2024 Celebrating Research Excellence

Celebrating excellence in our talented research community 2024 Award Recipients

Celebrating Research Excellence Awards Ceremony Tuesday, October 8 | 3:00 pm | Chan Auditorium, BCCHR Watch virtually here 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 recipients of the BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute: • Outstanding Achievement Awards • Studentships & Fellowships • Peer-Mentorship Excellence Awards

Geoffrey L. Hammond Lectureship

Listen to a special presentation from Dr. Kirk Schultz, Geoffrey L. Hammond Lectureship recipient, on his career and research highlights

Geoffrey L. Hammond Lectureship Dr. Kirk Schultz The Geoffrey L. Hammond Lectureship recognizes investigators on the Oak Street Campus who have made a significant impact on improving the health and well-being of children and 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.

Investigator, Michael Cuccione Childhood Cancer Research Program and BC Children’s Hospital Professor, Division of Hematology, Oncology & Bone Marrow Transplant, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia

Dr. Kirk Schultz has been awarded the 2024 Geoffrey L. Hammond Lectureship in recognition of his leadership and significant contributions to improving the health and well-being of children in British Columbia and around the world. Dr. Schultz is an investigator at BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute (BCCHR) and a professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of British Columbia (UBC).

“He’s a role model, seeking to improve the lives of children with life-limiting diseases and supporting the development of patient advocacy groups,” says Dr. Tim Oberlander, investigator at BCCHR and professor in the Department of Pediatrics at UBC. Working as a researcher at BCCHR for over 25 years, Dr. Schultz has made key contributions to the understanding and management of chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGvHD), a complication of a stem cell or bone marrow transplant (BMT) that can be life-threatening. Driven by his genuine sense of curiosity, his research is a thoughtful combination of basic and clinical knowledge that has led to critical and novel advances in all levels of his field. “Dr. Schultz’s laboratory was the first in the world to show, in a preclinical model, how B cells contribute to the development of cGvHD, which led to the first FDA-approved drug to address this complication,” says Dr. Stuart Turvey, investigator at BCCHR and professor in the Department of Pediatrics at UBC. “He’s one of the world’s foremost researchers in identifying biomarkers and utilizing human biomarkers to elucidate the biology of cGvHD.”

As a pediatric hematologist-oncologist and clinician scientist, Dr. Schultz leads a research program that aims to improve the efficacy, safety, and availability of BMT as a treatment option for children with leukemia and a life-saving therapy in non-malignant conditions. “Dr. Schultz’s research career is built upon his commitment to patients and translating research discoveries into improved clinical practice,” says Dr. Megan Levings, investigator and director of the Childhood Diseases Research Team at BCCHR and professor in the Department of Surgery at UBC. Dr. Schultz is recognized as an international leader in clinical trials and studies, and an expert in transplantation immunology and immunotherapy. His scientific career has always been based in immunology, but evolved to include global leadership in developing and advancing clinical trials in BMT therapies, particularly in pediatric cGvHD. He contributed to creating access to both experimental CAR T cell trials, a life-saving cellular therapy of cancer, for pediatric patients in BC and the first-in-human research to advance the work at BCCHR. In his leadership roles, Dr. Schultz has provided invaluable mentorship to numerous clinical fellows, undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral students, two of which received a Vanier award. “As a PhD student planning to pursue a career in translational and clinical research, I see Dr. Schultz as the ideal role model and guide to gaining knowledge and experience in the ways research and clinic work come together as a career,” says Madeline Lauener, a PhD candidate and Vanier scholar in Dr. Schultz’s lab at BCCHR and UBC. He has also mentored multiple clinical faculty in his division and department.

Dr. Schultz served as the acting head of the Division of Hematology/Oncology/BMT at BC Children’s Hospital and as the director of the Michael Cuccione Childhood Cancer Research Program (MCCCRP) until 2021, having worked with the BC Children’s Hospital Foundation and Michael Cuccione Foundation to establish the program in 2009. He recruited and mentored investigators, increased philanthropic donations by $22 million, and expanded the program to six laboratory-based scientists. His commitment contributed to the recognition of MCCCRP as a national leader in childhood cancer research, creating a legacy at BCCHR.

