Nov 25 2025, 9:00am – 11:00am
In-person at Atrium, Blusson Spinal Cord Centre, 818 West 10th Avenue, Vancouver
Intended Audience
Trainees from the VCH and UBC research community

An exciting opportunity for Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute trainees to connect, exchange ideas and gain valuable insights from inspiring guests. The event will bring together early-career researchers, postdoctoral fellows and final-year PhD candidates — all proud University of British Columbia alumni or current students — to share their journeys and insights.

In this event you will get to a chance to:

  • Network and build connections with fellow trainees.
  • Discover practical strategies to navigate academia and launch an impactful career.
  • Engage in meaningful dialogue and ask questions.
About the speakers
Dr. Gillian Vandekerkhove is an assistant professor at the University of British Columbia (UBC) and a senior research scientist at the Vancouver Prostate Centre. She completed her PhD and postdoctoral training at UBC, specializing in genitourinary cancer genomics. Her translational research aims to advance plasma- and urine-based liquid biopsy technologies to develop minimally invasive biomarkers and generate biological insights into urothelial cancer. Dr. Vandekerkhove leverages next-generation sequencing and computational techniques to enable precision oncology and improve patient outcomes.
Sarah Ebert is a sixth-year PhD candidate at UBC, supervised by Dr. Freda Miller and Dr. Brian MacVicar. Her research explores the murine cortical meningeal — brain interface at a single cell level, using a combination of microscopy and single cell omics technologies. In her downtime, she enjoys singing in community choirs and heading to the mountains for hiking and camping adventures.
Kyle Missen is a postdoctoral fellow at the International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries (ICORD). In 2024, he completed his PhD at UBC, where he investigated sensory integration mechanisms involved in controlling static and dynamic balance. Under the mentorship of clinician-scientist Dr. Michael Berger, his postdoctoral research focuses on identifying neurophysiological factors that influence functional, motor and patient-reported outcomes following nerve transfer surgery aimed at restoring upper limb function in individuals with cervical spinal cord injury.