UHN Trainee Podcast: Seeds of Science UHN Office of Research Trainees

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 measures to assess the efficacy of the training being delivered. His previous experiences working with HIV patients as a physical therapist and researcher in South Africa provide him with a unique perspective on the importance of community and teamwork in health care and research.  
Tune in to learn about the African philosophy of Ubuntu, to learn how to implement qualitative research approaches to healthcare research, and to find out what Saul’s go-to karaoke song is! 


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/

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 exposure with palliative care at the Princess Margaret Cancer Center. During my conversation with Jessica, we deeply explored the purpose and impact of a legacy document, the surprising things she’s learned doing this work and how she interprets her interviews as a qualitative researcher. Jessica is also very passionate about teaching and discusses the opportunity of being a course instructor. In the future Jessica wants to bring more attention to end-of-life care not only for patients in hospitals but also for people who are socially and economically marginalized. Tune in to get to know Jessica and hear the details of her unique insight, passion and scientific journey thus far!
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/

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 neuralgia, a distressing facial pain condition.  


In this episode, Nok’s passion for understanding limbic system alterations in pain, and her determination in the face of changing research fields, shine through. Tune in to get to know her bubbly personality and hear how she used her research expertise to help her own father who showed early signs of mild cognitive impairment.


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/

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 day to day work is like including his accomplishments, challenges and the patent he received from his findings. Being in the end stages of a PhD we also discussed his next steps in his scientific journey. Ian is determined to change how we treat cardiovascular disease, which he can do either as a clinician scientist to bridge the bench to bedside aspect, or as a member of a collaborative team in industry to bring new technologies into the clinic. So tune in to get to know Ian and hear the details of his incredible work, goals and scientific journey thus far!
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/

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 inspirational scientific journey that brought her to Toronto. After practicing as a clinical speech-language pathologist and holding a professorship in the small city of Santa Maria, Brazil, her curiosity drove her to seek more objective ways to measure swallowing and dysphagia in healthy and disease states. When Renata sent an email to UHN scientist Dr. Catriona Steele, one of the top researchers in the field, she had no idea this would ultimately set her down a new life path - even after having had a son and a successful laboratory of her own! 
Renata’s story highlights how it is never too late to make big life changes in pursuit of our goals. Tune in to hear more about her journey, learn about the important research being conducted by the Steele Swallowing lab, and get to know Renata’s bubbly personality and her love of shoes! 
 
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/

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 Clinician-Scientist in Neuro-Oncology, and do for others what many Neurosurgeons have done for her mom.
In this episode, hear Shreya’s story of how her anxiety surrounding her mother’s diagnosis and her passion for advocacy set her down a path of founding the youth brain tumour awareness walk Project X. Her discipline and passion towards helping others when she hears their stories also motivated her to recently create a policy paper advocating for pediatric brian tumor survivors to automatically qualify for the additional resources in school that are needed. With each step in her journey to fighting brain cancer, Shreya reaches new heights. She is now the current Chair of the Canadian Cancer Society Research Information Outreach Team Toronto Division, a co-founding member of the SuperKids program with the Brain Tumour Foundation of Canada, Brain Tumour Awareness Walk Co-Coordinator, and serves as a Public Policy Committee Member with the Society of Neuro-Oncology. So tune in to get to know Shreya and hear the details of her incredible scientific and personal journey thus far!
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/