VCHRI Celebrate Research! Trainee awards The 2011 VCHRI trainee awards were announced at the annual Celebrate Research event in March. The awards were decided based upon individual research accomplishments, activities that contribute to the research environment (mentorship, collaboration) and presentation skills (as demonstrated in a 3 minute talk describing years of research).
Look for full details about the recipients and the videos of their talks on our website in June. In the meantime, congratulations to the 2011 awardees!
Top Graduating Doctoral Students:
Brennan Eaddie, Brain Research Centre (Supervisor: Brian Christie)
Leanne Ramer, ICORD (Supervisor: Andrei Krassioukov)
Rising Stars:
Sarah Baird, Centre for Hip Health and Mobility (Supervisor: Heather McKay)
Darya Habibi, Vancouver Prostate Centre (Supervisor: Christopher Ong; co supervisor: Aziz Ghahary)
Nathan Lack, Vancouver Prostate Centre (Supervisor: Paul Rennie)
This year, we also hosted a Film Fest, which was won by Catherine Steer from Chris Carlsten's lung health lab. Catherine did a fantastic job describing their experimental approach in a silent film à la 1920s.
Dr. Skinner is a post-doctoral fellow with Dr. Paul Rennie, Director of Laboratory Research, Vancouver Prostate Centre. The grant supported her attendance and presentation at the 6th International Conference on Oncolytic Viruses, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Her presentation was titled "Vesicular Stomatitis viruses as potent intravesical agents for treatment of bladder cancer."
UBC 3 Minute Thesis competition Congratulations to Andrew Ming-Lum, who took first place and a $1500 prize at the inaugural UBC Three Minute Thesis competition on May 10th.
Competitors in the 3MT have just three minutes to explain the breadth and significance of their research project to a non-specialist audience. UBC Faculties held individual heats to select their representatives for the university-wide competition. Andrew is from Department of Experimental Medicine. His supervisor is Dr. Alice Mui, UBC Department of Surgery and Trainee Program Advisor at the VCH Research Institute.
RECENT SCHOLARSHIP AND FELLOWSHIP AWARDEES CIHR Frederick Banting and Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarships:
Tsz Ying Sylvia Cheung, Immunity and Infection Research Centre. (Supervisor: Alice Mui). Project Title: Regulation of microRNA expression by interleukin-10 in activated macrophages
Kaarina Kowalec, Brain Research Centre. (Supervisor: Helen Tremlett) Project Title: Genotype specific approaches to beta-interferon therapy in Multiple Sclerosis
Brodie Sakakibara, G.F. Strong Rehabilitation Centre. (Supervisors: Bill Miller) Project Title: Confidence, Mobility, and Participation with using a Wheelchair: A study of aging wheelchair users
CIHR Doctoral Research Award - PA : Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis:
Megan O'Neill, Brain Research Centre. (Supervisor: Neil Cashman) Title: Prion-like intermolecular transmission of superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) misfolding in embryonic spinal cord cultures of an amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) mouse model.
CIHR Fellowships:
Ed Giesbrecht, G.F. Strong Rehabilitation Centre. (Supervisor: Bill Miller) Title: Enhancing Participation In the Community by improving Wheelchair Skills (EPIC Wheels): A randomized controlled trial.
Pamela Arstikaitis, Brain Research Centre (PhD Supervisor: Timothy Murphy) Title: The role of postsynaptic complexin in long-term potentiation of synaptic transmission. Award to be held at Stanford University (California)
Andrew Gaudet, ICORD, International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries. (PhD Supervisor: Matt Ramer) Title: Improving the immune response to spinal cord injury using galectin-1. Award to be held at Ohio State University (Columbus, Ohio)
Focus on Stroke Awards (CIHR and the Heart and Stroke Foundation) A strategic initiative to build capacity in the later themes/pillars of stroke research: clinical, health services/policy, and/or population health research.
Research Fellowships
Gergely Silasi (Brain Research Centre) Title: Optogenetic modulation of post-stroke plasticity may provide insight for patient-based treatments.Supervisor: Timothy Murphy
Doctoral Research Awards:
Peter Axerio-Cilies (Brain Research Centre) Title: Discovery of selective NR2A-containing NMDA receptor agonists - a novel post-stroke neuroprotective therapy.Supervisor: Yu Tian Wang (Brain Research Centre)
Courtney Pollock (Department of Physical Therapy, University of British Columbia) Title: Training protective stepping reactions improves dynamic balance post-stroke.Supervisor: S. Jayne Garland (Brain Research Centre) Co-supervisor: Michael Hunt (Centre for Hip Health and Mobility)
MITACS New Postdoctoral Program: Deadline June 13th, 2011 Mitacs offers two types of Fellowships for postdoctoral fellows in Ontario and BC (full details at the links below):
Industrial Fellowships require a commitment from an industrial partner who will be collaborating with the PDF on a research project of mutual interest.
