Tag: Faculty of Graduate Studies

Approved tag

York research helps explain why obesity is more dangerous for men

A scale and a tape measure

A newly published study from York University sheds light on the biological underpinnings in sex differences in obesity-related disease, with researchers observing “striking” differences in the cells that build blood vessels in the fatty tissue of male versus female mice.

Tara Haas
Tara Haas

Men are more likely than women to develop conditions associated with obesity such as cardiovascular disease, insulin resistance and diabetes, says York Professor Tara Haas with the Faculty of Health’s School of Kinesiology and Health Science.

“People have used rodent models to study obesity, and the diseases that are associated with obesity – like diabetes – but they’ve typically always studied male rodents, because females are resistant to developing the same kinds of diseases,” says Haas, who is the lead investigator on the study. “We were really interested in exploring that difference because, to us, it spoke of something really fascinating happening in females that protects them.”

Haas and her team observed in an earlier study that when mice become obese, females grow a lot of new blood vessels to supply the expanding fat tissue with oxygen and nutrients, whereas males grow a lot less. In this latest study published in iScience, Haas and her co-authors, including York PhD student Alexandra Pislaru, Faculty of Health Assistant Professor Emilie Roudier, and former York post-doctorate student Martina Rudnicki, focused on differences in the endothelial cells that make up the building blocks of these blood vessels in fat tissue.

The team used software to help sift through thousands of genes to zero in on the ones that would be associated with blood vessel growth. They discovered that processes associated with the proliferation of new blood vessels were high in the female mice, whereas the males had a high level of processes associated with inflammation.

“It was very striking the extent of inflammation-associated processes that were prevalent in the males,” Haas says. “Other studies have shown that when endothelial cells have that kind of inflammatory response, they’re very dysfunctional, and they don’t respond to stimuli properly.”

Pislaru, who works in Haas’ lab and is a co-first author of the study, participated in this project as part of her dissertation.

“It is exciting to observe the continuing resilience that female endothelial cells display even when stressed by a long-term high-fat diet,” Pislaru says. “The findings from our study can help researchers to get a better understanding of why obesity manifests differently in men and women.”

The researchers also examined the behaviour of the endothelial cells when they were taken out of the body and studied in petri dishes. 

“Even when we take them out of the body where they don’t have the circulating sex hormones or other kinds of factors, male and female endothelial cells still behave very differently from each other,” Haas explains.

Female endothelial cells replicated faster, while male endothelial cells displayed greater sensitivity to an inflammatory stimulus. By comparing with previously published data sets, the researchers found endothelial cells from aged male mice also displayed a more inflammatory profile compared to female cells.

“You can’t make the assumption that both sexes are going to respond to the same series of events the same way,” says Haas. “This isn’t just an obesity related issue ­– I think it’s a much broader conceptual problem that also encompasses healthy aging. One implication of our findings is that there will be situations where the treatment that is ideal for men is not going to be ideal for women and vice-versa.”

The study was funded by a grant through the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, as well as the Natural Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada and York’s Faculty of Health.

While humans and mice have different genes that may be active or inactive, Haas believes the general findings would likely apply and is interested in studying the same cells in humans in future research.

Watch this video of Haas and Pislaru explaining the study:

York research shows AI better than human eye at predicting brain metastasis outcomes

To truly understand how the brain is working, Crawford says we have to know how the different areas of the brain, and different neurons in those areas, are connecting to each other

A recent study by York University researchers suggests an innovative artificial intelligence (AI) technique they developed is considerably more effective than the human eye when it comes to predicting therapy outcomes in patients with brain metastases.

The team hopes the new research and technology could eventually lead to more tailored treatment plans and better health outcomes for cancer patients.

Ali Sadeghi-Naini
Ali Sadeghi-Naini

“This is a sophisticated and comprehensive analysis of MRIs to find features and patterns that are not usually captured by the human eye,” says York Research Chair Ali Sadeghi-Naini, associate professor of biomedical engineering and computer science in the Lassonde School of Engineering, and lead on the study.

“We hope our technique, which is a novel AI-based predictive method of detecting radiotherapy failure in brain metastasis, will be able to help oncologists and patients make better informed decisions and adjust treatment in a situation where time is of the essence.”

Previous studies have shown that using standard practices, such as MRI imaging – assessing the size, location and number of brain metastases – as well as the primary cancer type and overall condition of the patient, oncologists are able to predict treatment failure (defined as continued growth of the tumour) about 65 per cent of the time. The researchers created and tested several AI models and their best one had an 83 per cent accuracy.

