LSO Knowledge & Networking Breakfast Event: Water Surveillance

May 11th: 8 - 10 am EST

Virtual Option Available

Topic: Water Surveillance

LSO is excited to announce its next breakfast event coming up on May 11th, 2023. The theme will be around Water Surveillance and COVID-19.

Date: Thursday May 11th, 2023
Location: Marsh - Suite 800, 120 Bremner Blvd, Toronto, ON M5J 0A8

Ticket Prices:

In Person:

- Members: $10
- Non-members: $30
- Students: $5

Virtual: Free

Meet the speakers:

• Laura Riley, Director, Sector Innovation and Programs, Ontario Genomics

Dr. Laura Riley has a PhD in molecular microbiology from the University of Liverpool, UK and completed a postdoc in the department of Molecular Structure and Function (now Molecular Medicine) at SickKids. She joined Ontario Genomics in 2019, and works with stakeholders across sectors, including leading initiatives, projects and programs in genomics surveillance of wastewater – both prior to and during the pandemic.

Laura will discuss the work in this area that Ontario Genomics has been involved in to date, and briefly describe some upcoming opportunities.

• Mark R. Servos, Professor, Canada Research Chair in Water Quality Protection, Dept. of Biology, University of Waterloo

What’s the poop? Responding to the needs of a global pandemic

In response to the onset of the global COVID-19 pandemic Prof. Servos and his team rapidly shifted their research from assessing the impacts of human activities in watersheds, especially pharmaceuticals and estrogens in municipal wastewaters, to the development of wastewater surveillance for SARS-CoV-2.

This approach has proven to be extremely effective in monitoring the spread of COVID-19 and its variants of concern and now has the potential to support community surveillance of many other pathogens (e.g. influenza, RSV) and contaminants (e.g. drugs of abuse). The talk will follow the journey from studying watershed to using sewers (“poop”) to support public health decisions.

• Douglas Wilton, former President & CEO, TECTA-PDS; Director & General Manager; TECTA-Business Unit - IDEXX Water

Douglas is a Professional Engineer with over 25 years of senior operational and general management experience and multiple successes in the development and management of new technical businesses in a variety of industrial environments.

Douglas joined IDEXX in 2022 in conjunction with their acquisition of TECTA-PDS, where he served as President and CEO. He assumed that role after leading the management buyout of TECTA-PDS from Veolia Water in 2016. During his tenure, TECTA-PDS grew rapidly, selling its products in over 50 countries, as it pursued its mandate of revolutionizing the microbiological monitoring of water. He joined the company as Vice President, Operations in 2005 as its second employee and played a key role in the success that led to its acquisition and subsequent re-branding as ENDETEC, Veolia Water’s expert in water quality monitoring and Smart Water Networks.

Douglas is a member of PEO and OSPE and is the Co-chair of ONEIA’s Water Committee.