Celebrating excellence in our talented research community 2018 Award Recipients
Wednesday, September 26
Chan Centre for Family Health Education 3:15 p.m Awards Ceremony
Join us in celebrating the accomplishments of our colleagues and the positive impact of research taking place on the Oak Street campus The award ceremony will feature the trainee recipients of the 2018: • Outstanding Achievement Awards • Studentships & Fellowships The ceremony will also feature a talk by Dr. Stuart Turvey, Geoffrey L. Hammond Lectureship recipient, on his career and research highlights
Town Hall & Reception
Join Dr. Wyeth Wasserman, BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute Executive Director, for a big-picture look at research at BC Children’s Hospital
Geoffrey L. Hammond Lectureship 2018 Recipient The Geoffrey L. Hammond Lectureship recognizes investigators on the Oak Street Campus who have made a significant impact on improving the health and wellbeing of children and/or families, served as a role model and mentor to junior researchers, trainees and students over the last 10 years, and provided leadership to the community on the Oak Street Campus.
Dr. Stuart Turvey Investigator, BC Children’s Hospital Aubrey J. Tingle Professor of Pediatric Immunology Professor, UBC Department of Pediatrics
Over the course of his outstanding career in child health, Dr. Stuart Turvey has distinguished himself not only as an international research leader, but also as dedicated and compassionate clinician and as a highly valued colleague and mentor. He is a well-known presence on the Oak Street campus, where he has changed the lives of numerous children through his clinical care and research and helped shepherd the next generation of doctors and scientists into careers in child health. Dr. Turvey is an Investigator and Pediatric Immunologist at BC Children’s Hospital and the Aubrey J. Tingle Professor of Pediatric Immunology at the University of British Columbia. He was honoured with a named chair in recognition of his excellence in immunology research for children. From 2012-2018, Dr. Turvey served as the Director of Clinical Research at BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute. In this role, Dr. Turvey achieved tremendous success by implementing initiatives to build capacity for clinical research across the site, developing specialized research support in the areas of health informatics and data management, and strengthening the Research Institute’s relationship with hospital leadership. As both a practicing clinician and an internationally recognized research leader, Dr. Turvey has committed his life to improving the health and well-being of children and their families. His experiences with patients drive his research program, as he endeavors to answer questions from the clinic through his work in the lab. This approach has led to scientific discoveries that directly impact and improve care for children here at BC Children’s and around the world.
Dr. Turvey has researched new ways to reduce lung inflammation in patients with cystic fibrosis, asthma, and allergies. He has also explored the connection between gut bacteria early in life and the development of asthma and allergies. A 2015 study co-led by Dr. Turvey that showed the presence of four gut bacteria in the first few months of life can protect against asthma garnered international media attention from outlets including the BBC, Time Magazine and CBC. He has also worked to identify the underlying cause of disease in children with unexplained primary immune deficiencies. Through this research, Dr. Turvey has identified new rare diseases, and in some cases been able to provide treatments or cures for affected children. This has changed the lives of children living with this rare diseases and their families. Along with his own research program, Dr. Turvey is the leader of two national health research programs, the CHILD study and a study on the interrelationship between genes, the environment and chronic disease. Throughout his research career, he has published more than 150 papers, including papers in top international journals. Dr. Turvey is also known as a wonderful colleague and collaborator. He has co-authored research papers with dozens of other clinicians and scientists at BC Children’s Hospital and the University of British Columbia, as well as national and international colleagues. He supports his junior colleagues by enabling them to do similar patient-oriented research and providing them with guidance on writing research papers and grant applications. Dr. Turvey also offers exceptional support to trainees, who learn to do research in his laboratory. He has trained and mentored many clinicians, graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. A number of his trainees have gone on to careers in medicine and research; three of his post-doctoral trainees are now professors, who run their own research laboratories in Qatar and China. Dr. Turvey’s dedication and excellence as a researcher, clinician, colleague and teacher truly makes him a role model and inspiration. He has proven himself a leader both here on the Oak Street campus and in the international research community. Every day at BC Children’s Hospital, he is contributing to a better future for children by pursuing scientific discovery, treating patients and training the next generation of doctors and scientists.
