Margot Parkes

Health and Well-being | Planetary Health | Health Sciences | Climate Change | Environment | Community | Education | Health | Youth | Co-benefits for health, cumulative determinants of health impact, ecohealth, ecosystem approaches to health, environments and health, public health, planetary health.

Born in Aotearoa/New Zealand, I have been fortunate to live, learn, and work across Oceania, Europe and the Americas. In 2009, I came to UNBC as Canada Research Chair in Health, Ecosystems and Society and since then, I have mostly lived on unceded Lheidli T’enneh territory, in northern BC. I serve as Professor in the UNBC School of Health Sciences, cross-appointed in the Northern Medical Program, alongside ongoing journeys as daughter, sister, partner, friend and relation. I prioritize working and learning with others – across regions, cultural contexts, disciplines and sectors – to foster better understanding of land, water and living systems (ecosystems) as foundational for health, equity and well-being; and to strengthen collaborations that reflect these connections. My research focuses on integrative, partnered and Indigenous-informed approaches, especially those that connect social and ecological influences on health within watersheds, and in rural, remote and Indigenous communities.