Meet our Students
Meet our Translational Medicine Graduate Students
2024 Candidates

Rachel Bentley, PhD ’24 (Candidate)
Co-Supervisors: Dr. Stephen Archer and Dr. Charlie Hindmarch
Thesis Title: Exploring the mechanism of impaired oxygen responsiveness in patent ductus arteriosus using transcriptomics

Melinda Chelva, PhD '24 (Candidate)
Supervisor: Dr. Karen Yeates
Thesis Title: Assessing the Implementation of Patient Navigation to the Smartphone-Enhanced Visual Inspection with Acetic Acid (SEVIA) Program.

Sophia Linton, PhD ’24 (Candidate)
Supervisors: Dr. Anne Ellis
Thesis Title: Investigating the role of the local microbiome in allergic rhinitis

Joe Nashed, PhD ’24 (Candidate)
Supervisor: Dr. DJ Cook
Thesis Title: Understanding and facilitating recovery in a non-human primate model of stroke

Edwin Ocran, PhD ’24 (Candidate)
Supervisor: Dr. Paula James
Thesis Title: Understanding the Role of von Willebrand Factor in Angiodysplasia

Quentin Tsang, PhD ’24 (Candidate)
Supervisors: Drs. Stephen Vanner, David Reed and Prameet Sheth
Thesis Title: The effects and mechanism of cannabinoids and opioids on nociception in inflammatory bowel disease

Marty VandenBroek, PhD ’24 (Candidate)
Supervisor: Dr. Mark Ormiston
Thesis Title: A transcriptional analysis of the BMP9-induced hyperproliferation in BMPR2-deficient endothelial cells: Implications for pulmonary arterial hypertension

Abigail Davis, MSc ’24 (Candidate)
Supervisor: Dr. Anne Ellis
Thesis Title: The open-label use of a monoclonal antibody (Tezepelumab) that targets thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) in the treatment of co-morbid allergic rhinitis and allergic asthma

Samantha Delios, MSc ’24 (Candidate)
Supervisor: Dr. Donald Maurice
Thesis title: The role of PDE4 in regulating cAMP in the Primary Cilia (PC) to promote adipogenesis in perivascular adipose tissue (PVAT) to alleviate vascular dysfunctions associated with obesity.

Isaac Emon, MSc ’24 (Candidate)
Supervisor: Dr. Stephen Archer
Thesis Title: The inflammatory role of DNMT3A mutations and decreased expression in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension

Jill Greenlaw, MSc ’24 (Candidate)
Supervisor: Dr. Prameet Sheth
Thesis Title: Evlauating the Protective Capacity of Bacteroides species against Clostridioides difficile infection

Maria Korovina, MSc ’24 (Candidate)
Supervisor: Dr. Diane Lougheed
Thesis Title: Examining sensory-mechanical responses to eucapneic voluntary hyperventilation, hypertonic saline, and mannitol in individuals with cough variant asthma and chronic cough

Noah James, MSc ’24 (Candidate)
Supervisor: Dr. Karen Yeates
Thesis Title: Evaluating the cost-effectiveness of the new HPV DNA self-sampling screening strategies that is launching for secondary prevention of cervical cancer in Tanzania

Jana Livingston, MSc ’24 (Candidate)
Supervisor: Dr. Jacob Rullo
Thesis Title: Characterizing the role of the eye in inducing systemic immunity by looking at the immunological profile of the eye and associated lymphoid tissues throughout the course of infection and finally as a potential site for topical immunization against coronaviruses.

Matti McFarlane, MSc ’24 (Candidate)
Supervisor: Dr. Diane Lougheed
Thesis Title: Promoting Evidence-based Asthma Care using Digital Knowledge Translation Tools: Impact of Provider Assessment Form and Severe Asthma Algorithm (PEACKT-PAAF)

Abby Mocherniak, MSc ’24 (Candidate)
Supervisor: Dr. Teresa Purzner, Dr. Genevieve Digby and Dr. Katie Goldie
Thesis Title: Improving Quality of Care for Glioblastoma Patients Through Implementation of the Queen’s Brain Tumour Program (QBTP).

Nicole Morris, MSc ’24 (Candidate)
Supervisor: Dr. Kerstin de Wit
Thesis Title: A pilot study to assess feasibility of evaluating the safety and efficiency of a simplified diagnostic approach for pulmonary embolism

Martha Ortega Santos, MSc ’24 (Candidate)
Supervisor: Dr. Jacob Rullo
Thesis Title: Regulating local intraocular ergothioneine within the retina and optic nerve as a therapeutic target for global neuro-retinal disease

Hailey Schincariol, MSc ’24 (Candidate)
Supervisor: Dr. Stephen Vanner and Dr. David Reed
Thesis Title: Investigation of a novel pH sensitive opioid analgesic for the treatment of colitis-induced pain

Abhishek Shastry, MSc ’24 (Candidate)
Supervisor: Dr. Kimberly Dunham-Snary and Dr. Charlie Hindmarch
Thesis Title: Mitochondrial bioenergetic and metabolomic fingerprinting in cardiometabolic disease

Mia Wilkinson, MSc ’24 (Candidate)
Supervisor: Dr. Kimberly Dunham-Snary and Dr. Chris McGlory
Thesis Title: Platelet bioenergetics as a surrogate for skeletal muscle metabolism: Identifying a liquid biopsy for cardiometabolic disease
2025 Candidates

Lubnaa Hossenbaccus, PhD ’25 (Candidate)
Supervisor: Dr. Anne Ellis
Thesis Title: The evaluation of cat allergen-induced allergic rhinitis using experimental models

Kyla Tozer, PhD ’25 (Candidate)
Supervisor: Dr. Prameet Sheth
Thesis Title: Closing the gap in sex-disparities in animal research
2026 Candidates

Tarrah Ethier, PhD ’26 (Candidate)
Co-Supervisors: Dr. Mark Ormiston
Thesis Title: Exploring sex differences in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension

Dilakshan Srikanthan, PhD ’26 (Candidate)
Co-Supervisors: Dr. John Rudan and Dr. Parvin Mousavi
Thesis Title: Improving oncosurgical care in glioblastoma using a multiparametric machine learning platform.