University Health Network has over 1300 graduate students and post-doctoral fellows performing research in seven different research institutes, at sites all across Toronto, Canada. Each of these trainees has diverse experiences, backgrounds, research, and stories to share. The Seeds of Science podcast provides a platform for UHN graduate students and postdoctoral fellows to tell their stories and to connect and learn from each other. Furthermore, through the podcast, trainees offer their advice to junior trainees and undergraduate students who are considering a research career. In Season 1, each episode spotlights a single trainee at different stages of their training - whether Masters or PhD candidates, or post-doctoral fellows. Learn about their exciting research, their unique goals for the future, and what they enjoy doing outside of their research. Proudly supported by UHN Office of Research Trainees (ORT) and brought to you by research trainees at the Krembil Brain Institute and Toronto General Hospital Research Institute.Disclaimer: The views expressed in the podcast episodes are not necessarily those of UHN or ORT.
African philosophies and healthcare: Dr. Saul Cobbing on retraining non-specialists to deliver healthcare at UHN and in South Africa
In this episode, Emily speaks with Dr. Saul Cobbing, a post-doctoral researcher at The Institute for Education Research (TIER) under the supervision of Dr. Nicole Woods. Saul is involved in a multi-disciplinary project called Best Foot Forward, which delivers foot care training to UHN non-specialist staff. The aim of the project is to upskill the community to improve the early identification, prevention and treatment of foot wounds, and diabetic foot ulcers. Saul uses qualitative measure...
7 Dec 2023
Legacy work in end of life care: A conversation with Jessica Bytautas
In this episode, Rima chats with Jessica Bytautas, a PhD candidate at the University of Toronto and KITE, the research arm of Toronto Rehabilitation Institute.Jessica highlights her PhD research exploring the ways in which legacy activities support the relational nature of existential suffering and resist, reinforce, and revise prevailing norms regarding death and the goals of care at the end of life. She has a background in philosophy but was inspired to research this further after her first...
23 Nov 2023
From Brain Specimens to Pain Neuroimaging: A conversation with Dr. Patcharaporn Srisaikaew
In this episode, Emily chats with Dr. Patcharaporn (Nok) Srisaikaew, a post-doctoral researcher in Dr. Mojgan Hodaie’s lab at the Krembil Brain Institute. Nok completed her PhD specializing in human body dissections and the use of MRI to search for biomarkers of mild cognitive impairment. Nok’s post-doctoral research at UHN aims to elucidate the underlying neural mechanisms of limbic system (involving cognitive, memory and emotional systems) alterations in individuals with trigeminal ne...
9 Nov 2023
Stem Cells for Cardiovascular Disease: A Dive into Ian Fernandes' Research
In this episode Ian highlights his research investigating the cardiovascular system in disease and development using human pluripotent stem cells, in order to develop novel cellular therapies that can restore heart function and quality of life to patients without needing organ transplantation. During my conversation with Ian it was clear how passionate he is about stem cell research, and so this episode first dives deep into his research and the applications of it, then into what his personal...
26 Oct 2023
How to objectively measure the biomechanics of swallowing: Dr. Renata Mancopes’ inspiring story
In Episode 3, Dr. Emily Mills chats with Dr. Renata Mancopes, a postdoctoral researcher in the Steele Swallowing lab at KITE, the research arm of Toronto Rehabilitation Institute. Renata’s postdoctoral research focuses on using an X-ray technique termed video fluoroscopy to objectively study mechanisms of swallowing and swallowing dysfunction (dysphagia) in individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This episode delves into Renata’s research as well as her insp...
12 Oct 2023
Bridging Glioblastoma Research and Advocacy for Cancer Patients: Shreya Gandhi's Personal and Scientific Journey
In this episode, Rima chats with Shreya Gandhi, a PhD student at the Princess Margaret Cancer Research Tower in Dr. Gelareh Zadeh’s laboratory. Her research characterizes how hypoxia alters immune cell proportions in glioblastomas, which is crucial to developing more targeted therapies. Shreya was a Masters student that transitioned to PhD, in order to accelerate her graduate studies and pursue medicine after. As the daughter of a brain tumour survivor, it has long been her dream to work as a...