Brain metastases are a type of cancerous tumour that develops when primary cancers in the lungs, breasts, colon or other parts of the body are spread to the brain via the bloodstream or lymphatic system. While there are various treatment options, stereotactic radiotherapy is one of the more common, with treatment consisting of concentrated doses of radiation targeted at the area with the tumour.

“Not all of the tumours respond to radiation – up to 30 per cent of these patients have continued growth of their tumour, even after treatment,” said Sadeghi-Naini. “This is often not discovered until months after treatment via follow-up MRI.”

This delay is time patients with brain metastases cannot afford, as it is a particularly debilitating condition with most people succumbing to the disease between three months to five years after diagnosis. “It’s very important to predict therapy response even before that therapy begins,” Sadeghi-Naini added.

Using a machine-learning technique known as deep learning, the researchers created artificial neural networks trained on a large pool of data, then taught the AI to pay more attention to specific areas.

“When you look at an MRI, you see areas within or surrounding the tumour where the intensity and pattern is different, so you attend to those parts with your vision system more,” explained Sadeghi-Naini. “But an AI algorithm is blind to this. The attention mechanism we incorporated into the algorithm helps these AI tools to learn which part of these images are more important and put more weight on that for analysis and prediction.”

The study, now available online, has been published in the IEEE Journal of Translational Engineering in Health and Medicine. Partially funded by the Terry Fox Research Institute (TFRI), the modelling work was done at Sadeghi-Naini’s lab at York’s Keele Campus with York PhD student Ali Jalalifar, first author on the study. When it came to data acquisition and interpreting the results from more than 120 patients, the team was able to leverage York’s long-standing collaborative relationship with Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto. Other funders of the study included the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and the Hatch Memorial Foundation.

Sadeghi-Naini says that while more research needs to be done, the findings point to AI being a potentially significant tool in precision management of brain metastasis and even other types of cancer down the line.

The next step to adopting this as a clinical practice would be looking at a larger cohort with a multi-institutional data set, from there a clinical trial could be developed. “If standard treatments can be tailored for patients based on their response to treatments – that can be predicted before treatment even starts – there’s a good chance that the overall survival of the patients can be improved,” he concludes.

As part of its long‐standing program involving the best cancer researchers across Canada, the Terry Fox New Frontiers Program Project Grants, TFRI is funding further research in ultrasound and MRI for cancer therapy by Sadeghi-Naini and a team of clinicians and scientists based out of Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre the amount of $6 million over the next six years. Sadeghi-Naini is leading the biomedical computational-AI core of the program, receiving $900,000 of that funding.

Watch the video of Sadeghi-Naini explaining the technology.

Faculty of Graduate Studies names Sapna Sharma recipient of Postdoctoral Supervisor Award

Award stock image banner from pexels

Faculty of Science Associate Professor in the Department of Biology, Sapna Sharma, received the 2022 Supervisor of the Year award from the Faculty of Graduate Studies (FGS) at a council ceremony on Dec. 1.

Sapna Sharma
Sapna Sharma

FGS bestows the award annually on an individual who has demonstrated outstanding support for postdoctoral scholars at York University, exceeding general supervisory expectations. Nominations must provide evidence that the nominee: fosters an exemplary environment of support for professional skill development; is a role model for intellectual leadership and professionalism in research; promotes and models a climate of respect and collegiality; and offers advocacy and guidance in long-term personal, professional and career development.

The adjudication committee reviewed an exceptional pool of nominees this year and were particularly impressed by Sharma’s work as a supervisor. The letter of nomination highlighted her drive to create an environment of support for her postdoctoral Fellows and students. Acting as a true mentor, she provides ample opportunities for professional skill development and exemplifies a steadfast commitment to facilitating international collaborations.

Sharma consistently went above and beyond her expected role, supporting the members of her lab, Sharma Lakes, by advocating for their personal, as well as professional, career development. This dedication was especially crucial within the context of the global pandemic and its impact on mental, financial and overall well-being.

“The past two years have been an unprecedented time with the COVID-19 pandemic and York University frequently closing. In response, Dr. Sharma has prioritized the mental health of everyone under her supervision, including myself,” her colleague, Alessandro Filazzola, stated in the nomination letter. “She frequently checks in to ensure we are financially stable, whether we require leave, or have the necessary support should we decide to continue working.”