Outstanding Achievement Awards: Undergraduate or Medical Student Jacob Stubbs recently completed a Bachelor’s of Kinesiology degree at UBC, and has just begun graduate studies in Experimental Medicine at BCCHR. Throughout his undergraduate degree, he has been heavily involved in research on visual perception, neuro-ophthalmology, and neuropsychiatry.
Jacob Stubbs Panenka Research Team This award recognizes the outstanding achievement of an undergraduate or medical student whose research curiosity and engagement clearly demonstrate the individual’s potential as a valuable member of the scientific community
Jacob has been involved in every aspect of the research process, from securing ethics approval, developing and programming study infrastructure, testing participants, analyzing data, and disseminating the findings. This has led him to not only be a highly-competent undergraduate researcher, but also a talented scientific communicator. He has presented five oral presentations and five poster presentations at various departmental research days and regional conferences, six of which have received Top Presentation awards. His continued dedication has resulted in two first-authored peer-reviewed publications, three firstor second-authored manuscripts currently in review, and multiple other manuscripts in preparation for submission in the coming months. Jacob has also been involved in various extracurricular activities including officiating hockey, teaching power skating, editing an undergraduate research journal and co-directing a student club committee. Jacob successfully applied for and was awarded various scholarships throughout his undergraduate studies, and as a testament to his productivity and commitment, secured a CIHR Graduate Scholarship and BCCHR Graduate Studentship prior to his enrollment into graduate school. Jacob clearly demonstrates exceptional productivity for an undergraduate student and a high degree of potential for a successful scientific career.
Outstanding Achievement Awards: Masters Student Natasha Orr recently completed her Master of Science degree under the supervision of Dr. Paul Yong. Orr distinguished herself as an early career scientist of outstanding promise during her Master’s studies, earning top marks on her thesis on the role of the bladder/ pelvic floor in endometriosis-associated pain. She was also successful in receiving a Canada Graduate Scholarship Master’s Program award and UBC Graduate Award to support her studies.
Natasha Orr Yong Research Team This award recognizes the outstanding achievement of a masters student whose research skills and analytical capacity clearly demonstrate the individual’s potential as a productive member of the scientific community
Orr has co-authored several papers, included one recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine and a manuscript based on her thesis research as first author. She has presented at several international conferences, including the 2018 meeting of the International Society for the Study of Women’s Sexual Health, where she established new connections and collaborations with leaders in her field. In addition to her pursuing her own research, Orr is helping support and mentor other students as they begin their scientific careers. Last summer, Orr managed the day-today activities of a summer student in the Yong lab, ensuring the student had an excellent learning experience. She was selected as mentor for undergraduate students as part of the Research Experience (REX) Mentor initiative, and is currently a Teaching Assistant in a histology lab course. She has also been a judge for science fairs and medical student presentations and worked as an international medical volunteer. In the Yong Lab, Orr is known for her dedicated work ethic and positive attitude. She is capable of working with minimal supervision but is also an excellent team player. She has proven herself an asset to her colleagues in the Yong lab through her responsibility, hard work, and supportive and respectful demeanor. Orr is passionate about her research and is continuing her academic career by pursing a PhD. She will conduct further research on endometriosis, with the ultimate goal of improving care for girls and women who suffer from this painful condition.
Outstanding Achievement Awards: Doctoral Student Dr. Helen Chen completed her doctoral studies under the supervision of Dr. Chris Maxwell in 2017, where she studied the molecular processes involved in cancer. Dr. Chen is known as a gifted researcher, with a unique ability to integrate, synthesize and transfer knowledge. Dr. Chen’s doctoral research focused on the mitotic spindle cell assembly checkpoint, a crucial period during cell division. Failure of this checkpoint has been linked to cancer and other diseases. By advancing knowledge of the complex molecular processes involved in cell division, Dr. Chen’s work may one day contribute to new therapies that treat cancer or prevent it from developing.
