaborates closely with Axe 1 (Ticks and their pathogens) and supervises Jessica Hainault.

Jean-Pierre Tremblay’s research program covers different aspects of applied ecology of terrestrial habitats. His work includes animal ecology, forest ecology, and natural resource management. Specifically, his work focuses on the role of ungulates in forest ecosystem dynamics as well as the response of these animal populations to the variability in resource quality and availability. One of the challenges of studying interactions between plants and herbivores is having to consider both the herbivore and the resource’s perspectives as well as looking at the problem on different scales (individual, population, community, landscape). This work combines an experimental approach allowing for the investigation of relationships between the density of herbivores and the health of the forest ecosystems, large-scale natural experiments and modeling of deer-forest systems.

Jean-Pierre Tremblay is responsible for Axe 2 (white-tailed deer and ecosystem restoration) of the HEALTHY PARKS project. He is also co-lead of the project as a whole and supervises student Camille Desbiens.

Jessica Hainault obtained her Bachelor’s in Biological and Ecological Sciences from UQTR in 2024. She has been working as a research coordinator on diverse projects for the GREZOSP since 2022, including coordinating the field work of the tick portion of the HEALTHY PARKS project. Naturally curious and with a particular interest in the interactions between living organisms, she loves to work outdoors. Continuing her studies at the graduate level seems to be a natural course for her. She is currently pursuing a PhD in Veterinary Sciences, specializing in epidemiology.

Her research is an integral part of the HEALTHY PARKS project, as part of Axe 1 (Ticks and their pathogens). Under the supervision of Cécile Aenishaenslin and co-supervision of Patrick A. Leighton and Ariane Dumas, she will evaluate the effect of the relative abundance of white-tailed deer and other ecological variables on the risk of tick-borne disease in peri-urban parks.

Kate Zinszer is an epidemiologist, Associate Professor in the Department of Social and Preventive Medicine at the University of Montreal (ESPUM) and researcher at the Public Health Research Center (CReSP).  She obtained her Ph.D in epidemiology from McGill University and post-doctorate in computational epidemiology from Harvard Medical School. Prior to completing her Ph.D, she practiced public health epidemiology for various public health authorities. Her interdisciplinary training allows her to use tools from the fields of epidemiology, public health, informatics and statistics to untangle the causes, forecast future burdens, and evaluate intervention effectiveness of infectious diseases.

As academic collaborator for the HEALTHY PARKS project, Kate Zinszer lends her expertise in public health and sits on the committee of Axe 3 (Citizen Science).

Thanks to her expertise in the socio-ecological aspects of ecosystem management, Katrine Turgeon contributes to Axe 3 (Citizen Science) and co-supervises student Manon Boiteux. She also sits on the communications committee.

Manon Boiteux is a doctorate student in the One Health Individualized Program at the University of Montreal (UdeM). She holds a Master’s of Environmental Sciences and has worked for many years in the field of research as Research Advisor for the Innovation Laboratory for the Vice-Rectorate of Research, Discovery, Creation and Innovation of the University of Montreal. She has contributed to the implementation of the University of Montreal’s One Health Initiative and continues to support the group as representative of the One Health Student Club. She also helps in developing new One Health training modules for the University of Montreal (summer school, short graduate and doctorate programs).

As part of her Ph.D and Axe 3 of the HEALTHY PARKS project, she looks at inter and transdisciplinary et participative approaches. More specifically, she is working on the evaluation of citizen science as an intervention tool to prevent the risk of tick-borne disease transmission and for the participation of citizens in peri-urban park ecosystem conservation in Quebec. She is completing this doctorate within the One Urban Health Research Chair.

Martin Leclerc is Assistant Professor in the Department of Fundamental Science at the University of Quebec in Chicoutimi and Adjunct Professor in the Department of Biology at the University of Sherbrooke. His background in biology and wildlife management have enabled him to pursue research work on many species (brown bear, black bear, caribou, cougar, wild boar, deer, etc.) in Quebec, the United-States and Scandinavia. His research aims to quantify the influence of climate change, habitat modification and harvesting by humans on the behavior, reproduction, and survival of wildlife species. The results of his research bring new knowledge to important theoretical questions and help develop effective actions for biodiversity management and conservation.

Martin Leclerc co-supervises Axe 2 (White-tailed deer and ecosystem restoration) of the HEALTHY PARKS project and supervises a Ph.D intern enrolled in the project.

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Maxim Larrivée is entomologist and Director of the Montreal Insectarium, Espace pour la vie. His interests include the use of tools to document the distribution of insect species in time and space. He combines various innovative approaches to monitor biodiversity, such as participative science and artificial intelligence. Maxim Larrivée sits on the scientific committee of the HEALTHY PARKS project. As a partner of the project, Espace pour la vie contributes to the implementation of the knowledge mobilization plan.