Postdoctoral Supervisor of the Year awarded to Sapna Sharma by FGS council
FGS council names Sapna Sharma (top right) Postdoctoral Supervisor of the Year

On the challenges of research during the pandemic, Sharma said, “The students and postdocs in my lab worked incredibly hard to keep our research moving forward, despite the immense challenges of working remotely during the pandemic. I thank them for their work, supporting one another and the research program, and keeping the lab environment alive.”

Sharma’s area of research examines how lakes worldwide respond to climate change, including rapid ice loss, warming water temperatures, degrading water quality and changing fish distributions. The work performed in her lab involves predicting the effects of environmental stressors, such as invasive species and habitat alteration, on lakes. This important research highlights the real-life repercussions of climate change, which can inspire others to seek out ways to create a more sustainable future.

“I am lucky to have a wonderful lab. I work with amazing students and postdocs. They make my work life fun and intellectually stimulating as I learn a lot from them,” said Sharma.

Outside of her research and role as supervisor, Sharma is an active member of the community. She currently holds the position of vice-Chair of the Royal Canadian Institute for Science, a charity committed to science public engagement, which demonstrates her dedication to science communication. Moreover, she is also the founder and Chair of SEEDS at York University, an outreach program that provides refugee children who have recently arrived in Canada with additional educational opportunities in science and math.

“As a Provostial Fellow, Dr. Sharma has been working on a University-wide engagement strategy to build partnerships that focus on access to clean water, and in that sense is really taking hold of York’s commitment in the University Academic Plan to further the UN [United Nations] Sustainable Development Goals,” said Dean and Associate Vice President Graduate Thomas Loebel.

The Supervisor of the Year Award acts as a way to acknowledge dedication displayed by faculty who exemplify all the characteristics of an outstanding role model. “[Sharma] has enriched the lives of her postdoctoral Fellows. Her investment and commitment serve as a model for others to follow.  She embodies the award’s dedication to mentorship creativity, excellence, and dedication,” said Loebel.

Study reports public control over energy policy required to avert climate crisis

climate change iceburg

A new paper authored by York University PhD student Erin Flanagan and Professor Dennis Raphael explores the future of the environment in this time of climate crisis.

Dennis Raphael
Dennis Raphael

“From Personal Responsibility to an Eco-Socialist State: Political Economy, Popular Discourses, and the Climate Crisis” was published in the Sage journal Human Geography and looks at how Canadians think about the crisis, and what can be done to move toward a more environmentally friendly future.

The study builds upon research from Flanagan’s major research paper completed as part of her MA degree in health policy and equity, at the Faculty of Health’s School of Health Policy and Management.

Based on the authors’ review of different ways of resolving the crisis, the paper concludes that averting a catastrophe will require gaining public control over energy policy and countering the power and influence of fossil-extracting industries.

“In theory, this could be accomplished through existing policy instruments, but in reality, it may require the establishment of a post-capitalist eco-socialist state,” says Raphael.

  • while what this state will look like is uncertain, certain features can be envisioned, he said. These would initially include:
  • universal access and social justice: ending energy poverty while reducing energy consumption and prioritizing the needs of communities, households, and marginalized people;
  • renewable, sustainable, and local energy: shifting to renewables by leaving fossil fuels in the ground, divesting from fossil fuels, and investing public funds in local renewable energy systems to create thriving communities;
  • public and social ownership: bringing energy production under democratic control, within new forms of public ownership by municipalities, citizens’ collectives, and workers;
  • fair play and creation of green jobs: building renewable energy through fairly paid, unionized jobs; and
  • democratic control and participation: empowering citizens and workers to participate in energy policy by democratizing governance and instituting complete transparency.

The authors state that to accomplish this, Canadians are required to understand that the current features of the country’s economic system make dealing with the climate crisis almost impossible and make the provision of health-promoting living and working conditions difficult.

Read the full paper here.

Symposium highlights global health research of Dahdaleh grad students

global health

Four graduate students at York University’s Dahdaleh Institute for Global Health Research will showcase their work on Dec. 14 at the Keele Campus.

The students – Eric Asempah, Hillary Birch, Yuliya Chorna and Nilanjana Ganguli – will present their global health research, share more about their research journeys and discuss their progress during the third annual Global Health Graduate Scholars Symposium.

Eric Asempah
Eric Asempah
Hillary Birch
Hillary Birch
Yuliya Chorna
Yuliya Chorna
Nilanjana Ganguli
Nilanjana Ganguli

The Dahdaleh Institute supports graduate research and scholarly and creative activities in line with the three themes of the Institute – planetary health, global health and humanitarianism, and global health foresighting – at York University.

