September 9, 2021
The Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research (MSFHR) has announced funding for researchers who are advancing science, addressing health priorities, and improving the health of British Columbians through its Scholar Program and Research Trainee Program.
The MSFHR Scholar Program supports early-career health researchers who are building leading-edge health research programs, training the next generation of scientists and expanding their potential to make significant contributions to their field. The MSFHR Research Trainee Program supports health researchers in the training phase of their research career to enable career development and enrich BC’s health research talent.
The MSFHR announced funding to 86 recipients conducting research at institutions across BC. This includes 18 awards to UBC faculty members through the Scholar Program and 43 awards to UBC research trainees.
As MSFHR’s flagship funding opportunities, the Scholar and Research Trainee Programs support BC’s next generation of health researchers in developing their leading-edge research programs and helps them attract additional funding, hire and train highly-qualified personnel, create knowledge to inform policy, and advance research for the benefit of British Columbians.
The exceptional group of 2021 Scholars and Research Trainees are building health research capacity in BC and developing health research talent for the future.
UBC Funding recipients
MSFHR Scholars
- Ali Bashashati (School of Biomedical Engineering)
AI-driven integration of omics and histopathology for biomarker discovery in cancer
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: UBC Biomedical Research Centre, Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute, Vancouver General Hospital
- Anna Blakney (School of Biomedical Engineering / Michael Smith Laboratories)
Antibody therapies encoded in self-amplifying RNA
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: University of British Columbia
- Annie Ciernia (Biochemistry)
The role of microglia in neurodevelopmental disorders
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: University of British Columbia – Vancouver Campus
- Annalijn Conklin (Pharmaceutical Sciences)
A program of social epidemiology and metabolic outcomes research (SEMOR) to support healthy aging
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: University of British Columbia
- Jacquelyn Cragg (Pharmaceutical Sciences)
SCI pharmacovigilance: A drug safety platform to improve neurologic outcomes in spinal cord injury
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: University of British Columbia – Vancouver Campus
- Samantha Dawson (Psychology)
Couples’ perinatal sexual health and well-being
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: University of British Columbia – Vancouver Campus
- Sarah Dow-Fleisner (School of Social Work)
The ADAPT Project: Adaptation, Development, and Positive Trajectories in the context of childhood adversity
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: University of British Columbia – Okanagan Campus, University of British Columbia – Vancouver Campus, BC Children's Hospital Research Institute
- Laura Evgin (Medical Genetics)
Leveraging TCR reactivity using viruses and vaccines to improve CAR T therapy
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: BC Cancer Vancouver
- Ethan Greenblatt (Biochemistry)
Determining the molecular basis of fragile X disorders
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: University of British Columbia – Vancouver Campus
- Farinaz Havaei (Nursing)
Promoting workplace psychological health and safety of the nursing workforce in the long-term care sector
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: University of British Columbia – Vancouver Campus
- Connor Kerns (Psychology)
Defining and detecting traumatic events and symptoms in autism
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: University of British Columbia – Vancouver Campus
- James Lan (Pathology and Laboratory Medicine)
Implementation of a Canadian willingness to cross program: A strategy to increase access to kidney transplantation for highly sensitized patients
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute
- Benjamin Matthews (Zoology)
The neuroscience and molecular genetics of mosquito chemosensation
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: University of British Columbia – Vancouver Campus
- Sana Shahram (School of Nursing)
Systems transformation for health equity: The PHAIRNESS Research Program
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: University of British Columbia – Okanagan Campus
- Nika Shakiba (School of Biomedical Engineering)
Unlocking the competitive potential of pluripotent stem cells: Towards novel stem cell therapeutics
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: University of British Columbia – Vancouver Campus
- Christine Voss (Pediatrics)
Physical activity and the clinical management of chronic diseases in children who reside in rural and remote communities in BC’s Interior
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: Centre for Chronic Disease Prevention and Management
- Hilla Weidberg (Cellular & Physiological Sciences)
Molecular mechanisms of sensing and repairing dysfunctional mitochondria
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: University of British Columbia
- Matthew Wiens (Anesthesiology, Pharmacology & Therapeutics)
Smart discharges to improve post-discharge survival in young infants following admission for infection
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: BC Children's Hospital Research Institute
View all 2021 Scholar award recipients and Project Descriptions
MSFHR Research Trainees
- Shekooh Behroozian
Development of a non-invasive diagnostic to detect bacterial pulmonary infections in patients with cystic fibrosis
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: University of British Columbia
- Rafal Skiba
Counteracting the "Jumping to Conclusion" bias in schizophrenia with a combination of neuromodulation and metacognitive training
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: University of British Columbia
- Kirsten Marchand
Investigating what matters to youth: A mixed-methods study of youth-centred opioid treatments and their outcomes
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: University of British Columbia, Foundry
- Hanwen Liu
Portable MRI for multiple sclerosis: Feasibility establishment and technical development for clinical and research applications
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: UBC Hospital, MRI Research Centre
- Ana Hernandez Cordero
Understanding the link between lung genomics, transcriptomics, and sex differences in COPD
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: University of British Columbia
- Krista Glowacki
Movement and young minds: Co-designing and integrating physical activity programming into health services for young people experiencing mental health and substance use challenges
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: University of British Columbia – Vancouver Campus
- Daniele Agostinelli
The role of mechanics in EMT and cancer metastasis
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: University of British Columbia – Vancouver Campus
- Ross Jones
Synthetic feedback control of TCR signaling to guide T cell development in vitro
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: University of British Columbia – Vancouver Campus
- Kaveri Mayra
Mapping the Continuum of Respectful Experiences (CORE) in perinatal care among historically marginalised women and people in British Columbia
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: Women's Health Research Institute
- Katherine Badior
Engineering Platelets using therapeutic mRNA