Outstanding Achievement Awards: Master’s Student This award recognizes the outstanding achievement of a master’s student whose research skills and analytical capacity clearly demonstrate the individual’s potential as a productive member of the scientific community.

Marina Viñeta Páramo’s medical journey began when she completed a Bachelor of Medicine and a Bachelor of Surgery from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona in Spain. She then moved to Canada to pursue a career as a physician-scientist. In 2021, she joined BCCHR as a Graduate Research Assistant where she worked under the supervision of Dr. Pascal Lavoie to assess the resurgence of respiratory infections in young children during the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings were then used by institutions across the province to assess health-care resource allocation and inform prevention guidelines on a real-time basis.

Marina Viñeta Páramo Lavoie Research Team

Marina is currently enrolled in the Women+ and Children’s Health Sciences program at UBC as part of her doctoral studies. Her research focuses on quantifying the burden of respiratory infections in young children and identifying factors associated with severe disease.

Through her work, she hopes to improve evidence-based respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) prevention strategies in BC and other regions.

Outstanding Achievement Awards: Doctoral Student This award recognizes the outstanding achievement of a doctoral student whose originality, research ability and capacity for critical thinking show that the individual is likely to become a contributing member of the scientific community.

Dr. Tasha Wainstein completed her PhD in Medical Genetics at UBC, where she was involved with the GenCOUNSEL project. During her PhD studies, she was awarded a Doctoral CIHR Canada Graduate Award, ranking in the top 1% of applicants. Under the supervision of Dr. Alison Elliott and Dr. Jehannine Austin, she explored the lived experiences of adolescents with complex genetic conditions. Her research findings have laid the basis for future initiatives aimed at optimizing clinical genetics services for this unique population.

Dr. Tasha Wainstein Elliott Research Team

In 2023, Dr. Wainstein was honoured with the James Miller Memorial Prize, one of the most prestigious distinctions awarded to PhD students in the UBC Department of Medical Genetics. Dr. Wainstein has also demonstrated a commitment to teaching and mentorship by supervising several genetic counselling trainees in their directed studies projects, as well as leading workshops and lectures within the UBC Genetic Counselling program.

Outstanding Achievement Awards: Clinical Sub-Specialty Resident or Fellow This award recognizes the outstanding achievement of a clinical sub-specialty resident or fellow whose research initiatives have been pursued in a conscientious, original and competent manner, and who has the potential future academic excellence in their chosen specialty.

Dr. Clara Westwell-Roper completed her MD and PhD at UBC in 2016, with a research focus on inflammation in type 2 diabetes under the supervision of Dr. Bruce Verchere at BCCHR. She went on to complete her residency with the UBC Research Track Psychiatry program, followed by subspecialty training in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

Dr. Clara Westwell-Roper

Stewart Research Team

Her postdoctoral research with Dr. Evelyn Stewart explores the factors contributing to comorbidity between immune-related conditions and psychiatric disorders such as obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

Dr. Westwell-Roper is particularly interested in the relationship between early-life events and immune function across the lifespan, as well as factors influencing families’ experiences of comorbid physical and psychiatric symptoms. From a clinical perspective, her focus includes consultation-liaison psychiatry, psychotherapy, and support for families facing severe mental illness.

Throughout her career, Dr. Westwell-Roper has demonstrated exceptional academic performance, research potential, and leadership qualities. As an MD/PhD student, she received numerous prestigious awards, including the UBC Medicine Hamber Medal for the most outstanding record in her graduating medical class, and the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. In addition, she has been recognized nationally and internationally through achievements such as the International OCD Foundation Young Investigator Award, as well as the Dan Offord Resident Research Award from the Association of Professors of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry of Canada.