The Dahdaleh Global Health Graduate Scholarship was created to attract exceptional incoming and continuing domestic and international graduate research students to the Dahdaleh Institute for Global Health Research. The scholarship is granted annually to graduate students who demonstrate outstanding academic achievement in global health research.

About the Dahdaleh Graduate Global Health Scholars

Eric Asempah is currently a PhD candidate in the Faculty of Health, School of Health Policy & Management. Using human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine as a marker, Asempah’s research titled ”Imperatives for a nationwide HPV vaccination program: A foremost approach to cervical cancer prevention in Ghana” focuses on HPV vaccination policy and increasing the accessibility of the vaccines in low- and middle-income countries. At the Dahdaleh Institute, Asempah is involved in global health policy research on access to pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical interventions in low-income settings and on building equitable access to medicine.

Hillary Birch is a PhD student in environmental studies in the Faculty of Environmental and Urban Change where she is a SSHRC doctoral Fellow. She holds a master’s degree in urban governance from Sciences Po in Paris, France where she studied the urban governance of Ebola in Monrovia, Liberia. She also holds a master’s degree in political science from McGill University. Birch has worked in various roles related to global health concerning sexual and reproductive health and early child development. Her PhD explores how projects of global health intersect with processes of urbanization that shape flows of water in a city and change its quality. The research she will present during the symposium is titled “Using quality to see the body and health in urban political ecology.”

Yuliya Chorna is a PhD student in social anthropology. She has an academic background in social work and extensive work experience in the field of global health policy and practice, including in senior leadership positions for not-for-profit NGOs focused on social equity and rights in the fields of tuberculosis (TB) and HIV/AIDS. Chorna has been a member of the Social Science and Health Innovations Network for Tuberculosis (SSHIFTB) at the Dahdaleh Institute since its inception in 2020, networking with the community of TB researchers worldwide. She will present findings from her research project titled “Global tuberculosis response in the context of the 2023 United Nations General Assembly high-level meeting on TB.”

Nilanjana Ganguli is a PhD student in the Faculty of Environmental and Urban Change. Her doctoral research focuses on modelling the gendered health impacts of climate change in Malawi using a combination of community participatory methods and soft systems methodologies. Ganguli has a master’s degree in environmental studies and a bachelor’s degree in biotechnology from York University. She has also completed three years of biotechnology research technologist training at Seneca College. She will share insights from her research project titled “Modelling gendered impacts of climate change in the Lake Chilwa Basin, Malawi.”

Read more about the Institute’s Global Health Graduate Scholarships program.

Register here to attend the symposium and learn more about the event.

Gairdner events inspire world of possibilities for York and GTA high school students   

By Elaine Smith

Gairdner awardees, chosen by two separate juries of experts, travel across Canada, presenting research seminars and doing outreach to inspire future generations of scientists. After participating in online events during the pandemic, the laureates were able to engage with students and researchers in person this fall.

When Brittney Remnant was invited to introduce two Canada Gairdner International laureates to an audience of high school students visiting York University to hear their lectures on Oct. 28, she was excited.

“I ran to the principal investigator in my lab and asked, ‘Is this real?’” said Remnant, a fourth-year honours biomedical science student at York. “The Gairdner Awards are kind of a big deal.”

Gairdner Laureates and students prepare to visit Dr. Mark Bayfield's biology lab: L to R: Undergraduates Taylor Cargill and Brittney Remnant; PhD student Farnaz Mansoori-Noori; 2022 Gairdner laureates, Drs. Katalin Karikó and John Dick; PhD students Jennifer Porat and Kyra Kerkhofs; Dr. Bayfield
Gairdner Laureates and students prepare to visit Dr. Mark Bayfield’s biology lab. Left to right: Undergraduates Taylor Cargill and Brittney Remnant; PhD student Farnaz Mansoori-Noori; 2022 Gairdner laureates, Drs. Katalin Karikó and John Dick; PhD students Jennifer Porat and Kyra Kerkhofs; Dr. Bayfield

The Canada Gairdner Awards are Canada’s only major international scientific prize. Twenty-four per cent of the 402 recipients have gone on to be awarded a Nobel Prize. Awards have been given out since 1957. Today, the Gairdner Foundation awards seven awards annually, which include five Canada Gairdner International Awards for biomedical research, the John Dirks Canada Gairdner Global Health Award and the Canada Gairdner Wightman Award.