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: University of British Columbia
- Dongsheng Xiao
Mapping chronic social isolation-induced brain activation in mice with machine learning-based phenotyping of behavioral deficits to pilot translational assessment of psychomotor disturbance
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: University of British Columbia – Vancouver Campus
- Paul Mackie
The effect of a telehealth chair-based exercise intervention on motor function in stroke survivors with a mobility impairment
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: GF Strong Rehabilitation Centre
- Bahaa Abu-Raya
Optimizing protection against Respiratory Syncytial Virus in infancy
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: University of British Columbia
- James Crispo
Paediatric spinal cord injury in Canada: Using administrative claims data to examine long-term health outcomes and healthcare utilization
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries (iCORD), University of British Columbia – Vancouver Campus
- Travis Gibbons
The effect of temperature on brain bioenergetic stress in hypoxia
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: University of British Columbia – Okanagan Campus
- Sonja Senthanar
Immigrants, work and health: Evaluation of services to reduce inequities
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: Partnership for Work, Health and Safety
- Felipe Eltit
Impact of prostate cancer subtypes on bone remodeling and microarchitecture in metastatic lesions of the spine: A combined cellular, genetic and mineralization study
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: Vancouver Prostate Centre
- Kathryn Milne
Investigating sex differences in dyspnea across the spectrum of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease severity
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: Centre for Heart Lung Innovation
- Yasmine Mohamed
Programming bordetella pertussis to produce novel vaccines
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: University of British Columbia
- Ryan Falck
Can we identify dementia risk from 24-hour wrist-worn actigraphy? Using machine learning to identify risk factors for dementia during the 24-hour day
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health
- Grace Cole
Role of SASH1 in generation of hematopoietic stem cells
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: BC Cancer Research Centre
- Anna Herrmann
Multifunctional immunomodulating conjugates for targeting and treating glycocalyx dysfunction in inflammatory conditions
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: Centre for Blood Research, Life Sciences Institute, University of British Columbia
- Jessica Bourne
Let's ride! Supporting individuals at risk of type 2 diabetes who self-identify as an ethnic minority in a community-based diabetes prevention program using electrically assisted bicycles
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: University of British Columbia – Okanagan Campus
- Davide Cina
T-cell repertoire analysis for immune monitoring in renal transplantation
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: University of British Columbia – Vancouver Campus, Vancouver General Hospital
- Katerina Rnic
A randomized controlled trial of a cognitive control intervention for major depressive disorder
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: University of British Columbia – Vancouver Campus
- Daniel Manson
Housing, homelessness, and care trajectories among young people who use drugs in Vancouver
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: BC Centre on Substance Use
- Anna Gottschlich
Addressing emerging health system priorities in cervical cancer prevention: determining optimal strategies for human papillomavirus test-based primary screening
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: Women's Health Research Institute
- Tara Horrill
Advancing health equity in the cancer care sector: Identifying organizational and contextual factors impacting the integration of equity-oriented healthcare for marginalized populations
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: University of British Columbia – Vancouver Campus
- Dominic Boardman
Developing the next generation of therapeutic regulatory T cells using CRISPR/Cas9
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: BC Children's Hospital Research Institute
- Guilherme Moraes Balbim
Physical exercise to mitigate the effects of physical inactivity on brain health
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: University of British Columbia
- Lara Utsch Mendes Gouveia
Defining novel roles for granzyme K in allergic airway inflammation
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries (iCORD)
- Hashim Islam
Anti-inflammatory cytokine function in individuals with type 2 diabetes: Impact of hyperglycemia and the restorative effects of exercise
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: University of British Columbia – Okanagan Campus
- Michael Paris
Neural and muscular mechanisms of age- and sex-related impairments in muscle function and fatigue in old and very old adults
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: University of British Columbia – Okanagan Campus
- Anibal Chertcoff
Psychiatric morbidity in multiple sclerosis during the prodromal period (Psych-MS)
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: University of British Columbia – Vancouver Campus, Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health
- Vincent Gosselin Boucher
Using a mobile health aerobic exercise program to improve psychological distress in healthcare professionals: A randomised controlled trial
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: University of British Columbia – Vancouver Campus
- Megan Muller
Building on the strengths of first responders as a critical first point of contact: Improving emergency care in remote Indigenous communities
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council Community & Human Services
- Heather Palis
Evaluating the impact of pharmaceutical interventions to reduce overdose among people with criminal justice system involvement in British Columbia
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: BC Centre for Disease Control
- Jill Dosso
Developing a method to implement patient-centered social robotics for pediatric mental health within the BC healthcare system
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: University of British Columbia, BC Children's Hospital Research Institute
- Julyanne Brassard
The influence of podocalyxin expression on immune response to ovarian cancer and the efficacy of an antibody-drug conjugate in immunotherapy
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: UBC Biomedical Research Centre
- Mahin Delara
Evaluating the safety, efficacy, effectiveness, and immunogenicity of meningococcal vaccines across the age spectrum
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: BC Children's Hospital Research Institute
- Catriona Hippman
An iKT, interpretivist, feminist, multi-method study examining the experience of, and models of treatment for, acute postpartum mental illness
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute
- Madelaine Gierc
Walking away from depression: Leveraging physical activity to treat symptoms and improve well-being in individuals with major depressive disorder
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: University of British Columbia – Vancouver Campus
- Jordan Sang
Linking administrative and survey data to examine substance use related diagnoses, hospitalization and mortality among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men in Metro Vancouver
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS
View all 2021 Research trainee award recipientS and Project Descriptions