Genevieve joined the department in 2010 and has since gained an extensive knowledge of the TwinsUK data. She is responsible for documenting and storing the multiple datasets collected over time as well as ensuring that data is made available to the research community. Genevieve is also coordinating the data linkage program where we will link our in-house data with external data sources such as health, education and environmental records.

What do you know about your family history? 

I grew up in a small town called Cap-Santé in Quebec- Canada. As far as my family history can go, my ancestors came from France. One of them, Antoine Pépin-dit-Lachance left Le Havre in Normandy around 1655 (he was possibly 15 years old) to settle in New France. After few years working for a French governor in Quebec City, he was offered a land on the Île d’Orléans in the Saint Lawrence River, where he became a farmer and raised his 12 children. This island is not only beautiful but it this the ancestral land of more than 300 great families from Quebec. It is assumed that my ancestor got his nickname of Lachance at the time of crossing of the Atlantic. He must have been lucky man since Lachance means luck!

What about your culture are you most proud about? 

I believe that Canadians are generally polite, apologetic, but we are mainly very friendly and welcoming to others.