Several awards were handed ot at the conference in Montevideo
The Distinguished Service Award
for exempliary service to IMGA and to Medical Geology
Cássio Roberto da Silva, Geologist MSc
Has been with the Geological Survey of Brazil since 1978. His professional experience includes the execution and management of projects in geological mapping, mineral prospecting and environmental geology. He is the editor of Medical Geology in Brazil and Coordinator of the Environmental Geochemistry and Medical Geology National Program and website (www.cprm.gov.br/geologiamedica) for the Geological Survey of Brazil – CPRM. He is a founding member of International Medical Geology Association (IMGA). Mr. da Silva collaborated on the 1st Short Course (2003) in Brazil and on the 2nd Hemispheric Conference (2007) and was the Coordinator of the 2nd Short Course on Medical Geology in Brazil (2005). He is also the Coordinator of the South American Division of the IMGA. Mr. da Silva is recognized for his many scientific and organizational contributions to Medical Geology and for being a key contributor to the successful growth of Medical Geology in Brazil.
Prof. Dr. Nelly Mañay
Prof. Manay is an chemical toxicologist with expertise in the area of toxic metal research. She has promoted Medical geology in Uruguay since 2002 as a member of of a working group and an organizer of the first short course on Metals, Environment and Health. She has been an invited lecturer in Medical Geology international short courses, including a highly successful second short course that she organized in Uruguay in 2005, and has been involved in the organization of scientific meetings, and regional symposia dealing with Medical Geology issues. Dr. Manay is one of the founding members of the IMGA. She was named as co-coordinator of the Southamerican Division of Medical Geology together with Dr. Cassio Silva from the Geological Survey of Brazil. She was nominated as the chairperson for the 3rd. HCMedGeo and GEM meeting that was held in Montevideo Uruguay, 12-16 October 2009 (www.geologiamedica.com) and she currently chairs the new “IMGA Conferences committee.” Dr. Mañay was a member of the IYPE Science Program for the Earth and Health theme. Prof. Manay is recognized for strengthening the integration between the public health and geoscience communities by facilitating research and training opportunities between these two communities in Uruguay.
Sandra Londono is currently a PhD student at Arizona State University working with Dr. Lynda Williams on antibacterial properties of clay minerals, a part of medical potential of minerals, an area that she has been working on since her Bsc in Colombia and that was the door to enter the arena of Medical Geology. Sandra Londono was instrumental in organizing a Colombian student group of medical geology that was officially introduced to IMGA during the II Hemispheric Conference held in Brazil in 2006. In order to join the IMGA global network, the IMGA Colombian chapter was created under the regional Division of South America. The chapter is composed of students, professors and professionals of different disciplines such as medicine, geology, environmental geochemistry, Pharmacy, and Chemistry and Sandra become the chair of the chapter. She was also elected to chair the IMGA Student Committee. Due to the Chapters activities, INGEOMINAS has recognized the relevance of medical geology and has recruited chapter members to officially adopt and develop the field inside the entity. The chapter now has members from the Colombian environmental ministry who are researching the impacts of geological factors in public health connected with current laws and procedures. Ms. Londono has been part of the organizing committee for the first forum of Medical Geology in 2006 and is currently helping to organize a medical geology course in Colombia that will be held in 2010. Sandra Londano is being recognized for these inspiring efforts by an undergraduate.
IMGA Award to student oral presentation
Oral Presentation Nº 73 , pg. 41 The Mineralogical Composition of House Dust in Ontario, Canada.
Authors : Michael H. Woldemichael1, André E. Lalonde1, Pat E. Rasmussen1, 2
1.Department of Earth Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada K1N6N5 ON, Canada K1A 0K9.
2.Exposures and Biomonitoring Division, HECS Branch, Health Canada, Ottawa
