Some of the McGill University Faculty of Medicine’s top graduate students recently had the opportunity to attend the Canadian Student Health Research Forum (CSHRF) and Gairdner Symposium: Celebrating Excellence, held in Winnipeg from June 10 to 14.
In addition to opportunities to network with other top graduate students from across Canada in health research fields, participating McGill students also attended a Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)-sponsored Career Development Workshop, attended a research symposium and small group sessions with recent Gairdner Award winners and participated in the CIHR National Research Poster Competition.
“It was inspirational and motivating to meet other top PhD students from across Canada and to learn from the Gairdner professors,” notes Alexander Kiepas, a PhD student in Physiology who was selected for both a Gold and Gairdner Award for his poster presentation.
“I am incredibly grateful that I was able to attend and present my work at the CSHRF meeting,” adds Alexandra Cooke, a PhD student in Experimental Medicine who also received both a Gold and Gairdner Award at the event. “The awards I received were particularly meaningful as this was likely my last poster presentation during my degree. The experience led me to reflect on the daunting first poster presentation at the start of my training, and how much I’ve evolved as a researcher and presenter since then. I’d like to thank my supervisor Dr. Stella Daskalopoulou and co-supervisor Dr. Kaberi Dasgupta for all of their support.”
In all, seven McGill students were recognized for their posters highlighting their contributions to health research:
- Juan Pablo Pimentel-Gonzalez (Family Medicine)
- Niaz Mahmood (Experimental Medicine)
- Deanna MacNeil (Anatomy and Cell Biology)
Silver Award Winners:
- Ashley Chin (Experimental Medicine)
- Nida Haider (Experimental Medicine)
Gold and Gairdner Award Winners:
- Alexandra Cooke (Experimental Medicine)
- Alexander Kiepas (Physiology)
“As one of the poster judges at the CSHRF meeting, I found the caliber of research presented by students from across the country impressive,” notes Dr. Aimee Ryan, Associate Dean (Biomedical BSc, Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies). “I am proud of all of the McGill attendees in general for showcasing excellence in their posters and of Alexandra and Alexander specifically, who after winning the Gold award in their groups, were selected by the Gairdner Laureates to attend the Gala in the Fall.”
Congratulations to all of our winners!
July 10, 2019