Dalla Lana School of Public Health

Faculty Member

Loren Vanderlinden PhD, MA, BSc (Toronto); Diploma (Environmental Health) McMaster

Research Interests

Precautionary principle

Environmental health policy

Healthy public policy

Smoke-free policies

Social Determinants of Health

Education & Training History

1983 BSc – University of Toronto (Zoology/French)

1987 MA – University of Toronto (Physical Anthropology)

1995 PhD – University of Toronto (Biomedical Anthropology)

1996 Diploma – McMaster University (Environmental Health)

1996 – 1997 Postdoctoral Fellow – McMaster Institute of Environment & Health

2019 Graduate Diploma Public Administration – Western University (Local Government Program)

Other Affiliations

Manager, Healthy Public Policy Directorate, Toronto Public Health

Primary Teaching Responsibilities

Co instructor for CHL 5416 Environmental Epidemiology (2009, 2010)

Course director for CHL 5416 Environmental Epidemiology (2012 and 2014)

Loren is not able to take on the primary supervision of students pursuing Masters or Ph.D. degrees. Please consult the program for advice in relation to advisors/supervisors for graduate degrees at Dalla Lana School of Public Health.

Professional Summary & Appointments

Loren Vanderlinden has done applied research and policy work with academic, environmental and public health organizations for twenty years. She received a doctorate in biomedical anthropology from the University of Toronto and did postdoctoral training in environmental health at McMaster University. She is currently completing a Graduate Diploma in Public Administration through the Local Government Program at Western University.  She is an adjunct assistant professor at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health.

As an academic (University of Toronto, Department of Anthropology) and government public health research and policy professional she has developed expertise in community environmental health assessment, community consultation and environmental policy analysis. She was a co-investigator with colleagues from University of Windsor, Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research and University of Toronto, Department of Anthropology on a health assessment survey of a First Nations community in Ontario. At Toronto Public Health (TPH) Loren was project manager for interdisciplinary research on a neighborhood health status study which highlighted the inequitable distribution of pollution point sources in vulnerable communities in Toronto.

As a Supervisor at TPH she has worked on policy related to a variety of issues including children’s environmental health, pesticides, benefits and risks of fish consumption, radiofrequencies, menu labelling and outdoor smoke-free spaces. Loren coordinated the team that explored the evidence on problem gambling and health impacts that helped inform City Council’s decision regarding a new casino in Toronto.

In 2013, Loren assumed the role of Manager in the Healthy Public Policy directorate at TPH where she leads one of two teams focused on development of evidence-informed public policies to protect the health of Toronto residents. Loren has actively engaged in knowledge exchange through presentations at many conferences and workshops, and by authoring or co-authoring influential policy and research reports for Toronto’s Board of Health and in peer reviewed journals.

Honours & Awards

University of Toronto Special Fellowship (1987-92)

Natural Science and Engineering Research Council Scholarship (1988-90)

Ontario Graduate Scholarship (1992-93)

Bienefeld M, Cole DC, Campbell M, Mee C, Vanderlinden L. Evaluating urban pesticide reduction strategies. Centre for Urban Health Initiatives Seed Grant. 2004-2005, $10,000 (Co- investigator, Project Manager)

Wakefield S, Baxter J, Cole DC. Enhancing environmental health protection in a multicultural city: how can we make Toronto’s pesticide use reduction program more relevant to ethnic and cultural minorities? SSHRC Multiculturalism Issues in Canada Strategic Research Grant, $46,725, March 2006-March 2007. (Collaborator on funding proposal with academic colleagues).

2008 Public Sector Quality Fair (PSQF), Recognition of Commitment to Quality award for “Development and Implementation of the City of Toronto’s Pesticide Bylaw” by Toronto Public Health. (Co-led proposal preparation; Member of pesticides by-law development team.)

Representative Publications

Patel A, Rapport DJ, Vanderlinden L, Eyles J. (1999) Forests and societal values: comparing scientific and public perceptions of forest health. The Environmentalist 19: 239-249.