Strategic Fellowships are for a maximum of one year and do not require the commitment of an industry partner at the time of application. However, the Fellow is expected to secure an industry partner over the course of the year.
Fellowships must begin between September 1st and December 31st, 2011.
CIHR Canada Graduate Scholarships Michael Smith Foreign Study Supplement (click for details)
Available to Canadian citizens or permanent residents who hold one of the following: Joseph-Armand Bombardier, Alexander Graham Bell or Frederick Banting and Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarship (CGS) at the master's or doctoral level, or a Vanier CGS at the doctoral level.
Deadlines: There are two deadlines: June 10 and October 11. NOTE: If a university's allocation for CGS-MSFSS has been reached by the June 10 deadline, there may not be an opportunity for further applications for the October 11 deadline from that university.
UPCOMING WORKSHOPS **Last chance for registration Friday May 27th** The Faculty of Medicine Post-Doctoral Fellow Professional Development Series presents the following workshop (For full program details, click here.)
Open to post-docs and senior graduate students.
MAKING THE MOST OF THE MEDIA
Working well with the media - including lessons learned! Presented by Dr. David Huntsman, Assoc Prof, UBC; BC Cancer Agency; and VCHRI)
What Makes News? Understand how editors/producers decide what to cover. Includes a hands on exercise - get inside the news media's head by turning a journal abstract into an enticing headline. Presented by Brian Kladko, Communications Manager, Faculty of Medicine
When the Media Call. Learn how to get your message across in an interview. Practice answering questions -- and avoiding subjects you would rather not discuss -- in a mock interview. Presented by Brian Lin, Senior Communications Co-ordinator, UBC Public Affairs
Date: Tuesday, May 31st, 2011 **Registration deadline is Friday, May 27**
Where: UBC Life Sciences Centre, Lecture Theatre 1, 12:30 PM -- 4:00 PM
Winners of the Ajaib (Jab) and Nirmal (Munni) Sidhoo Charities Fund Trainee Travel Grant:
The Sidhoo Charities Fund Trainee Travel Grant provides financial support for VCHRI trainees (in Diabetes or Urology) to travel and present at an international conference.
Congratulations to the winners of the September 2010 competition:
Elham Hosseini-Beheshti is a PhD candidate with Dr. Emma Guns, member of the Vancouver Prostate Centre and the UBC Department of Urologic Sciences. The grant supported Ms. Hosseini-Beheshti's attendance and presentation at the HUPO (Human Proteome Organization) 9th World Congress in Sydney, Australia, in September 2010. Her presentation was titled "Proteomic analysis of exosomes derived from prostate cancer cell lines".
Mr. Ryan Hartwell is a Masters trainee with Dr. Aziz Ghahary, Director of the British Columbia Professional Firefighters' Burn and Wound Healing Laboratory and member of the UBC Department of Surgery, Division of Plastic Surgery. The grant supported Mr. Hartwell's attendance and presentation at the Biotechnology Havana 2010 in Havana, Cuba, in October 2010. His presentation was titled "IDO expression in an allogeneic, engineered skin substitute provides protection from Tcell mediated rejection".
The Ajaib (Jab) and Nirmal (Munni) Sidhoo Charities Fund is managed through VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation, and is available to VCHRI trainees at either VGH or UBC Hospitals.
Deadline for application: There are 3 competitions per year, with the following deadlines for receiving requests: January 15, May 15 and September 15.
New CIHR Fellowship for PhD graduates entering MBA programs.
The CIHR Science to Business Award is designed to assist newly minted PhD's (or soon-to-be PhD's) with a health focus, who wish to enter MBA programs and pursue careers that support commercialization and innovation in Canada (such as management, regulatory affairs, finance, research, technology transfer, and public policy).
If you plan to apply to the UBC Sauder School of Business, you can find information about their programs on the web or contact Arthur Redillas, Associate Director, MBA.
Dr. Nelly Auersperg Studentship Award for Ovarian Cancer. (Graduate students only.)
The Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research has announced the Dr. Nelly Auersperg Studentship Award for Ovarian Cancer (co-funded through OvCaRe, BC Cancer Foundation and VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation).
