Awardees – CCTC 2019
Travel Awards:
Helal Endisha – University of Toronto
Helal is a PhD candidate in the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology at the
University of Toronto. Her thesis focuses on the role of microRNA-34a (miR-34a) in the pathophysiology of osteoarthritis (OA) during obesity. Her research highlights the potential of targeting miR-34a in the knee using an antisense oligonucleotide to prevent the progression of OA in surgically-induced OA, as well as, high-fat diet-induced accelerated OA mouse models.Salem Werdyani – Memorial University of Newfoundland
Salem Werdyani obtained his B. Sc. in 1998 from the United Arab Emirates University, UAE. He moved to Canada and completed a bioinformatics graduate certificate program at Centennial College, Toronto, Canada. In 2010, he joined the Ozcelik cancer genetics Lab, Mount Sinai Hospital, University of Toronto, Canada. In 2012, Salem moved to Newfoundland where he accomplished his Master of Science in Medicine and started his PhD. at the Discipline of Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada. His PhD. project aims to apply genomics and metabolomics approaches to identify novel biomarkers for osteoarthritis, which can improve our understanding of the pathogenesis of the disease and suggest novel targets for developing disease-modifying therapies.
Patrick Murphy – University of Western Ontario
I am an MSc graduate student in the department of Anatomy & Cell Biology, working at the lab of Dr. Lisa Hoffman. My undergraduate degree was an Honors Specialization in Medical Cell Biology, which I completed in 2017, receiving a Western gold medal. I will be completing my current project, entitled ‘Characterization of Wilms’ Tumour 1 (WT1) as a Fibrotic Biomarker of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy’ this summer. I am part of the collaborative musculoskeletal health research program here at Western, and my research has been recognized with several awards, such as the NSERC Undergraduate Student Research Award, and the Frederick Banting and Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarship.
Leah Ferrie – University of Calgary
I am a MSc student in the Biomedical Engineering Graduate Program at the University of Calgary. I am investigating how biomaterials can be used to improve bone fracture healing and the role of stem cells in the repair response. The title of my project is “The role of exogenous and endogenous stem cells and biomaterials in bone fracture healing”. Before coming to the University of Calgary, I completed my BASc in Chemical Engineering at Queen’s University.
Oral Presentation Awards:
Joanne Tang, Leah Ferrie, Mariya Stavnichuk, Nina Noskovicova, Amanda Ali, Nuno Coehlo (not in picture)
3 Minute Pitch Presentation Awards:
Daniel Bisson Poulami Datta
Poster Presentation Awards (Postdoctoral Fellow):
Manreet Padwal, McMaster University
Poster Presentation Awards (Graduate Students):
Daniel Feng, Université de Montréal
Muthu Muthu Lakshmi, McGill University
Matthew Mannarino, McGill University
Doaa Taqi, McGill University
Tony Huang, University of Western Ontario
Pouyan Ahangar, McGill University
Outstanding question Award:
Omar Al Rafai, Institut de Recherches Cliniques de Montréal
Life Time Achievements Awards (2019) link here