Dan Werb

Dan Werb is a Canadian epidemiologist and former musician.

Musical career

As a musician he is best known for his work with the dance-punk band Woodhands, and his collaboration with Maylee Todd in the project Ark Analog. In 2011 he also participated in the National Parks Project, collaborating with musicians Sebastien Grainger and Jennifer Castle and filmmaker Catherine Martin to produce and score a short documentary film about Mingan Archipelago National Park Reserve in Quebec.

Scientific research

As an epidemiologist, he has been associated with the British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, the International Centre for Science in Drug Policy and the UC San Diego School of Medicine. In 2015, he received a research grant for work in HIV/AIDS and drug addiction prevention.

In 2019, he published the book City of Omens: A Search for the Missing Women of the Borderlands, an examination of the complex factors threatening the safety of poor women in the Tijuana area of Mexico. The book was shortlisted for the Governor General's Award for English-language non-fiction at the 2019 Governor General's Awards.

His 2022 book, The Invisible Siege: The Rise of Coronaviruses and the Search for a Cure, was the winner of the Hilary Weston Writers' Trust Prize for Nonfiction.

His 2026 book Our Wild Familiars: How Animals Are Adapting to Cities and Reshaping the Natural World is based on three years of research into wild animals in human communities, otherwise known as synanthropes.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Hudson, Alex (July 7, 2015). "Dan Werb of Woodhands Awarded $1.5 Million Grant for HIV/AIDS Research". Exclaim!. Archived from the original on 2025-06-13. Retrieved 2026-07-12.
  2. ↑ Rayner, Ben (2010-03-11). "Canadian Music Week: Woodhands could use a few more". The Toronto Star. ISSN 0319-0781. Retrieved 2026-07-12.
  3. ↑ Hudson, Alex (August 26, 2013). "Maylee Todd and Woodhands' Dan Werb Unveil New Ark Analog Single, Book Canadian Tour Dates". Exclaim!. Archived from the original on 2019-12-07. Retrieved 2026-07-12.
  4. ↑ Gillis, Carla (2011-05-18). "A trip through the National Parks Project". NOW Toronto. Retrieved 2026-07-12.
  5. ↑ Davidson, Denise (2019-06-16). "In 'City of Omens,' author shares women's tales of survival in Tijuana". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved 2026-07-12.
  6. ↑ "Michael Crummey among fiction finalists for Governor General's Literary Awards". CityNews Vancouver. 2019-10-02. Retrieved 2026-07-12.
  7. ↑ Dundas, Deborah (2022-11-02). "Writers' Trust 2022 book award winners collect $270,000 in prizes". The Toronto Star. ISSN 0319-0781. Retrieved 2026-07-12.
  8. ↑ Lyons, Noah (2026-07-04). "'Our Wild Familiars': New book explores human-animal relationships in city spaces". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved 2026-07-12.