Open to graduate students focused on ovarian cancer.
At least one member of your supervisory committee must be affiliated with VGH, UBC Hospital or BC Cancer Agency. A portion of your research must take place at one of those facilities.
Must have been enrolled in a graduate program for at least 15 months as of February 1, 2011.
$20,000 per year for up to 3 years. Research /travel allowance of $2,500/year.
Reminder to those applying for CIHR Fellowships / Studentships in February 2011:
Priority Announcements offer additional sources of funding for highly rated (but unsuccessful) applications that are relevant to specific CIHR priorities. (Note: You apply for PAs through the regular application process.)
The 2011 PAs will be posted on the CIHR website throughout December/January. You can find links to the PAs on the CIHR Funding Opportunities page click here:
So far, Priority Areas for the Masters program include: Child Cancer, Dental Hygiene, Disability Prevention from Motor Vehicle Collisions or Auto-Manufacturing, Fanconi anemia, Nutrition and Dietetic Research, Osteoporosis, Respiratory Health, Thalassemia.
For Fellowships: ALS, Alzheimer's Disease, HIV/AIDS, Knowledge Translation, and Rx&D Clinical Collaborative Research.
The CIHR Synapse Mentorship Awards recognize those who have made exceptional contributions towards promoting health research among Canada's high school students.
Three awards are available, one each for: a graduate student/postdoctoral fellow, an accomplished researcher, and a research group.
A full description of the award, a list of previous winners, and links to the Nomination Form, Eligibility Requirements, and Nomination Procedures, can be found here.
The next call for nominations will be on or before January 28, 2011.
Attention budding writers (students only): The Mythbusters Award
From the Canadian Association for Health Services and Policy Research (CAHSPR):
The Mythbusters Award provides students with the opportunity to write for an issue of Mythbusters - a series of reader-friendly research summaries addressing some of today's major debates in Canadian health services management and policy. The winner will work with CHSRF staff to prepare the article for publication.
The winner also receives: $1,500, and a trip to the 2011 CAHSPR conference in Halifax, NS (May 9 12, 2011) to receive the award.
Faculty of Medicine Post-doc Workshop (Nov 23rd): Supervising and Team Dynamics
Announcing the first workshop of the 2010-2011 Faculty of Medicine Post-doc Professional Development series. To register e-mail
Through a seminar and panel discussion, the workshop will tackle challenging issues such as: how to be a good mentor, how to select graduate students/staff/post-docs, delegating, interviewing, hiring/firing, and more.
TITLE:
Supervising and Team Dynamics
Location:
St. Paul's Hospital New Lecture Theatre
Date:
Tuesday, November 23rd
Time:
11 am - 2 pm
For complete agenda and list of speakers, click here.
**And mark your calendar for the next workshop, to be held at VGH on February 24th 2011.
The topic will be teaching - techniques, curriculum development, balancing it with research. Details (location and speakers) to follow in December.
CIHR funding opportunity: Training Grant - Mentoring program in Randomized Controlled Trials (2010-2011)
Objective: To build research capacity in clinical trials research.
Eligibility: A mentor/mentee partnership must develop the program jointly (but need not be from the same institution). The Mentee must hold a PhD or be a graduate of a recognized health professional discipline. Must have (graduate) academic training in epidemiology, or more specifically, RCT methodology or equivalent. The program must be undertaken in Canada.
Note: Applicants to the RCT Mentoring Program cannot apply to any other CIHR award/training or salary program within the same year (i.e. September through August).
REMINDER: Dr. Donald L. Riddle Retirement Symposium
A symposium to honour a lifetime commitment to research.
Speakers from UC Davis, SFU, BC Cancer, Columbia, Harvard, and more, will highlight and honour Dr. Don Riddle's contributions to genetics, development, neurobiology and aging.
Dr. Riddle is the Founding Director of the C. elegans Genetics Center, a Scientific officer of Genome BC, and a most recently, Faculty member at the Michael Smith Labs and the UBC Dept of Medical Genetics.
The Post Doctoral Fellows Office at UBC has released A Guide for Postdoctoral Fellows. The book collates UBC information from several websites, including: the Faculty Relations website, Research Services, and Faculty of Graduate Studies.
FREE online modules for Canadian Good Clinical Practice (GCP):
Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute (VCHRI) is pleased to share with its researchers and their research team members the launch of the N2 CITI Canada online education program. VCHRI is a member of N2 - the Network of Networks. N2 is a national initiative that brings together multiple existing disease networks, institutions, hospitals & universities joining forces to enhance Canada's research capability and capacity.
