Expert Comments on Available Evidence
The DEPRESSD Project
A Unique and Rigorous Data Platform for Depression Screening Research
Name: Marc Parsons
Email: marc.parsons@mail.mcgill.ca
Position: PhD Candidate
Biography:
Marc originally hails from Edmonton, Alberta. He completed both his BSc (Honours) in Statistics (2013) and MSc in Epidemiology (2015) at the University of Alberta. In 2015 Marc moved to London, UK, to study at the London School of Economics and Political Science, completing an MSc in International Health Policy (2016). In 2020 Marc began studying for his PhD in Biostatistics at McGill University in Montréal, Québec, under the supervision of Dr. Andrea Benedetti.
Since beginning his research career, Marc has worked as a statistical analyst and researcher on various projects spanning a wide range of topics. These topics have included: factors associated with ambient air pollution at outdoor cultural festivals; modelling competition dynamics in European non-generic pharmaceutical markets; monitoring long-term physical and mental health outcomes of firefighters who responded to the 2016 Fort McMurray wildfire; environmental risk factors for asthma in childhood and early adulthood; and public attitudes and acceptance of anti-smoking bylaws. After several years working as a research analyst, in 2019 Marc became an infectious disease epidemiologist at Alberta Health. There, Marc worked on a number of disease surveillance programs. This included being a key member of the province’s COVID-19 Surveillance and Modelling Team from the onset of the global pandemic in early 2020.
Marc became a member of the DEPRESSD working group in 2021. Marc’s current research work focuses on covariate smoothing methods in individual patient data (IPD) meta-analyses of diagnostic tests. The methods developed in this work will be applied in the context of examining the diagnostic accuracy of key clinical scoring methodologies for major depressive disorder (MDD) in various key populations.
Awards:
- Internal Studentship Award – Doctoral Award (12,000$). Faculty of Medicine, McGill University; 2021-2022.
- Statistical Society of Canada (SSC) 2021 Conference Case Study Competition Award – Conference Award (750$). SSC and the Canada Energy Regulator (CER); 2021.
- Award for Innovative Management, awarded to the COVID-19 Surveillance and Modelling Team – Team Award. Institute of Public Administration Canada (IPAC) Edmonton Region; 2020.
- Alberta Innovates – Health Solutions (AIHS) Graduate Studentship (PLUS Option) – Master’s Award (20,000$). AIHS; 2015-2016.
- University of Alberta School of Public Health Travel Award – Master’s Award (1,100$). School of Public Health, University of Alberta; 2015.
- Alberta Innovates – Health Solutions (AIHS) Graduate Studentship – Master’s Award (20,000$). AIHS; 2014-2015.
- Toronto Dominion Bank Interdisciplinary Health Studentship – Master’s Award (10,000$). University of Alberta; 2014-2015.
- Public Health and the Agricultural Rural Ecosystem (PHARE) Studentship – Master’s Award (18,000$). Canadian Centre for Health & Safety in Agriculture; 2014-2015.
- Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) Summer Research Award – Undergraduate Award (4,500$).Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC); 2013.
- Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) Summer Research Award – Undergraduate Award (4,500$).Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC); 2012.
- Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) Summer Research Award – Undergraduate Award (4,500$). Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC); 2011.
- Outstanding Interdisciplinary Research Presentation Award – Conference Award (500$). University of Alberta.
- The Darol and Evelyn (née Linke) Wigham Scholarship – Undergraduate Award (1,350$). University of Alberta; 2011.
- Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta (APEGA) Rising Star Scholarship in Geology or Geophysics – Undergraduate Award (1,000$). Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta (APEGA); 2010.
- Alexander Rutherford Scholarship – Undergraduate Award (2,500$). Government of Alberta; 2009.
- Edmonton-Strathcona Outstanding Student Leadership Award. Linda Duncan, MP for Edmonton-Strathcona; 2009.
Publications:
Parsons, M., Beach, J. & Senthilselvan, A. (2017). ‘Association of living in a farming environment with asthma incidence in Canadian children.’ Journal of Asthma, 54(3): 239-249.
McIntosh, A., Collins, D., & Parsons, M. (2015). ‘“A place for health activity”: Parent and caregiver perspectives on smokefree playgrounds.’ Health & Place, 31: 146-249.
Collins, D., Parsons, M., & Zinyemba, C. (2013). ‘Air quality at outdoor community events: Findings from fine particulate (PM2.5) sampling at festivals in Edmonton, Alberta.’ International Journal of Environmental Health Research, 24(3): 215-225.
ABSTRACTS AND PRESENTATIONS (SELECTED):
Létourneau, M., Dallaire, J., Drummond, N., Gomes, N., Parsons, M., Benedetti, A., Kimoff R.J.,
Laizner, A.M. (accepted February 2021). ‘What are Patient Characteristics, Nursing Interventions and Patient Outcomes for Patients with Difficulty Adapting to CPAP?’ SLEEP 2021 Conference (June 2021): American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society.
Parsons, M. (March 2017). ‘Where have my questions taken me? Keynote address at the Undergraduate Research Awards.’ Festival of Undergraduate Research and Creative Arts: University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta.
Parsons, M. (September 2016). ‘Association of living in a farming environment with asthma incidence in Canadian children.’ European Respiratory Congress: London, UK.
Parsons, M. (June 2015). ‘Effect of farming environment on childhood asthma incidence in Canada: Results from the National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth.’ European Congress of Epidemiology: Maastricht, Netherlands.
Parsons, M. (October 2014). ‘An analysis of the neighbourhood-level risk factors of childhood asthma and wheeze using a multi-level random effects proportional hazards model.’ Safety & Health in Agricultural & Rural Populations, Global Perspectives: University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.
Parsons, M. (May 2014). ‘Effectively predicting patient survival time using multitask logistic regression’. Canadian Society for Epidemiology and Biostatistics Student Conference: McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario.
Parsons, M. (November 2012). ‘Incorporating time into the Besag and Newell spatial cluster detection method’. Undergraduate Research Symposium: University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta.
Parsons, M., Zinyemba, C. (November 2011). ‘Air quality at Edmonton’s outdoor festivals: Findings from fine particulate sampling.’ Undergraduate Research Symposium: University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta.