Like too many diseases and health crises throughout history, COVID-19 appears to be hitting marginalized communities the hardest. 海角社区 undergrad Camille Clement is helping shine a light on this tragic reality by tracking and sharing how the pandemic is playing out in real time.
Heading into her fourth and final year of a B.A. in Environment and Development with a minor in Computer Science this fall, Camille is co-president of the 海角社区 Environment Student鈥檚 Society. She also works part time as a research assistant with the led by Nancy Ross, Geography Professor and Associate Vice-Principal of Research and Innovation at 海角社区.
A rare opportunity comes calling
Originally from Lyon, France, where she鈥檚 staying with her family until she returns to Montreal in September, Camille has been working with the research group since the end of her second year.
This May鈥攔ight after finishing her final exams and with 海角社区鈥檚 research labs shuttered鈥攕he found herself with some rare free time on her hands. And that鈥檚 when Professor Ross approached her with a fascinating opportunity.
Tracking a totally new pandemic
鈥淣ancy was curious to explore income as a social determinant of COVID,鈥� Camille remembers. 鈥淎s a health issue, it was such a pertinent topic to our lab, and we saw it was impacting some groups more than others.鈥�
Ross had been following data on COVID-19 since it came to Canada as a hobby at home, then decided to see what others in the research group could learn about whether cases of COVID-19 were patterned by social circumstances and whether this patterning was unique to local contexts.
鈥淚t seems pretty unfair that people lower down on the social ladder seem to get more of everything no matter what. And right here in front of everyone鈥檚 eyes was this new virus, and it was playing out exactly as we thought it would,鈥� Ross explains.
Taking the lead
Knowing Camille was available and eager to help, Ross asked her to take the lead on the project, working under the collaborative supervision of Clara Kaufmann (MA Geography 鈥�20) who has extensive research and analysis experience.
Camille, the youngest member of the research team, was tasked with exploring the relationship between COVID cases and socioeconomic status in neighbourhoods across Montreal. But she ran with the project, expanding her research to cover cities throughout North America. 鈥淚 told her to go crazy and she did!鈥� Ross laughs. 鈥淐amille鈥檚 smart so she adds value and makes a project way more than it could have been.鈥�
Clara agrees that Camille proved herself more than capable of leading this project. 鈥淪he鈥檚 really dedicated and will go above and beyond what we talk about doing,鈥� she says. 鈥淲hen she joined our lab, she鈥檇 just finished her second year but was already interested in taking the lead on projects鈥攁nd it鈥檚 cool that it鈥檚 possible at 海角社区 for undergrads to take on that kind of leading role.鈥�
Key findings so far
Preliminary data confirms what Camille and the team predicted: individuals living in lower-income households are more likely to become infected with COVID-19. And these findings are consistent across all the cities they examined, with the exception of Detroit.
鈥淒etroit is definitely the most interesting because it doesn鈥檛 fit the same patterns. It鈥檚 such an economically deprived city so there鈥檚 not the same variation in income across zip codes,鈥� Clara notes. 鈥淏ut the fact that there鈥檚 this visible and persistent trend across all other cities, that it鈥檚 so consistent, is surprising.鈥�
Working 20 to 30 hours a week from her home base in France, Camille has been collecting data from open sources like Statistics Canada and the Centre for Disease Control and Protection (CDC) in the U.S., and
鈥淲e鈥檙e using data that鈥檚 available to everyone and presenting it in a way that鈥檚 interesting,鈥� says Camille. 鈥淥ur goal is to gather more information that will hopefully give us more insight into what鈥檚 coming up if COVID persists. We want to educate the world on what鈥檚 happening.鈥�
Next steps include broadening the research to cities around the world and exploring other social determinants of health such as race, gender, age and occupation.
Tapping into a talent for research
While Camille admits tracking down data can be difficult and frustrating at times, especially when working remotely, this experience has given her the skills and confidence to pursue her passion for research.
鈥淚n the beginning, it was a bit overwhelming to be in the research group because everyone was so accomplished. They鈥檇 all had papers published and were advanced in their careers,鈥� she remembers. 鈥淏ut everyone was so welcoming and I鈥檝e learned so much. It鈥檚 been a wonderful learning opportunity and the people are so lovely to work with.鈥�
The feeling is mutual for Clara, who checks in with Camille every couple of days via Zoom or email to brainstorm and share findings. 鈥淚 think she has a knack for coming up with interesting approaches, and I鈥檓 so impressed with how independent she is as an undergrad researcher,鈥� she says.
Ross has been equally impressed by Camille鈥檚 autonomy and drive. 鈥淪he鈥檚 so curious and really likes to dig into a problem. She鈥檚 super interested in the work, she has great training and her technical skills are excellent. She鈥檚 been very, very helpful.鈥�
Forging a promising future
With her passion for research firmly cemented, Camille plans to pursue it as a full-time career after completing her B.A. followed by a Master鈥檚 and PhD.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been great having this hands-on experience and it鈥檚 given me a much clearer view of what I want to do in the future,鈥� she says. 鈥淭his experience has shown me that I really enjoy doing research and that鈥檚 something you don鈥檛 know until you do it.鈥�
Camille stumbled into the research field after attending a 200-person Geography class that sparked her interest, co-taught by Professor Ross. Although she was one of the youngest students in the class, she approached the professor to ask if there were any opportunities to work in her lab鈥攁nd she encourages any student with an interest in research to do the same.
鈥淒on鈥檛 be shy to ask professors for opportunities. Have conversations, be bold. They鈥檙e open-minded and looking for students who are eager.鈥�
Follow the COVID-19 project and all ongoing research via the group鈥檚