Dr. Helen Chen Maxwell Research Team This award recognizes the outstanding achievement of a doctoral student whose demonstrated originality, research ability and a capacity for critical thinking identify the individual as being likely to become a contributing member in the scientific community
During her time in the Maxwell Lab, Dr. Chen completed research that resulted in three first author publications. She has also been the lead author of a book chapter and co-authored six journal articles and three reviews. She was a top student during her doctoral studies and always placed highly in presentation competitions at UBC research days. She received a Michael Cuccione Childhood Cancer Foundation Graduate Studentship and a BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute Graduate Studentship to support her doctoral studies. Dr. Chen also made significant contributions to the functioning of Maxwell Lab as a whole by taking on the role of “super user” of a high content, life-cell image analysis system. Dr. Chen trained new users of this equipment, oversaw data management and storage, and enabled experiments including an ongoing collaboration with a local biotech company. Dr. Chen has also distinguished herself as a leader and mentor. She facilitated collaboration and teamwork within the Maxwell Lab and worked as a Biology Instructor for Genome BC’s Geneskool and as a Research Mentor at UBC. Currently, Dr. Chen is continuing her research as a Postdoctoral Research Associate at St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital. Given the excellence she demonstrated as a doctoral student, Dr. Chen is well on her way to a promising career in scientific research.
Outstanding Achievement Awards: Postdoctoral Fellow Dr. Mohamed Elgendi has demonstrated exceptional work as a postdoctoral fellow at the Lim lab where his research is supported by the prestigious BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute Mining for Miracles Postdoctoral Fellowship. He is trained in digital medicine, biomedical engineering, computer science, and education. His research focuses on biomedical signals processing and knowledge translation for clinical practice. His current project explores the development of better ways to screen for preeclampsia, a dangerous pregnancy complication, using non-invasive methods to test women for the condition.
Dr. Mohamed Elgendi K. Lim Research Team This award recognizes the outstanding achievement of a postdoctoral fellow whose high academic achievements, personal leadership qualities and demonstrated research ability show promise of the individual becoming a future leader in health research
Dr. Elgendi has published 44 journal articles, 21 peer refereed conference papers, 4 book chapters and one book (to appear soon). Of those, 6 papers have been published in Nature Biotechnology (impact factor 41.6), Nature Scientific Data, Nature Scientific Reports, and Nature Digital Medicine. His current h-index = 17, i-index = 27, and citations >1100. His research accomplishments are further emphasized by the awards he has received, including the BCCHR Clinical & Translational Research Seed Grant 2017-2018, and winning the CIHR Healthy Behaviour Challenge phase I and phase II. Additionally, he has successfully signed a Memorandum of Understanding with MIT (USA), Guilin University (China), and the Center for Research and Advanced Studies of the National Polytechnic Institute (Mexico) to work on developing non-invasive technologies for hypertension assessment, making UBC the hub for international collaborative research on this topic. He attracted three international PhD students and helped them to win scholarships. In addition to his research, Dr. Elgendi volunteers his time for public outreach activities and has worked as the VP external affairs for UBC Postdoctoral Association and currently sill holds the seat as the VP for the Canadian Association of Postdoctoral Scholars. He is a Senior member at the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, USA. This month Dr. Elgendi was appointed as a Senior Fellow at the Brain Sciences Foundation, USA. He has given around 30 lectures as an invited speaker and has created and presented numerous workshops across North America on topics outside the typical educational curriculum, such as data visualization. He has also been involved in mentoring grad and undergrad students, including through the UBC Research Experience Program where he was selected as a preferred mentor by 25 undergraduate students.
Outstanding Achievement Awards: Resident Dr. Brandon Chalazan is completing a Residency in Medical Genetics under the leadership of Dr. Linlea Armstrong. In April 2018, Dr. Chalazan published a first author paper in PLoS One, supporting a genetic basis for atrial fibrillation in a Hispanic / Latino population. Previous research has identified variants that increase the risk for developing atrial fibrillation in Caucasian populations. His work has recently shown that these described genetic variations also play a significant role in the susceptibility to atrial fibrillation in Hispanic / Latino populations.