“York University has been part of the official Gairdner celebrations for more than a decade,” noted Ronald Pearlman, York professor emeritus and former associate scientific director for the awards program. Pearlman was instrumental in expanding the high school program nationwide.

Dr. Katalin Karikó and Ronald Pearlman, York professor emeritus
Dr. Katalin Karikó and Ronald Pearlman, York professor emeritus

Gairdner awardees, chosen by two separate juries of experts, travel across Canada, presenting research seminars and doing outreach to inspire future generations of scientists. After participating in online events during the pandemic, the laureates were able to engage with students and researchers in person this fall.

The Gairdner Foundation organized a series of events, “Gairdner Week” in the GTA. The Gairdner Day at York, the University’s most prestigious science event, is co-organized by York and the Gairdner Foundation. York students, faculty and staff had the opportunity to participate in Gairdner Day events on campus, and other Gairdner Week events off campus. The University’s Gairdner participation in celebrating the success of the laureates reflects a commitment to Access to Success – one of six priorites laid out in York’s University Academic Plan – supporting students to reach their full potential, research-intensification and internationalization. 

“York hosts a two-pronged program,” said Pearlman. He worked with Jennifer Steeves, associate vice-president, research, and Barbara Edwards, senior policy advisor from the Office of the Vice-President, Research & Innovation, to arrange the Gairdner day events.

“The laureates talk to high school students in the morning, sharing the stories about why they got into science and how they chose their particular research topic. In the afternoon, there is the York Gairdner lecture, where the laureates talk to faculty and research trainees about their research. In between, we have a small luncheon hosted by the president where select students and faculty get a chance to meet the laureates.”

Dr. Stuart Orkin, 2022 Gairdner Laureate, addresses more than 300 GTA high school students at York's Gairdner Day
Dr. Stuart Orkin, 2022 Gairdner Laureate, addresses more than 300 GTA high school students at York’s Gairdner Day

This year, the high school students enjoyed talks by Dr. Stuart Orkin David G. Nathan Distinguished Professor of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School and Dana-Farber/Boston Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, and Dr. Katalin Karikó, senior vice-president RNA Protein Replacement Therapies, BioNTech SE. The laureates have each made transformational contributions to improve human health. Karikó’s work, for example, formed the basis for the mRNA vaccines used to prevent COVID-19 infections.

“It was a spectacular experience,” said Remnant. “I arrived early, and Dr. Pearlman introduced me to the laureates; I also went to lunch with them afterward and to the afternoon lectures. When you are in a scientific field, you do science because you love it, and it was nice to see that reflected by scientists at such a high level. They are doing spectacular things to make a difference and are so down to Earth; they don’t do science for fancy awards.”

Kate Duncan, senior planner, on-campus recruitment and events, organizes the high school program. It brings approximately 300 Grade 11 and 12 students from seven schools across the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) to campus along with their biology teachers.

“It’s great because it exposes the students to different science pathways beyond medicine,” Duncan said. “The scientists talk about their careers and the challenges they overcame; their general messages are really important for that age group.”

At the York Gairdner lecture, faculty and research trainees heard from Karikó and Dr. John Dick, the Canada Research Chair in Stem Cell Biology at the University of Toronto and senior scientist at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre.

Yanan Shan, a York PhD student in women’s reproductive health, attended the afternoon program and said, “The two professors gave brilliant talks, and the talk by Katalin Karikó inspired me a lot. … The idea to use modified mRNA for carrying information in vaccines to induce an immune response in the body was very advanced 30 years ago, but she must face a lot of questions and challenges in her study.

“I think it is a great honour and precious opportunity for me to attend this lecture on campus.”

Nilanjuli Ganguli, a York PhD student in environmental studies, was selected to attend another of the Gairdner Week events, a luncheon with the laureates off-campus. She sat with Zulfiqar Bhutta, PhD, winner of the John Dirks Canada Gairdner Global Health Award for his work on improving maternal and child health and nutrition among marginalized and rural populations in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.

“To meet someone doing work that is having a global impact is quite meaningful and inspiring,” said Ganguli. “You often think that one person can’t make a change, but if you are smart and strategic about your means and goals, you can make it happen.”

Bhutta gave her his card, and Ganguli, whose research is also based in rural Africa, plans to reach out to him for mentorship.

York Gairdner Day, along with Gairdner Week events, were designed to inspire future laureates at York and GTA high schools.