You must be affiliated with VCHRI to access the online education. Please contact Kerri Abramson () to determine your eligibility. All researchers, their research team members, staff, affiliates and students working with human research subjects or their data at VCHRI are encouraged to sign up with CITI Canada and complete the Good Clinical Practices training module.
To access the online education program:
Go to: www.citiprogram.ca or cut and paste the following:
www.citiprogram.org/default.asp?language=english&icat=7
Create your own unique username and login
Select 'Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute' as your institution or organization. If you are also a member of one of the other organizations listed you can add them to your list in addition to VCHRI. Each institution will then receive confirmation of your completion of the program.
Completion of the course can be done at your own pace. You will need to receive a mark of 80% to complete the program. Once you have completed the program, you will receive notification and a link to a certificate for your records.
If you require assistance with setting up your account or with any questions, please contact Kerri Abramson, Coordinator, Research Education, VCHRI at .
Life Sciences Centre, Lecture Theatre 2 (LSC2), UBC
Hosted by:
Dr. Michael Hayden
For more information, call 604-875-3823
Speakers:
William Catterall, PhD
2010 Canada Gairdner International Award Recipient Professor and Chair of the Department of Pharmacology, University of Washington
and
Nicholas White, MD, DSc.
2010 Canada Gairdner Global Health Award Recipient Director, Mahidol Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Bangkok
You are invited to participate in Phase Two of the consultation on where to locate permanent transit facilities on the UBC campus and proposed cycling improvements.
Please attend one of the two open houses or submit your feedback online.
Research Kudos: VCH Research Institute Shining Trainees:
VCH Trauma Services Researcher Receives Prestigious CIHR Fellowship Award
Dr. Nathaniel Bell, a postdoctoral research fellow within Trauma Services at VGH, was awarded a very prestigious Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Fellowship. Dr. Bell's research will focus on quality of care following injury in British Columbia and the Yukon.
A series of 3 workshops on preparing research proposals and papers for publication
Instructor: Dr. Iain Taylor, Professor Emeritus of Botany; Botanical Garden Project Director
Student Biotechnology Network - Building Biotech: Powering the BioEconomy:
The Student Biotechnology Network is proud to present its 2010-2011 kick-off event "Building Biotech: Powering the BioEconomy", a part of National Biotechnology Week.
Building Biotech is our annual kick-off event which serves to educate students by illuminating on an exciting area of the life sciences industry, we hope to create student awareness of BioProducts, BioEnergy and other clean technologies, encouraging and inspiring students to follow career paths within this growing sector.
Date:
September 20th 2010
Time:
5pm - 9:30pm
Place:
Sutton Place Hotel, 845 Burrard St. Vancouver
Costs:
$15 before Sept 10th, $20 regular price, $25 at the door
Mythbusters Award: Canadian Health Services Research Foundation:
The Mythbusters Award provides students with the opportunity to write for publication an issue of Mythbusters - a series of reader-friendly research summaries addressing some of today's major debates in Canadian health services management and policy.
The winner receives:
an award of $1,500
the opportunity to work with CHSRF staff to prepare his or her Mythbusters topic for publication
Travel, accommodations and registration to the annual Canadian Association for Health Services and Policy Research (CAHSPR) conference, where the award is presented.
A Resounding Success: VCH Research Institute Summer Student Research Forum
On Wednesday, August 25, 2010, the second annual VCHRI Summer Student Research Forum built on the success from last year's event with a new competition - the VCHRI Poster Idol presentation. Each student had 45 seconds and one powerpoint slide to summarize their research project for an audience of their peers and supervisors.
There were four award winners: Ranita Manocha (Supervisor: Bonita Sawatzky, ICORD); Casey Chan (Supervisor: Paul Rennie, Vancouver Prostate Center); Lindsay Wall (Supervisors: Drs Jan Dutz & Hyon Choi, Arthritis Research Centre of Canada); and Seth Tigchelaar (Supervisor: Brian Kwon, ICORD)
UBC Internal Deadline: September 24, 2010 for supporting letters through the PDFO.
The Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships Program will fund 70 new two-year awards annually with 140 awards active at any one time at program maturity. A unique aspect of this program is the requirement that research institutions be closely involved in endorsing applicants. The institutions must be committed to providing a strong and supportive environment for research as well as fostering professional development of awardees.