Dr. Brandon Chalazan Armstrong Research Team This award recognizes the outstanding achievement of a resident whose scholarly activity, industry and commitment to the research endeavour are an example to other trainees and who has contributed to advances in child, youth or women’s health
Dr. Chalazan received a prestigious early career Principal Investigator award from the American Heart Association to support this important work. He also received a travel award from the Cardia Arrhythmia Network of Canada to present this research at Heart Rhythm in Boston. Most recently, he has been rewarded with the International Secondment Award to travel to Spain for further training in Cardiovascular Genetics under the renowned expert Dr. Brugada. During his stay there, he was invited to present his scholarly work at their Grand Rounds. Prior to beginning his Residency, Dr. Chalazan completed a productive Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Illinois, where he combined translational tools from the fields of Genetics, Pharmacology and Electrophysiology to study the underlying genetic mechanisms of atrial fibrillation as well as other forms of inherited arrhythmias to provide a personalized treatment approach for individuals and families suffering from these conditions. As an aspiring physician scientist, Dr. Chalazan has presented his research work at some of the largest cardiovascular genetic conferences. Since joining our community, he has over 10 abstracts and manuscripts accepted for publication to high impacted journals. Dr. Chalazan looks forward to continuing to push boundaries in the Genetics field and carving out an area of expertise in fetal, children and adult patients that suffer from profound genetic cardiac anomalies.
Postdoctoral Fellowships Dr. Ali Farrokhi, Reid Research Team Michael Cuccione Childhood Cancer Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship Dr. Ali Farrokhi will work in Dr. Gregor Reid’s lab to investigate the role of immune responses in the development of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), one of the most common forms of childhood cancer. The ultimate goal of Dr. Farrokhi’s research is to identify ways to stimulate the immune system to kill leukemia cells, which could help cure children who don’t respond completely to existing treatments.
Dr. Catrina Loucks, Rassekh & Carleton Research Teams Bertram Hoffmeister Postdoctoral Fellowship Working with Drs. Rod Rassekh and Bruce Carleton, Dr. Loucks will search for genetic variations that make children more likely to develop mucositis from cancer treatment. Mucositis is a painful inflammation of the linings of eyes, ears, mouth and other parts of the body. Developing a genetic test for susceptibility to mucositis would allow doctors to work with families to develop a treatment plan for cancer that balances the life-saving power of drugs against the risk of harmful side effects.
Dr. Anuli Uzozie, Lange Research Team Mining for Miracles Postdoctoral Fellowship As part of Dr. Philipp Lange’s lab, Dr. Anuli Uzozie will develop new approaches to using modified proteins as targets for cancer therapies. Many drugs work by acting on proteins, but because proteins are such a basic and ubiquitous part of the human body, these drugs are imprecise and can have dangerous side effects. Proteins in cancer cells are modified in particular patterns. By studying how proteins are modified in cells affected by acute myeloid leukemia, Dr. Uzozie is uncovering targets for more precise therapies, which would attack cancer cells while leaving healthy cells untouched.
BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute training awards are funded by the BC Children’s Hospital Foundation
Graduate Studentships Faten Abdel-Hafez Ahmed, Leung Team Healthy Starts Graduate Studentship As a member of Dr. Peter Leung’s lab, Ahmed will study the role the growth factor myostatin plays in placental invasion, the process by which the placenta grows in the wall of the uterus during pregnancy. If the placenta does not attach and grow properly, a number of serious pregnancy complications that threaten the lives of both mother and baby can result. Ahmed’s research could ultimately contribute to new therapies that treat pregnancy loss, preterm labour and pre-eclampsia.
Enes Kemal Ergin, Lange Research Team Michael Cuccione Childhood Cancer Foundation Graduate Studentship In Dr. Philipp Lange’s lab, Enes Kemal Ergin will use machine learning algorithms to improve the classification of cancerous tumors. Machine learning is a branch of artificial intelligence in which an algorithm can improve itself through repeatedly modelling and classifying data. Ergin will apply this leading-edge approach to mass spectrometry, a technique for analyzing substances on a molecular level. Developing better methods for classifying tumors is key to improving treatments for solid tumors, which lead to significant percentage of childhood cancer fatalities.