Maxime Lavoie is a researcher at the Ministère de l’Environnement, de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques, de la Faune et des Parcs. His research aims to ensure the healthy management of populations of various species of exploited fauna, be they terrestrial or avian. More specifically, his interests include population modelling, the effects of climate change on wildlife, and the life history parameters that help explain population dynamics. He has developed an expertise on species found at the northern limits of their distribution range.

Maxime Lavoie sits on the committee of Axe 2 (White-tailed deer and ecosystem restoration) of the HEALTHY PARKS project and plays a pivotal role in the development and implementation of the white-tailed deer captures. He also supervises a Ph.D intern enrolled in the project.

Mélanie Dappen is the HEALTHY PARKS Project Coordinator. With an academic background in Biology, she worked for 15 years as Regional Director of the non-profit organization GUEPE. She was responsible for their education services, employee training, educational content development as well as all projects carried out in the Greater Montreal Area. This experience gave her the opportunity to interact with diverse clientèles in many different contexts and has led her to collaborate with partners from different sectors (academic, municipal, government, community, philanthropic, etc.). She has also developed numerous courses, workshops and educational tools, on themes such as biodiversity, outdoors learning, nature interpretation and cohabitation with wildlife. She is known for her expertise in popularization and public awareness.  

The large Nature Parks are her favorite playgrounds and coordinating the HEALTHY PARKS project is an opportunity for her to contribute to the preservation of these natural spaces.

Nathalie holds a BSc in Geography, a Certificate in Forest Ecology and an MSc in Environmental Sciences. Since 2002, she has been responsible for conservation and education at the SEPAQ. She has worked in various SEPAQ parks, including the Grands-Jardins National Park and the Jacques-Cartier National Park and is now responsible for the Îles-de-Boucherville and Mont-Saint-Bruno National Parks. Since 2011, the impact of the overabundance of white-tailed deer on the health of the ecosystems is at the heart of conservation planning for the parks she is managing.  

Nathalie Rivard sits on the scientific committee and Axe 2 of (White-tailed deer and ecosystem restoration) for the HEALTHY PARKS project.

Patrick Leighton is Professor of Epidemiology and Public Health at the University of Montreal’s Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. His research focuses on zoonoses and the impact of climate change on the epidemiology of these diseases and their risks for public health. Dr Leighton is Director of the Canadian Lyme Disease Research Network (TickNet Canada).

Dr Leighton is co-lead of the HEALTHY PARKS project and heads Axe 1 (Ticks and their pathogens). He also supervises two students working on this axe (Jessica Hainault and Sabrina Faubert).
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As part of the HEALTHY PARKS project, Philippe-Olivier Boucher sits on the three axe committees (Ticks and their pathogens, White-tailed deer and ecosystem restoration and Citizen Science) as well as the communications committee. He also supports the project by aligning the needs of the project with those of the City of Longueuil.

Sabrina Faubert began her training in biology at Cégep, completing a technical program in Bioecology. She has since acquired a variety of professional experiences in the field and in the laboratory, working as a technician. She also completed a Bachelor of Integrated Studies in Natural and Managed Environments at Laval University.

As part of the next step in her academic journey, she joins the HEALTHY PARKS project as part of her Master’s in Veterinary Science, specializing in Epidemiology. Her research project is part of Axe 1 (Ticks and their pathogens) and aims to evaluate the effect of an integrated intervention combining deer control measures and the treatment of rodents with an acaricide, on the environmental risk of tick-borne diseases. She is supervised by Jean-Philippe Rocheleau, with Catherine Bouchard and Patrick Leighton as co-supervisors.

Sarah Teitelbaum’s research interests touch on the participatory dimensions of resource management, with a particular focus on northern regions. Through the comparative study of forest environments, she looks at governance, decentralization/devolution and public participation. This includes work with indigenous and non-indigenous communities in Canada and Scandinavia. She is also involved in comparative studies looking at transformations in rural economies, in particular the relationship between rural communities and the natural environment. She works with qualitative methods.

Sara Teitelbaum contributes to Axe 3 (Citizen Science) thanks to her expertise in citizen mobilization.

Stéphane Lamoureux is a biologist at the Department of Wildlife Management for the Estrie, Montreal, Montérégie and Laval regions at the Ministère de l’Environnement, de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques, de la Faune et des Parcs. As Head of Urban and Peri-Urban Terrestrial fauna, he helps municipalities and territory managers identify and document issues pertaining to the presence of wildlife on their territory (deer, turkey, coyote, beaver, etc.).

Stéphane Lamoureux sits on the committee of Axe 2 (White-tailed deer and ecosystem restoration) of the HEALTHY PARKS project. He collaborates with the implementation of white-tailed deer capture, monitoring their populations, and the coordinating of data collection during population control interventions.

Yves Terrat provides technical support for high-performance computing platforms, processing complex data, and the use of artificial intelligence algorithms in the field of health. He is involved in the One Health thematic and projects involving antibiotic resistance, Lyme disease and One Urban Health as well as HEALTHY PARKS.