UBC Graduate Student International Research Mobility Award
Grants are available for UBC faculty to host an overseas graduate research student at UBC (or for UBC graduate students to participate in a research abroad program). A key objective is to build and enhance research collaborations between UBC and research-intensive institutions, research institutes or related organizations (outside of Canada & U.S.) in areas of mutual excellence. Since April 2009, 52 graduate students have received the award (40 outgoing, 12 incoming). Value: $1500.
The P.E.O. Sisterhood is an international organization that raises funds to support women's education (www.peointernational.org). The P.E.O. Scholar Awards are a one time, merit based award of $15,000 for women who are pursuing a doctoral degree or postgraduate study or research at an accredited college or university. Priority is given to women who are well established in their programmes and who will make significant contributions in their varied fields of endeavour. They must demonstrate academic excellence, maturity and have clearly defined career objectives.
To be eligible candidates must be nominated by a P.E.O. chapter between August 20, 2010 and November 20th and must also be:
a U.S. or Canadian citizen at the time of nomination;
a full-time doctoral student at an accredited college or university;
must be planning to graduate between May, 2012 and August, 2013.
Applications from individuals who satisfy the eligibility criteria will be evaluated on a non-discriminatory basis without consideration of race, national origin, religious affiliation or disability. If interested please send your CV and cover letter to Sally Fergusson, P.E.O. BC Scholar Award Chairman at .
Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR) Junior Fellow Academy Fellowships
Deadline: September 1, 2010
The Junior Fellow Academy of CIFAR is an elite fellowship program designed to build research and leadership capacity in gifted young scholars at a critical early stage of career development. By participating in both an innovative CIFAR research program and the leadership-building Junior Fellow Academy, Junior Fellows learn to embrace CIFAR's core values: to think broadly and imaginatively across disciplines and to collaborate on a deep level with colleagues. These unique opportunities are intended to profoundly impact a Junior Fellow's future career path.
For postdoctoral fellows (per year):
$65,000 CDN/US for salary
$5,000 CDN/US for research support
Up to $7,000 CDN/US for benefits, if benefits are not covered by the university where the postdoctoral fellow is based.
The Ajaib (Jab) and Nirmal (Munni) Sidhoo Charities Fund: Trainee Travel Grants for International Scientific Conferences
The purpose of the Ajaib (Jab) and Nirmal (Munni) Sidhoo Charities Fund is to support and strengthen the training, continuing education, and collaborative work of young researchers working at VGH and UBC Hospital in the areas of Diabetes or Urology. As participation at scientific conferences is an important activity in the development of a research career, this competition will support VCHRI research trainees to present at an international conference.
Eligibility
Applicants must be VCHRI trainees doing their research training at VGH or UBC Hospital - this includes Masters and Doctoral students and Post-Doctoral and clinical research fellows.
The trainee must be involved directly in research which will improve the quality of care and patient outcomes for those affected by diabetes or urology related problems.
The conference must be international in scope (but can be held in Canada).
The trainee should be presenting their own work, whether part of a larger study or a stand-alone study, OR they must have had substantial involvement in the project on which they are presenting.
The trainee is the first author on the accepted abstract.
The conference must be happening within the 6 months following the application deadline.
This must be the first international conference at which the information is being presented by the applicant.
Upcoming deadline: September 15, 2010
More information as well as the guidelines and request form are available from the VCHRI internal grants & awards webpage at http://www.vchri.ca/s/Internal_Grants.asp.
Research Kudos: VCH Research Institute Shining Trainees
Mani R. Moniri, MSc Student, Dr. Warnock's Lab
CIHR Master's Award: Frederick Banting and Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarships; $17,500.