York PhD candidate takes centre stage at United Nations Security Council debate

United Nation Security Council UN

Zahra Nader, a York University doctoral student in the Faculty of Graduate Studies (FGS), appeared as a civil society representative before the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) in a recent debate on women, peace and security.

Nader, already an esteemed journalist, started her career in Kabul in 2011 and by 2016 had joined The New York Times covering reporting beats across Afghanistan. She later moved to Canada in 2017, where she began pursuing her PhD in gender, feminist and women’s studies at York University. Her research is primarily focused on the political histories of Afghan women from the 1960s to the 1990s.

In August 2022, Nader and a group of women journalists from Afghanistan launched Zan Times – a non-profit newsroom in exile – to report on human rights violations in Afghanistan, mainly focusing on women, the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, and environmental issues. In three months, Zan Times produced more than 30 stories on Afghanistan’s most marginalized people, both in Dari and English.

“We have reported that the fine art faculty of Kabul University has been ‘paralyzed’ under the Taliban, on people’s resistance to the Taliban’s ban on girls’ education, how the closure of schools and poverty exacerbated forced and child marriages, and an investigative report on arrest, torture and killing of women protesters in Mazar-e-Sharif that was featured by BBC Persian and Global Investigative Journalism Network,” said Nader.

For her contributions to Zan Times and other publications, Nader was invited to the UNSC in October. This meeting was an opportunity for UNSC and General Assembly states to share specific examples of how they are supporting women’s resilience in conflict-affected countries and their capacity to contribute to peace and security.

Zahar Nader at United Nations Security Council
Zahra Nader

“Coming from the margins of society, this opportunity allows us to see that the process of change starts with each of us, with individuals willing to do their part to participate in the process of change,” Nader said. “As women journalists, we are doing our part by sharing women’s voices who are fighting for their basic human rights. We hope our work raises awareness of women’s situation in Afghanistan, which is the planet’s most severe women’s rights crisis.”

Motivated by her own personal story of struggling to obtain access to education, Nader is committed to creating positive change for future generations of Afghan women who she hopes will not have to go through the same hardships. Through her career as a journalist and a scholar, Nader is committed to filling a void that she had noticed in women’s political history that lacks a chapter on how Afghan women fought for their rights. She hopes that her work will inspire future generations to keep the fight going and continue the struggle for equality.

Having formally adopted the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) into its academic plan in 2020, York University recognizes the efforts of students like Nader who work directly to build a more equitable future.

Nader’s drive to secure accessible schooling for generations of Afghan women reflects UN SDG 4: Quality Education, ensuring inclusive, quality education is available and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all. Her women-led newsroom also contributes to UN SDG 5: Gender Equality, achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls. Moreover, Nader’s activism work also engages UN SDG 16: Peace, Justict and Strong Institutions, promoting peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, providing access to justice and building effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels.

Five York PhD students receive Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship 

books and pen

Five York University PhD students were awarded the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship for 2022. This prestigious scholarship, valued at $50,000 per year for up to three years, is presented by the Government of Canada.  

The award is intended to support first-rate doctoral students who demonstrate both leadership skills and a high standard of scholarly achievement in the fields of social sciences, humanities, natural sciences, engineering and health. The selection criteria include academic excellence, research potential and leadership.   

“A Vanier scholarship is an honour, but it also materializes a belief with impressive financial support that these scholars will change our future for the better,” says Faculty of Graduate Studies Dean & Associate Vice-President Graduate, Thomas Loebel. “Each of the scholars has identified challenging problems to solve and proposed creative paths toward solutions – and the range across disciplines really stands out.”  

This year’s recipients come from a diverse set of research fields exploring a variety of topics from issues in family law to interactive projects aimed to accentuate the impact of the global climate crisis.  

“It’s heartening to see that nationally York is being recognized for what our community has long known: we nurture ingenuity.  As these award winners lead in the development of new research methods, results, and creation, society at large will experience the benefits,” says Dean Loebel.  

The 2022 Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship is presented to:  

Katherine Barron – Education: Language, Culture & Teaching

Katherine Barron
Katherine Barron

Barron’s cutting-edge research will examine the use of curriculum modifications for elementary school students. Curriculum modification includes changing a student’s curriculum to a different grade level if the teacher believes that the student is unable to work at grade level. This is a common practice in elementary education that has not been thoroughly explored by scholars. Barron proposes that the decision to modify a student’s curriculum is highly subjective and can have long-term negative impacts. This study is vital due to the fact that marginalized students (particularly Black and Indigenous students) have been disproportionately disadvantaged through special education processes throughout history.  

