Health and well-being are determined by a complex interaction between biological, social and personal factors.  My research focuses on public and population health, and on examining social determinants of health.

My areas of research are:

1. Alcohol and alcohol-related risks, including alcohol exposure during pregnancy
2. The health and well-being of populations, including immigrant and refugees, and aboriginal
3. Improved health research practice, particularly with respect to ethical considerations 

In conducting this research, I use various methods, such as quantitative and database linkage, as well as community-based participatory approaches.

New Canadian Children and Youth Study (NCCYS)
The NCCYS examines the health and well-being of immigrant and refugee children (n~4,500) across urban areas in Canada. It is a national, longitudinal study and includes families from 16 ethnic backgrounds. Six of these families are located in the Lower Mainland. NCCYS is funded by CIHR and the investigative team spans eight Canadian universities

Injury in British Columbia’s Aboriginal Communities: Building Capacity while Developing Knowledge 
Using two sources of injury data (administrative and locally-collected), this CHIR-funded project examines the relationship between cultural continuity and injury in aboriginal communities.  It builds on previous work of co-investigators who found that communities with high scores on a cultural continuity factors had lower youth suicide rates.  In addition to the knowledge development objectives, we are training communities to collect their own epidemiological data and use data analysis for prevention planning.

Evaluation of FASD Action Fund
Funded by the Victoria Foundation, this project evaluates the $7 million funding distributed to 23 communities throughout BC for community-led projects in the area of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD).

Gagnon AJ, Dougherty G, Platt RW, Wahoush O, George A, Stranger E et al.  Refugee and refugee-claimant women and infants post-birth:  Migration histories as a predictor of Canadian health system response to needs.   Canadian Journal of Public Health 2007; 98(4)287-91.

George MA, Masotti P, MacLeod S, Van Bibber M, Loock C, Fleming M, McDiarmid T, Morton AM, Penno E, Prince E, Ranford J, Salmon A, Smith C (2006).   Bridging the research gap: aboriginal and academic collaboration in FASD prevention. The Healthy Communities, Mothers and Children Project.  Alaska Med.;49 (2 Suppl):139-41 17929623

Massotti P, George MA, Szala-Meneok K, Morton MA, Loock C, Van Bibber M, Ranford J, Fleming M, MacLeod S. (2006).  Preventing Fetal Alcohol in Aboriginal communities:  a methods development project.  PLoS Medicine, 3(1): e8-0001-0006.

George MA, Milligan D.  Family support in the context of urbanization: social and economic interventions to prevent adolescent substance use by effectively addressing childhood problem behaviours.   IN:  I.S. Obot and S. Saxena. (editors). Substance Use among Young People in Urban Environments.  Geneva:  World Health Organization, 2005.

George MA, Barnes GE, Patton D. (2004). Prenatal exposure to smoking and outcomes in adolescents.  Alcoholism Clinical and Experimental Research 28(5) Supple, 68A.

Barnes GE, George A, Patton D.  (2004). Personality and smoking and drinking during pregnancy.  Alcoholism Clinical and Experimental Research 28(5) Supple, 31A.

George MA, Masotti P, Loock CA, Morton M, Ranford J, Van Bibber M, Fleming M, Macleod SM. (2004). Research on the adaptation of a brief alcohol intervention to prevent FAS: a community-based participatory research approach. Alcoholism Clinical and Experimental Research 28(5) Supple, 125A.

George , MA , Barnes GE, Patton D. (2004). Prenatal exposure to smoking and outcomes in adolescents. Alcoholism Clinical and Experimental Research 28(5) Supple, 68A.

Chien L-Y, George MA, Armstrong RW. (2002). Country of birth and language spoken at home in relation to substance use. Canadian Journal of Public Health, 93(3):188-192.