Jennifer Gardy

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]

Education

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 ]}

Media

Jennifer Gardy has appeared on Discovery Channel Canada's Daily Planet. Jennifer Gardy has made regular appearances on CBC's documentary series The Nature of Things and hosted these episodes:

• Bugs, Bones & Botany: The Science of Crime
• Myth or Science
• Myth or Science 2: The Quest for Perfection ^[14]
• Dreams of the Future
• Myth or Science 3: You Are What You Eat
• Myth or Science 4: In the Eye of the Storm
• While You Were Sleeping (The Science of Sleep) ^{[15] [16]}
• Myth or Science: The Secrets of Our Senses
• Myth or Science: The Power of Poo ^[17]

Selected publications

• Gardy JL, Johnston JC, Shannon JHS et al. 2011. Whole genome sequencing and social-network analysis of a tuberculosis outbreak. N Engl J Med 364:730-739.
• Lynn, DJ, Gardy JL, Hancock REW, Brinkman FSL. 2010. Systems-Level Analyses of the Mammalian Innate Immune Response. Book chapter in Systems Biology for Signaling Networks, Springer Publishing, NY.
• Gardy JL, Lynn, DJ, Brinkman FSL, Hancock REW. 2009. Systems biology of the innate immune response: emerging approaches and resources. Trends in Immunology 30:249-262.
• Vivona S, Gardy JL, Ramachandran S, Brinkman FSL, Raghava GPS, Flower DR, Filippini F. Computer-aided biotechnology: from immunoinformatics to reverse vaccinology. Trends in Biotechnology. 26:190-200.
• Brown KL, Cosseau C, Gardy JL, Hancock REW. 2007. Complexities of targeting innate immunity to treat infection. Trends in Immunology. 28:260-6.

References

1. "Jennifer Gardy". Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Retrieved 2019-11-11.
2. "Jennifer Gardy | School of Population and Public Health (SPPH)". spph.ubc.ca. Retrieved 2016-09-21.
3. "The Nature of Things". CBC. Retrieved 22 September 2018.
4. "Jennifer Gardy: A Fresh New Voice on Science". www.thelavinagency.com. Retrieved 2018-09-22.
5. "It's Catching". Owlkids. Retrieved 2016-09-21.
6. Ogilvie, Jenna (2021-10-18). "National Academy of Medicine Elects 100 New Members". National Academy of Medicine. Retrieved 2022-11-04.
7. "Jennifer Gardy". The Centre for Microbial Diseases and Immunity Research. Archived from the original on 6 March 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2014.
8. "Dr. Jennifer Gardy". BC Centre for Disease Control . 25 August 2014. Archived from the original on 13 October 2014. Retrieved 14 October 2014.
9. Gardy, Jennifer L.; Johnston, James C.; Sui, Shannan J. Ho; Cook, Victoria J.; Shah, Lena; Brodkin, Elizabeth; Rempel, Shirley; Moore, Richard; Zhao, Yongjun; Holt, Robert; Varhol, Richard; Birol, Inanc; Lem, Marcus; Sharma, Meenu K.; Elwood, Kevin (2011-02-24). "Whole-Genome Sequencing and Social-Network Analysis of a Tuberculosis Outbreak". New England Journal of Medicine. 364 (8): 730–739. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1003176 . ISSN   0028-4793. PMID   21345102.
10. "Jennifer Gardy - Science Star". SFU. Retrieved 14 October 2014.
11. "Jennifer Gardy - School of Population and Public Health (SPPH)". spph.ubc.ca.
12. Chairs, Government of Canada, Industry Canada, Canada Research. "Canada Research Chairs". www.chairs-chaires.gc.ca.
13. "Malaria - Eradication, Prevention, Through Innovation & Data". Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Retrieved 2022-11-04.
14. "Myth or Science Two: The Quest for Perfection" . Retrieved 2018-09-22.
15. "CBC Documentaries - The Science Of Sleep - TheTVDB.com". thetvdb.com. Retrieved 3 October 2022.
16. "What Happens in Your Brain While You Sleep? New Research". The Nature of Things. CBC-TV. Archived from the original on 8 February 2016. Retrieved 3 October 2022.
17. "Myth or Science: The Power of Poo" . Retrieved 2018-09-22.