Meet our Students
Meet our Translational Medicine Graduate Students
2022 Candidates

Melinda Chelva, MSc '22 (Candidate)
Supervisor: Dr. Karen Yeates
Thesis Title: Assessing the Implementation of Patient Navigation to the Smartphone-Enhanced Visual Inspection with Acetic Acid (SEVIA) Program.

Devon Cole, MSc ’22 (Candidate)
Supervisor: Dr. Mark Ormiston
Thesis Title: Examining the Effects of BMP9 on Angiogenesis in Murine Metastatic Lung Tumours

Kassandra Coyle, MSc ’22 (Candidate)
Supervisor: Dr. Mark Ormiston
Thesis Title: Examining the Impact of a Natural Killer Cell Specific Transforming Growth Factor Beta Deletion on the Development of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension

Jordan Harry, MSc ’22 (Candidate)
Supervisor: Dr. Mark Ormiston
Thesis Title: Examining the impact of endothelial BMPR2 loss on BMP9-associated angiogenesis in a mouse model of metastatic breast cancer

Matthew James, PhD ’22 (Candidate)
Supervisor: Dr. Denis O'Donnell and Dr. Alberto Neder
Thesis Title: Mechanisms of exertional dyspnea in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Max Moloney, MSc ’22 (Candidate)
Supervisor: Dr. Diane Lougheed
Thesis Title: Promoting Evidence-based Asthma Care: Use of Sentinel Surveillance for Quality Improvement

Jummy Oladipo, MSc ’22 (Candidate)
Co-Supervisors: Dr. Prameet Sheth and Dr. Stephen Vanner
Thesis Title: Investigating the Potential Protective Effects of Disialyllactose-N-tetraose (DSLNT) Against Dysbiosis in a Neonatal Chemostat Model

Charmi Shah, MSc ’22 (Candidate)
Supervisor: Dr. Donald Maurice
Thesis Title: Examining the Effects of FGD1 on Podosome Rosette Formation in Angiogenic Cells using Physiologically Relevant Models

Michaela Spence, MSc ’22 (Candidate)
Supervisor: Dr. Paula James
Thesis Title: The Canadian Hemophilia Carriers Study – Post-partum
2023 Candidates

Samantha Ables, MSc ’23 (Candidate)
Co-Supervisors: Dr. David Reed and Dr. Alan Lomax
Thesis Title: Antibiotic rifaximin on the gut microbiota and visceral pain signaling in the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome

Cassandra Brand, MSc ’23 (Candidate)
Co-Supervisors: Dr. Jacob Rullo and Dr. Alan Lomax
Thesis Title: The role of the ocular microbiome in dry eye disease

Nolan Breault, MSc ’23 (Candidate)
Supervisor: Dr. Stephen Archer
Thesis Title: Preclinical investigation of the efficacy of a mitochondrial fission inhibitor (Drpitor1a) in regressing pulmonary arterial hypertension

Alyssa Burrows, MSc ’23 (Candidate)
Supervisor: Dr. Anne Ellis
Thesis Title: The impacts of COVID-19 (infectious disease/public health aspects) on immunology and allergy in Health Care Professional students and translate findings into how it can impact public health policies.

Emmanuel Fagbola, MSc ’23 (Candidate)
Supervisor: Dr. Mark Ormiston
Thesis Title: Exploring the Impact of Endothelial BMPR2 Loss on Phosphoinositide Dynamics and the Pathobiology of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension

Georgia Kersche, MSc ’23 (Candidate)
Supervisor: Dr. Amer Johri
Thesis Title: Combining Intraplaque Neovascularization with Risk Stratification by Carotid Stress ECHO

James King, MSc ’23 (Candidate)
Co-Supervisors: Dr. David Reed and Dr. Alan Lomax
Thesis Title: The role of transient receptor potential (TRP) channels, specifically TRPM3 and TRPC5 in normal visceral sensation and visceral pain

Kiera Liblik, MSc ’23 (Candidate)
Supervisor: Dr. Amer Johri
Thesis Title: Female Risk factors for post-Infarction Depression and Anxiety (FRIDA)

Katie Lindale, MSc ’23 (Candidate)
Co-Supervisors: Dr. Amber Simpson and Dr. David Berman
Thesis Title: Connections Between Histological Features and Clinical Endpoints: A Digital Pathology Approach to Optimizing Risk Thresholds and Care Pathways in Non-Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer

Kyla Tozer, MSc ’23 (Candidate)
Supervisor: Dr. Prameet Sheth
Thesis Title: Impacts of LL-37 and 17BIPHE2 on the vaginal microbiota

Trinity Vey, MSc ’23 (Candidate)
Supervisor: Dr. Karen Yeates
Thesis Title: To understand and develop culturally appropriate COVID-19 public health strategies for Indigenous communities of the Mushkegowuk Territory in Northern Ontario

Bethany Wilken, MSc ’23 (Candidate)
Co-Supervisors: Dr. Yuka Asai and Dr. Lynne Postovit
Thesis Title: Implementing a pictorial eczema education tool to improvement management of the disease

Pierce Colpman, MSc ’23 (Candidate)
Supervisor: Dr. Stephen Archer
Thesis Title: Peripheral and Midzone Mitochondrial Fission Variability in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension

Sophia Linton, PhD ’23 (Candidate)
Supervisors: Dr. Anne Ellis
Thesis Title: Investigating the role of the local microbiome in allergic rhinitis

Joe Nashed, PhD ’23 (Candidate)
Supervisor: Dr. DJ Cook
Thesis Title: Understanding and facilitating recovery in a non-human primate model of stroke

Edwin Ocran, PhD ’23 (Candidate)
Supervisor: Dr. Paula James
Thesis Title: Understanding the Role of von Willebrand Factor in Angiodysplasia

Quentin Tsang, PhD ’23 (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

Dr. Caitlyn Vlasschaert, PhD ’23 (Candidate)
Co-Supervisors: Dr. Michael Rauh and Dr. Matthew Lanktree
Thesis Title: Clonal hematopoiesis in kidney disease
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

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
2025 Candidates

Dilakshan Srikanthan, PhD ’25 (Candidate)
Co-Supervisors: Dr. John Rudan and Dr. Parvin Mousavi
Thesis Title: Improving oncosurgical care in glioblastoma using a multiparametric machine learning platform.

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