Parkes, Dr. Margot
MBChB, PhD (University of Otago, New Zealand), MAS (Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium)
Biography
Born in Aoteaora/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.
Research and Expertise
My research and expertise draw on my background in clinical medicine, public health, human ecology, ecohealth, as well as life-experience: seeking to prioritize actions and approaches that amplify co-benefits for people, place and planet, and also to understand and challenge the harmful, colonizing, degenerative, and unjust patterns of cumulative impacts on environments, communities and health. Working with others, I progress this work as academic lead of LEAPH (Learning from Eco-social Approaches to Health www.leaph.org ), as co-lead of the Environment, Community, Health Observatory (ECHO) Network) focused on the cumulative health, equity and ecological challenges of resource extraction and climate change (https://www.echonetwork-reseauecho.ca); as founding co-lead of the Canadian Community of Practice in Ecosystem Approaches to Health (https://copeh-canada.org); as a member of the Global Working Group on Waiora Planetary Health for the International Union of Health Promotion and Education; as honorary professor at the University of Otago, Aotearoa/NZ; as a member of the Editorial Advisory Group for The Lancet Planetary Health, and as past co-lead of UNBC’s Health Research Institute. In July 2024 I commenced a term as the Interim Dean of UNBC Faculty of Human and Health Sciences.
- Climate Change
- Community
- Education
- Environment
- Health
- Health and Well-being
- Youth
- English