As a resident, Dr. Westwell-Roper has led multiple cross-disciplinary translational research collaborations and spearheaded an ongoing clinical trial. Her commitment to teaching and mentoring is evident through her work with clinician-scientists in training. Dr. Westwell-Roper’s journey exemplifies the dedication of an emerging clinician-scientist, with a promise to excel as a clinician, researcher, and mentor.

2024 Postdoctoral Fellowships Our Studentships and Fellowships provide research training stipends to highly qualified and skilled individuals who are based at BC Children’s Hospital, and wish to pursue a research career in any health-related research area that has direct relevance to improving the health of children and their families. This support is intended to help promising trainees advance their careers, ensuring future excellence in care and research that helps transform pediatric health.

Dr. David Datzkiw, Verchere Research Team Bertram Hoffmeister Postdoctoral Fellowship Project: “Beta cell prohormone processing in type 1 diabetes”

Dr. Dorine Van Dyck, Zwicker Research Team Mining for Miracles Postdoctoral Fellowship Project: “Towards a better identification of the risk factors for developmental coordination disorder: characterizing the environmental prenatal and perinatal factors associated to motor outcomes in a 13-year-old Canadian birth-cohort”

2024 Doctoral Studentships Ahmad Samara, Vanderwal Research Team BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute Doctoral Studentship Project: “Macroscale cortical organization during naturalistic processing in children and adolescents”

Erin Tanaka, Klein Geltink Research Team BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute Jan M. Friedman Doctoral Studentship Project: “Electron Transport Chain Complex II Mediates CD8+ T cell Function”

Marina Viñeta Páramo, Lavoie Research Team BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute Doctoral Studentship Project: “Disease burden and immunological outcomes of severe RSV infections in high-risk children in British Columbia”

2024 Doctoral Studentships Xiao Yu (Cindy) Zhang, Wasserman Research Team BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute Doctoral Studentship Project: “Enhancing inborn errors of metabolism diagnosis: integrating contextual word embeddings and whole-genome sequencing data for improved accuracy and efficiency”

Katarina Zosel, Lynn Research Team BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute Doctoral Studentship Project: “Increasing the quality and efficiency of growing insulin-producing cells for the treatment of type 1 diabetes”

Every year, BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute is able to provide a number of training awards and funding opportunities through the generous support of the BC Children’s Hospital Foundation.

These funding opportunities enable our researchers to recruit exceptional trainees to the Oak Street Campus and support them in enhancing their knowledge, building their career development skills, and conducting transformative research that aims to improve the health of children and families.

2024 Master’s Studentships Coralie Bergeron, Devlin Research Team BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute Master’s Studentship Project: “Characterizing the role of suboptimal riboflavin status in glucose homeostasis in adolescence”

Paige Chandran Blair, Conibear Research Team BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute Master’s Studentship Project: “Organellar Recruitment of the Spinocerebellar Ataxia Protein VPS13D”

Eleanor Chen, Levings Research Team BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute Master’s Studentship Project: “Engineering antigen-specific regulatory T cells for use in Type I diabetes”

2024 Master’s Studentships Juliana Maira Freitas Vieira, C. Lim Research Team BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute Sue Carruthers Master’s Studentship Project: “Elucidating the modulators of immunogenic cell death in pediatric leukemias”

Erica McFarland, Cohen Research Team BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute Master’s Studentship Project: “Exploring perceptions of health behaviours in Canadian adolescents: teen acceleration study”

Mentorship is important for success at all levels and helps to build a healthy working environment. The BCCHR Peer-Mentorship Excellence Awards recognize excellence in mentorship provided by trainees, staff, and investigators within the BCCHR community.

These awards particularly highlight mentorship where individuals have supported peers, or others not directly under their supervision, in order to help build a vibrant and engaged community.

2024 Peer-Mentorship Excellence Awards Dr. Matthias Görges BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute Peer-Mentorship Excellence: Investigator Awardee

Dr. Sharon Hou BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute Peer-Mentorship Excellence: Trainee Awardee

Esther Song BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute Peer-Mentorship Excellence: Staff Awardee

Enav Zusman BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute Peer-Mentorship Excellence: Trainee Awardee