Alex Kadhim, Taubert Research Team Canucks for Kids Graduate Studentship In Dr. Stefan Taubert’s lab, Kadhim will study the molecular processes involved in the final stages of the development of insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. He will specifically study the role of a protein called MED15, which plays an important role in the process of decoding DNA, and may be critical to development of healthy beta cells. The failure of pancreatic beta cells causes diabetes. By studying how beta cells form, Kadhim is contributing to efforts to successfully grow these cells in a lab, so they can be transplanted into patients with diabetes. Congratulations to the following BCCHR Studentship and Fellowship recipients who also received external funding Giulia Del Gobbo, Robinson Research Team Jenna Treissman, Beristain Research Team Elizabeth Nethery, Janssen Research Team Dr. Dominic Boardman, Leving Research Team
Graduate Studentships Ling Vicky Li, J. Lim Research Team Michael Cuccione Childhood Cancer Foundation Graduate Studentship Li will work with Dr. Chinten James Lim’s research team to study the role of the protein integrin α6 in basal-like breast cancers, which are particularly aggressive and difficult to treat. Li will investigate the hypothesis that a sub-type of integrin α6 plays a key role in driving the development and metastasis of basal-like cancers. Li’s research could eventually lead to creation of new treatments for basal-like cancers that work by targeting the function of integrin α6.
Zohreh Sharafianardakani, Lavoie Team Healthy Starts Graduate Studentship As a member of Dr. Pascal Lavoie’s research team, Sharafian will study how T cells, a type of immune cells, work in newborns. Specifically Sharafian will study non-inherited changes in gene expression in the T cells of newborns and compare these changes to those seen in adult T cells. By studying how the newborn immune system works, Sharafian is working to contribute to more effective vaccines that will protect newborns from deadly infections.
Shannon Sproul, Lynn Research Team Sue Carruthers Graduate Studentship Working in Dr. Francis Lynn’s lab, Sproul will study how insulinproducing beta cells form as the pancreas develops before birth. Type 1 diabetes occurs as a result of pancreatic beta cell death, and replacing these cells through transplantation can end the need for daily insulin injections and effectively cure diabetes. However, these transplants are not widely performed due to a lack of donors and the risk of life-threatening side effects. Understanding how pancreatic beta cells form could help scientists produce these cells in the lab, increasing the safety and availability of beta cell transplantation. Congratulations to the following BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute - Brain Canada Foundation Award recipients Dr. Arijit Chakraborty, Giaschi Research Team Kayleigh Campell, Oberlander Research Team Seyedeh Zeinab Mohanna, Simpson Research Team
Graduate Studentships Jacob Stubbs, Panenka Research Team Graduate Studentship As part of Dr. William Panenka’s lab, Stubbs will evaluate a “dual-task” eye movement test which may one day lead to a more effective way to diagnose children and youth with concussions. This test will combine measurement of a type of eye movement called smooth pursuit with a demanding memory test. Stubbs hypothesizes that measuring the effects of a memory test on eye movement may allow doctors to more effectively determine whether or not a patient has a concussion. Currently, there is no way to accurately diagnose concussions, which affect tens of thousands of Canadians every year.
Yuyin Yi, Leung Research Team Jan M. Friedman Graduate Studentship Yi will work in Dr. Peter C.K. Leung’s lab to explore the role of a peptide – a short chain of amino acids – called apelin and its receptor APJ in the formation of the trophoblast, a layer of tissue that nourishes the growing embryo early in pregnancy and eventually develops into a major part of the placenta. The goal of Yi’s research is to further the understanding of how the placenta forms in order to contribute to future diagnostic tools and treatments for infertility, pregnancy loss and pregnancy complications.
Congratulations to the Clinical & Translational Research Seed Grant recipients. This program supports well-defined interdisciplinary research projects, as well as fostering new areas of research, enhancing partnerships, and building leadership capacity for both research and clinical trainees/health professionals. Dr. Jonathan Bush, New Investigator, BC Children’s Hospital & Dr. Hyungjun Yang, Postdoctoral Fellow, Vallance Research Team Comparing Serum Immunoglobulin G4 to Esophageal Biopsy Samples in a Prospective Cohort of Pediatric Eosinophilic Esophagitis Patients Dr. Steven Rathgeber, Subspecialty Resident/Fellow, BC Children’s Hospital & Dr. Sarah Hutchison, Postdoctoral Fellow, Oberlander Research Team Let’s Text: Engaging Adolescent Solid Organ Transplant Patients in Managing their Health Dr. Rebecca Ronsley, Subspecialty Resident/Fellow, BC Children’s Hospital & Dr. Yi-Chun Chen, Postdoctoral Fellow, Verchere Research Team Pancreatic hormones as predictive biomarkers for type 2 diabetes in children and youth