Ruth C. Wilkins, PhD

Research Scientist/Division Chief

As Chief of the Ionizing Radiation Health Sciences Division and a Research Scientist, I oversee the biological research on health effects of ionizing radiation in Consumer and Clinical Radiation Protection Bureau at Health Canada. This includes providing guidance to the researchers in the division and supporting the needs of the laboratory research.

Health Canada

775 Brookfield Road, Ottawa

Current research and/or projects

Developing high throughput assays for emergency response biological dosimetry
Investigating into cytogenetic damage from ionizing radiation during space flight

Professional activities / interests

2002–present Lead, Canadian National Biological Dosimetry Response Plan

2010-present Secretary, International Association of Biological and EPR Dosimetry

2012-present Co-Chair, WHO BioDoseNet

Member of the Radiation Research Society

Member of the Ottawa Medical Physics Institute

Member of the Canadian Organization of Medical Physics

Education and awards

Trent University, Peterborough, ON

05/1988

Physics

University of British Columbia, Vancouver , BC

05/1991

Biophysics

Carleton University, Ottawa, ON

PHD

09/1996

Medical Physics

2012 HESCB ADM Award of Excellence

International experience and/or work

2014-present Convener, ISOTC85/SC2/WG18 Biodosimetry

2015 - 2019 Committee Member, International Commission of Radiation Units and Measurements

2017-present Member of the Canadian Delegation to UNSCEAR (alternate representative since 2019)

Key publications

Wang, Q., Rodrigues, M.A., Repin, M., Pampou, S., Beaton-Green, L.A., Perrier, J., Garty, G., Brenner, D.J., Turner, H.C., Wilkins, R.C. Automated Triage Radiation Biodosimetry: Integrating Imaging Flow Cytometry with High-Throughput Robotics to Perform the Cytokinesis-Block Micronucleus Assay. Radiat Res. 2019,191(4), pp. 342-351 doi:10.1667/RR15243.1, 2019.

Rodrigues, M. A., Beaton-Green, L. A., Wilkins, R. C., and Fenech, M. F. The potential for complete automated scoring of the cytokinesis block micronucleus cytome assay using imaging flow cytometry. Mutat. Res., 836 (ptA), 53-64 (2018). doi: 10.1016/j.mrgentox.2018.05.003, 2018.

Kulka, U., Wojcik, A., Di, G. M., Wilkins, R., Suto, Y., Jang, S., Quing-Jie, L., Jiaxiang, L., Ainsbury, E., Woda, C., Roy, L., Li, C., Lloyd, D., and Carr, Z. Biodosimetry and biodosimetry networks for managing radiation emergency. Radiat. Prot. Dosimetry, 182 (1), 128-138. doi: 10.1093/rpd/ncy137, 2018

Wilkins, R.C., Rodrigues, M.A., Beaton-Green, L.A. The Application of Imaging Flow Cytometry to High Throughput Biodosimetry, Genome Intergrity, Jan;8 (1) 7. doi:10.4103/2041-9414.198912,2017

Wilkins, R.C., Lloyd, D., Carr, Z. An update of the WHO BioDoseNet: Developments since its inception. Radiation Protection Dosimetry, Dec;172 (1-3):47-57. doi:10.1093/rpd/ncw154, 2016

Wilkins, R.C., Beaton-Green, L.A., Lachapelle, S., Kutzner, B.C., Ferrarotto, C., Chauhan, V., Marro, L., Livingston, G.K., Boulay Greene, H., Flegal, F.N. Evaluation of the Annual Canadian Biodosimetry Network Intercomparisons. International Journal of Radiation Biology. 91(5): 443–451, 2015