Vanderlinden L, Eyles J. (2000) Public Perspectives on Biodiversity: Models and a Case Study. In: Biodiversity In Canada: Ecology, Ideas, and Action S Bocking (Ed.) Peterborough, ON: Broadview Press. Pp. 237-70.

Vanderlinden L. (2002) Starting Off. Alternatives. 28(1): 22-23. (Guest Editorial Advisor for special issue on children’s health.)

McClenaghan T, Cooper K, Vanderlinden L, Muldoon P, Abelsohn A, Khatter K, Keenan K. (2003) Environmental Standard Setting and Children’s Health in Canada: Injecting Precaution into Risk Assessment. J. Env Law Practice. 12: 245-79.

Ursitti F, Vanderlinden L, Watson R and Campbell M. (2004) Assessing and Managing Exposure from Arsenic in CCA-Treated Wood Play Structures. Can. J. Pub. Health. 95(6): 429-33.

Cooper, K and Vanderlinden L. (2009) Pollution, Chemicals and Children: The Need for Precautionary Policy Action in Canada. In: Environmental Challenges and Opportunities. Local-Global Perspectives on Canadian Issues. C Gore & P Stoett (Eds). Emond Montgomery Publications Ltd, Toronto. Pp 183-224.

Del Gobbo, L., Archbold, J., Eckley, C., Vanderlinden, L. Diamond, M and Robson, M. (2010). Mercury and omega-3 fatty acid concentrations of fish sampled from markets in Toronto: Consumption scenarios balancing risks and benefits for childbearing women. Cdn J Dietet Pract Res. Spring;71(1):41-5.

Abelsohn A., Vanderlinden L., Scott F., Archbold, J., Brown T. (2011). Healthy fish consumption and reduced mercury exposure: Counseling women in their reproductive years. Canadian Family Physician. January; 57(1): 26–30.

Cole D., Vanderlinden L., Leah J., Whate R., Mee C., Campbell M., Bienefeld, M., and Wanigaratne S. (2011). Municipal bylaw to reduce cosmetic/non-essential pesticide use on household lawns – a policy implementation evaluation Canada. Environmental Health. 10:74

Vanderlinden L., Cole D., Hau M., Campbell M., Macfarlane R., Mee C., Ayre, R., Archbold J. (2012). Applying Precaution to Environmental Health Issues at the Local Level: A Proposed Guide Based on the Research and Experiences of Toronto Public Health. Environmental Health Review 55(1):11-18.

Gibson-Wood, H, Wakefield S., Vanderlinden L., Bienefeld M, Cole D., Baxter J., Jermyn J. (2012). “A drop of water in the pool”: information and engagement of linguistic communities around a municipal pesticide bylaw to protect the public’s health. Critical Public Health 22(3): 341-353.

Mah, C., Vanderlinden L, Mamatis, D., Ansara, D.L., Levy, J., & Swimmer, L. (2013). Ready for Policy? Stakeholder Attitudes Toward Menu Labelling in Toronto, Canada. Canadian Journal of Public Health, Vol 104, No 3 (2013): May/June 2013. e229-e234.

Hau, M., Cole, D., Vanderlinden, L., MacFarlane R., Mee C., Archbold J., & Campbell, M. (2014). Development of a guide to applying precaution in local public health. International Journal of Occupational & Environmental Health. 20(2): 174-184.

Brown, T., Vanderlinden, L. Birks, A., Mamatis, D., Levy, J., Sahay, T. (2017). Bringing Menu Labelling to Independent Restaurants: Findings from a Voluntary Pilot Project in Toronto. Canadian Journal of Dietetic Practice and Research. May 24:1-5. doi: 10.3148/cjdpr-2017-014.

Camden A., Bassil K., Minaker, L., Levy, J., Vanderlinden L., Mulligan K., Campbell, M. (2018). A Census of Mid- to Large-Sized Supermarkets in Toronto: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of the Consumer Nutrition Environment. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior. Feb 26. pii: S1499-4046(17)31025-4. doi: 10.1016/j.jneb.2017.12.002.