Dr. Jing Chen has been head of the Radiological Impact Section at the Radiation Protection Bureau of Health Canada since 2010.
She graduated in physics from Wuhan University, China in 1982, received a master degree in biomedical engineering from Peking Union Medical College, China in 1984, and obtained a doctoral degree in health physics from the University of Würzburg, Germany in 1992.
Before joining Health Canada in 2001, she worked as a research scientist at the Institute of Radiobiology at the National Research Centre for Environment and Health (GSF), Germany, the Environment, Safety and Health Division at Los Alamos National Laboratory, USA, and Bubble Technology Industries Inc., Chalk River, Canada.
Her research activities and expertise are in the areas of external and internal dosimetry and microdosimetry, radiation protection and management, radiation health risk assessment, and radiological impact on the environment.
Dr. Chen is editorial board member of Radiation Environmental Biophysics, Radiation Medicine and Protection, and Radiation Environment and Medicine. She worked on the OECD/NEA Expert Group on Radiological Protection Science (EGRPS), the development of Canadian drinking water and NORM management guidelines, the Radioactivity Working Group of Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Program, and the WHO Expert Group on Management of Radioactivity in Drinking Water.
She received a number of awards of excellence in science including the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal from the Governor General of Canada in 2012. From the Canadian Radiation Protection Association, she received the Distinguished Achievement Award for outstanding contributions in the field of radiation protection in 2012 and the Founder's Award for outstanding contributions toward the enhancement of the Association in 2019.
Dr. Chen joined the Canadian delegation to UNSCEAR in 2011 and was alternate representative between 2014 and 2017. She has been the Canadian representative to UNSCEAR since the sixty-fifth session in 2018.
Dr. Ruth Wilkins has been Division Chief of the Ionizing Radiation Health Sciences Division at the Consumer and Clinical Radiation Protection Bureau of Health Canada since 2006.
Dr. Wilkins graduated in physics from Trent University, Canada in 1988, received a M.Sc. in Biophysics from The University of British Columbia in 1991, and obtained a Ph.D. in Medical Physics from Carleton University, Canada in 1996. Her research activities and expertise are in the areas of biological effects and biological markers of low doses of radiation in mammalian systems with a strong focus on cytogenetic biological dosimetry.
Dr. Wilkins is the lead of the Canadian Biodosimetry Network for large scale exposures to ionizing radiation in which Canada has developed a network of laboratories which can provide rapid dosimetry during large scale events.
Dr. Wilkins joined the Canadian delegation to UNSCEAR in 2017 and has been the alternate representative since the sixty-sixth session in 2019.