“Given the negative impacts that special education decisions can have on the trajectory of a student’s academic future, it is essential that we investigate the use of curriculum modifications and their efficacy in achieving their intended outcomes,” says Barron.  

Barron’s research in the Toronto District School Board will examine the use of curriculum modifications in relation to equity, achievement and well-being. 

Toby Finlay – Sociology  

Toby Finlay
Toby Finlay

Finlay’s project presents a historical study of the development of transgender health care in the Gender Identity Clinic (GIC) of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) in Toronto, Ont. Through archival research and interviews, the results of the research aim to demonstrate how CAMH has shaped the landscape of transgender health care in Ontario for the last 50 years. 

This project presents trailblazing research by preserving an archive of the histories of transgender health-care practices and transgender community activisms in Ontario. This crucial study will provide a story of the ways that transgender communities have navigated and resisted dominant discourses about gender to access gender-affirming treatment.  

“This historical study has contemporary relevance to the politicized debates about trans health care taking place globally and to Canada’s current policy shifts towards gender-affirming approaches to trans health care,” says Finlay.  

Sarah Grace Grothaus – Computational Arts/EE and CS Departments 

Sarah Grace Grothaus
Sarah Grace Grothaus

Grothaus provides a glimpse into the deterring implications of black carbon air pollution through her research-creation project, Habitats. She will create visualization and environmental sensing wearables that create a second skin for the user, enabling individuals to bring their environmental data to life. Specifically, her project is aimed to ignite the public imagination and instigate policy change regarding toxic exposures to carbon emissions.  

Grothaus believes her project can create a sense of realization regarding the urgency of addressing global climate change. “Habitats will focus on empowering citizens to better understand and communicate their local environment, and issues connected to environmental sacrifice zones: places where residents live near environmentally threatening polluting industries and/or heavy usage transportation routes, notes Grothaus.” 

Once complete, the project can be shared with the larger community through educational workshops, public art performances and other contexts intended for raising the alarm about environmental dangers. 

Deanne Sowter – Law  

Deanne Sowter
Deanne Sowter

Sowter’s research “Towards a Modified Conception of the Family Lawyer” raises the concern that the current understanding of the lawyer’s role fails to properly capture the realities of family law. The structure that is being used, reinforces power imbalances and gendered hierarchies in terms of process and outcome. Specifically, the current model does not respond effectively to non-adversarial advocacy, family violence and issues involving a client’s child.  

Her research hopes to offer a reformulation of family lawyers’ duties to their clients, inform law reform and amendments to professional codes of conduct and make recommendations for pedagogical reforms at law schools and for continuing legal education.  

“Family law has an impact on more Canadians than any other area of law, yet the family justice system is widely perceived to be broken. There is potential for lawyers to be responsive to family laws’ challenges,” says Sowter.  

Alyssia Wilson – Clinical Developmental Psychology 

Alyssia Wilson
Alyssia Wilson

Wilson contends that homeless and precariously housed people continue to be understudied in brain injury research. In particular, women in this population report a greater number of injuries as they are more likely to experience intimate partner violence, making them uniquely vulnerable to repeated mild traumatic brain injury (mTBIs). Wilson explores how those who have suffered mTBIs can experience long-term effects on their psychological health, increasing the risk for both substance use and mood problems. The project aims to create a real-world impact by allowing clinicians to more readily identify individuals at risk for substance use and mental health disorders and develop targeted interventions that may reduce risk of mTBI and improve health outcomes.    

“These developments are particularly critical for underserved and marginalized populations, who already face numerous psychosocial and economic barriers,” says Wilson.  

By increasing the understanding of mTBIs, clinicians will be better informed in assessing and providing treatment, psychoeducation and intervention services to vulnerable community members.  

Lassonde team developing new tool for detection of microplastics in water

Close-up of micro plastic particles on the fingers under a magnifying glass. Concept for water pollution and global warming. Macro shot on a bunch of microplastics that cannot be recycled

Researchers at the Lassonde School of Engineering at York University are working to develop innovative methods for the detection of microplastics in bodies of water. Recently, a group of researchers successfully designed and prototyped an affordable and simple device for the detection of microplastics.

