Sherbrooke, May 23, 2014 — When Eleni Galanis won the Lampe Foundation Champlain College Science Prize in 1991, she did not yet know that one day she would issue a public health alert to the citizens of British Colombia (BC) and Alberta warning them to avoid a certain brand of raw-milk cheese. Eleni, physician epidemiologist with the BC Centre for Disease Control, focuses on the epidemiology of foodborne and waterborne infections. Part of her work is to handle outbreak investigations and surveillance methods. Her journey began at Champlain, where she studied biological sciences, then continued at l’Université de Sherbrooke where she obtained an MD in 1995. In 1998, she received a Master’s Degree in Public Health from Harvard.
In a Lampe Foundation initiative to learn more about the lives of previous prize-winners, Carol Mooney of the Mentoring sub-Committee conducted a recent phone interview with Eleni.
When Eleni won the Champlain College Science prize in 1991, she had already been accepted into medicine. ‘’ All my life I had wanted to be a scientist. I can remember in Grade 4 being fascinated by science and wanting to make it a career.” As a public health physician in BC, Eleni is very involved with prevention and control of infectious diseases. “Think what the field was like 150 years ago and its development since: quarantine, hygiene, sanitation and vaccination. The field has grown much more. Some trending topics are how to better prevent chronic diseases and deal with mental health issues.” Public health physicians now look more closely at the underlying determinants of mental health such as poverty, education, and housing. Eleni has found that a more walker-friendly neighbourhood shows better mental health of the community.
In terms of mentorship throughout her career, two people stand out. One person was a very organized, system-oriented, reliable person. She could trust that she knew his approach, and could adapt her style to be a good fit for his. The second person was a very charismatic, visionary doctor who had clear goals as to what he wanted to accomplish. “It is hard to find all those qualities in one person. I was fortunate to have two mentors.”
Eleni appreciated some advice she heard early on in her studies, after struggling with lab studies in her first year of medical school. They kept saying, “Don’t give up. Doors will open up.’’ Well, she didn’t give up, and now she is in a non-traditional field of medicine and grateful for those people who encouraged her.
As far as recommendations for students regarding useful courses or extracurricular activities, Eleni suggests that students broaden their experiences, especially if the goal is global health. “Develop a portfolio of related volunteer work in your field of interest. Consider volunteering for local chapters of the Canadian Diabetes Association, the Red Cross, even soup kitchens. Broadening your perspective will help you in your eventual field. Students need to forge their own path and develop a clear vision. Consider paying your way to Africa or other countries to gain the understanding you need.”
In 2001, Eleni was part of an International medical team chosen to go to Africa to deal with an epidemic of the ebola virus. “I was so excited to be asked I did not think about the danger. I had 48 hours notice to go so I was busy with passports, vaccinations, etc. For me, this was the ultimate experience! When I got on the plane, I started to read about ebola, then I finally started to get a bit scared. When I landed in Gabon, the team on the ground were excellent in preparing us. We could not touch each other even though we were not infected. Every precaution was taken. Not touching one another was very hard for the people of Gabon as they are very affectionate with one another”.
Eleni lives in Vancouver with her husband and two girls aged 5 and 2. She misses her Quebec family and friends, the culture and the languages. If she had stayed in Quebec, she would probably be working for the Direction de santé publique.
In recognition of her scholarship, Eleni mentioned that winning the Lampe Foundation Champlain Science prize ‘’was not about the money so much as the recognition that a group of knowledgeable women felt my achievements were noteworthy.”
The Lampe Foundation, CFUW Sherbrooke & District is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing education support for students from the Eastern Townships and across Canada. It is proud to offer scholarships in partnership with numerous educational institutions and private foundations. For more information on scholarships or to donate to the Foundation visit www.lampefoundation.org