28 Sept 2023
Bioinformatics to Improve Female Health Care - A chat with Dr. Emma Bell
In the Season 2 premier, Dr. Emily Mills chats with Dr. Emma Bell, a postdoctoral researcher in the De Carvalho lab at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre. This episode follows Emma’s scientific journey, from their beginnings as a wet-lab researcher to discovering their true passion for bioinformatics and coding during their second Masters project and PhD. Their current project in the De Carvalho lab examines the use of liquid biopsies as a less invasive alternative to standard tissue b...
28 Sept 2023
Trailer: Seeds of Science Season 2
Here's a sneak peak of what's to come in Seeds of Science Season 2! UHN Trainee Podcast: Seeds of Science is proudly supported by the UHN Office of Research Trainees. For more information on the podcast and interviewees, visit our webpage: https://uhntrainees.ca/trainee/seeds-of-science-podcast/
22 Dec 2022
Episode 6: Cristiana O’Brien
In this episode, Rima chats with Cristiana O’Brien, a master’s student researching Leukemia. in Dr. Courtney Jones’s lab at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre at UHN. The episode follows Cristiana's scientific journey from loving microscopes at a young age to becoming a lab technician to now pursuing research in her masters as a more mature student, Cristiana is determined to pursue her passion in science despite the challenges and competitiveness involved, and of course benefits from h...
15 Dec 2022
Episode 5: Kevin Robb
In this episode, Emily chats with Kevin Robb, a 5th year PhD student at the Schroeder Arthritis Institute, Krembil Research Institute, under the primary supervision of Sowmya Viswanathan and co-supervision of Rajiv Gandhi. This episode dives into Kevin’s research into cell-based therapies and particularly his work with mesenchymal stromal cells, a heterogenous cell population that has shown promise in treating inflammatory conditions including osteoarthritis. Kevin’s research attempts t...
1 Dec 2022
Episode 4: Dr. Leif Simmatis
In this episode, Rima chats with Dr. Leif Simmatis, a post-doctoral fellow in the labs of Dr. Yana Yunusova and Dr. Babak Taati at KITE, the research arm of the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute at UHN. The episode follows Leif's scientific journey where his experiences from undergraduate to PhD and post-doctoral stages helped guide him into choosing between academia, medicine and industry career paths. Leif dives into his interesting published research from his PhD studies on upper limb ...
17 Nov 2022
Episode 3: Christina Lam
In this episode, Emily chats with Christina Lam, a 4th year PhD student in Dr. Stephen Juvet’s lab at the Latner Thoracic Surgery Research Laboratories at Toronto General Hospital Research Institute. The episode highlights Christina’s passion for translational research, and her particular interest in immunology and harnessing regulatory T cells to improve solid organ transplant tolerance. Christina discusses her personal story of how she navigated graduate school whilst recovering from ...
3 Nov 2022
Episode 2: Noor Al Kaabi
In this episode, Rima chats with Noor Al Kaabi, a master's student in Institute of Medical Sciences program at UofT and part of Dr. Dmitry Rozenberg's lab at the Toronto General Hospital Research Institute.The episode follows how Noor's journey of exploring various research topics in undergrad such as refugee mental health and improving care for organ transplant recipients with UHN's Kidney Health Education and Research Group, eventually led to her master's project where she was directly invo...
19 Oct 2022
Episode 1: Dr. Sriranga Kashyap
In this episode, Emily chats with Dr. Sriranga Kashyap, a postdoctoral fellow in the BRAIN-TO lab at the Slaight Family Centre for Advanced MRI in Toronto Western Hospital. The episode follows Sri’s multidisciplinary research guided by his interest in the hippocampus, a region involved in learning and memory. From his Bachelor thesis project analyzing rodent brain slices, to his Masters and PhD projects in which he developed cutting edge methods of non-invasive brain imaging in humans, S...
13 Oct 2022
Trailer: Seeds of Science Season 1
Welcome to Season 1 of UHN Trainee Podcast: Seeds of Science!Tune in to bi-weekly episodes starting Thursday 20th October 2022.UHN Trainee Podcast: Seeds of Science is proudly supported by the UHN Office of Research Trainees. For more information on the podcast and interviewees, visit our webpage: https://uhntrainees.ca/trainee/seeds-of-science-podcast/
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