Water sources often contain pollutants due to the breakdown of large plastics and commercial product development, some of these pollutants are undetectable to the naked eye. One example of such pollutants are micro-and nano-plastics, which are harmful both to the environment and living organisms, including humans. That’s why researchers at the Lassonde School of Engineering at York University are working to develop innovative methods for the detection of microplastics in bodies of water. Although there are some standard laboratory-based methods to detect microplastics, they often have significant drawbacks, including both time and cost, which prevent their use in detailed investigations of aquatic environments.

Recently, a group of researchers from Lassonde Professor Pouya Rezai’s lab in the Department of Mechanical Engineering have designed and prototyped an affordable and simple microfluidic device for the on-site detection of microplastics. The team of researchers includes two postdoctoral fellows and former Lassonde PhD candidates Alireza Zabihihesari and Arezoo Khalili and one MSc student Mohammad-Javad Farshchi-Heydari. They fabricated the device with replica molding of two polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) layers onto 3D-printed master molds.

The microfluidic device consists of a straight microchannel in which the water sample enters from one end and leaves from the other. Simultaneously, a DC sweep current is applied to two microwires crossing the microchannel. Applying an electrical current to microwires induces an attractive electrophoretic force, which leads to microplastics accumulating on the positive or negative electrode (microwires), thereby changing the electrical resistance.

The proposed microfluidic method for DC electrical microplastic extraction and detection. (A) The experimental setup consisting of the microfluidic sensor, a syringe pump, a DC SourceMeter, and a computer. (B) Close up schematic of the dashed rectangular region of interest in (a) demonstrating microplastics accumulation around the anode during an electrical current sweep. Image courtesy Lassonde School of Engineering

This approach was tested using sparked microplastics in water at different concentrations. In the future, this sensor can be integrated into a hand-held device, enabling on-site detection of microplastics in aquatic environments. Currently, Rezai’s research group is working to expand the application of their sensor for detecting microplastics of different shapes, types and sizes in real samples collected from lakes, seas and oceans with various concentrations of salt.

Their manuscript is now available online and for the past few weeks it has been listed on Social Science Research Network’s (SSRN) Top Ten download list for: Analytical Chemistry eJournal and ChemRN: Fluidics.

The manuscript is available online: Simple Microfluidic Device for Simultaneous Extraction and Detection of Microplastics in Water Using Dc Electrical Signal.

Incoming York postdoctoral Fellow receives History of Medicine and Healthcare award

Collage showing DNA, medicine and more

The Associated Medical Services (AMS) History of Medicine and Healthcare (HMH) program has announced its newest postdoctoral fellowship recipient, York University’s Efrat Gold.

Gold’s fellowship begins in January 2023 with York University’s Faculty of Health.

Selected by an expert review panel, she is one of five research grant and fellowship recipients named this year. These talented scholars will enhance the scope of history of medicine research and curate lessons to positively shape Canadian healthcare.

Founded in 2015, the HMH awards program promotes scholarship, teaching and public interest in the history of health care, disease and medicine. Researchers, health-care professionals and students can apply for three types of awards: postdoctoral fellowships of $45,000, doctoral completion awards of $25,000 and project grants of up to $10,000. Through this funding, the program aspires to develop leaders and provide resources for crucial activities in health-care research, education and clinical practice.

Efrat Gold close up portrait
Efrat Gold

Gold’s project, titled “Archiving Patient-Led Mad Activism in Canada, 1970s-2020,” aims to create a new source of open access archival data and accompanying teaching materials rooted in revisiting past mental health philosophies through patient-led initiatives.

Designed in two parts, the first segment of Gold’s project involves the curation of mad-centered archival material not yet available in the public domain. The second segment uses critical discourse analysis of the archival material to enhance understandings of the crucial, active role of patients in shaping mental health care.

Gold’s work has the power to positively enhance the scope of medicinal history by emphasizing the intersections between mad activists and other disenfranchised groups, including queer/transgender people, Indigenous organizers and anti-racist activists. Madness Canada will coordinate the digitization and public display of the project once the archival series and accompanying teaching and learning materials are developed.

Outside of this project, Gold challenges dominant views of mental health and illness through her writing and activism. Motivated by social justice-informed approaches to madness and disability, her work unsettles psychiatric ideology by exposing the absences of those deemed mad and exploring life-affirming possibilities for mad inclusion. Gold’s publications appear in scholarly and community venues, demonstrating her commitment to producing research and pedagogy that is accessible and incorporates the voices of mad and disabled people through consultation and solidarity.

Applications for the 2023 HMH program opened on Nov. 1, offering over $250,000 in funding for researchers, health-care professionals and students. See the program’s website for more information.