'Protective Effects of B7-H4 on Beta Cell Mass and Beta-Cell Secretory Function'
Fellowship Award in the Area of Huntington Research
Clare Gladding $112,500 (2 years) for, Investigating altered NMDA receptor signalling in a transgenic mouse model of Huntington Disease. Supervisor: Lynn Raymond, Brain Research Centre
CIHR Postdoctoral Fellowships:
Nathan Bell $135,000 over 3 years for, Quality of care following injury in British Columbia and the Yukon: a study to validate the use of linked administrative data sources to evaluate care Supervisors: Boris Sobolev, Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Evaluation, and Richard Simons, Regional Trauma Program Director, VGH
Debra Field $275,000 over 5 years for, Outcome toolkit for children who use power mobility Supervisor: William Miller, GF Strong Rehab Centre, International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries (ICORD)
Samantha Johnston $135,000 over 3 years for, Structural and Functional Connectivity in Prosopagnosia Supervisor: Jason Barton, Brain Research Centre
Francois Lamoureux $45,000, 1 year, for, Targeting HSP90 in prostate cancer bone microenvironment by using a novel inhibitor: SNX-5422 Supervisor: Martin Gleave, Vancouver Prostate Centre
Master's Award: Frederick Banting and Charles Best Canada Graduate
Jennifer Choo $17,500, for Defining basal-like breast cancer on clinical specimens Supervisor: Torsten O Nielsen, Vancouver Prostate Centre
Mark Crawford $17,500 for, Investigating Cardiovascular Dysfunction Following Spinal Cord Injury Supervisor: Matthew Ramer, International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries (ICORD)
Erin Gorman $17,500 for, Characterizing Bone Health in Older Adults with Diabetes: The Influence of Metabolic Syndrome Supervisor: Maureen Ashe, Centre for Hip Health and Mobility
Edward Pokrishevsky $17,500 for, A Therapeutic Vaccine for ALS Directed Against Misfolding Specific Epitopes of Cu/Zn Superoxide Dismutase Supervisor: Neil Cashman, Brain Research Centre
*** Please send all potential Research Kudos to Kerri Abramson at ***
Changes to the VCH Research Institute Trainee News:
The VCHRI Trainee News will soon be provided in a more reader friendly format (stay tuned).
It's designed to help VCHRI trainees stay connected to each other and to the programs and services of the VCH Research Institute. The newsletter will cover a variety of topics such as celebrating trainee achievements, upcoming funding competitions, and trainee educational opportunities.
If you would like to submit, please email items to Kerri Abramson for review at .
Trainee Kudos: VCH Research Institute Shining Trainees:
Shirin Kalyan, Research Associate, CeMCOR
Humboldt Research Fellowship for Postdoctoral Researchers
'Role of gamma-delta T cells in Long-term Adverse Effects of Aminobisphosphonate Therapy' Shirin was awarded a senior fellowship by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation to work with Professor Dieter Kabelitz at the University Hospital of Schleswig-Holstein in Kiel, Germany. Her project involves investigating the role of a specialized subset of T cells (called gamma/delta T cells) in modulating the effects of aminobisphosphonates which are currently the most widely prescribed class of drugs for the treatment of osteoporosis.
Babak Shadgan, PhD Candidate, Muscle Biophysics Laboratory
2010 D.J. Lovell Scholarship, SPIE (International Society for Optics & Photonics)
'Monitoring and early detection of skeletal muscle ischemia using near infrared spectroscopy' The "D.J. Lovell Scholarship" is the largest and most prestigious award of the International Society for Optics & Photonics awarded this year in a competition between 362 top graduate students from the best universities around the world. The main focus of this International Society is the techniques and innovations in Optics and Photonics, and perhaps one of the important messages of this award is that the core of Babak's research projects (using optical diagnostic methods in medicine) is a well-respected and important research line. For more information: http://spie.org/x1737.xml
Rachel Wade, PhD Candidate, Côté Lab
CIHR Doctoral Research Award, 3 year/$66,000 in the Area of Biomedical / Clinical HIV/AIDS Research.
'Therapy-Related Hepatic Mitochondrial Toxicity in HepG2 Cells and in Patients Co-Infected with HIV and Hepatitis C Virus'
Kilian Gust, PhD, Post-Doctoral Fellow, Vancouver Prostate Centre
'Aberrant Sonic Hedgehog Signaling in Renal Cell Carcinoma' Congratulations to Dr. Kilian Gust, the May 2010 winner in the Ajaib (Jab) and Nirmal (Munni) Sidhoo Charities Fund Trainee Travel Grant competition. Kilian is a Post-Doctoral Fellow with Dr. Peter Black, member of the Vancouver Prostate Centre and the UBC Department of Urologic Sciences. The grant supported his attendance and presentation at the 2010 American Urological Association meeting in San Fransisco from May 31st to June 3rd, 2010.
Travel Grant: The Ajaib (Jab) and Nirmal (Munni) Sidhoo Charities Fund:
The Ajaib (Jab) and Nirmal (Munni) Sidhoo Charities Fund is managed through VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation. Its purpose is to support VCHRI research trainees working at VGH and UBC Hospital in the areas of Diabetes or Urology. This travel grant competition provides financial support for a trainee to present at an international conference. There are three deadline dates for receiving requests: January 15, May 15 and September 15. For more information go to: www.vchri.ca/s/Internal_Grants.asp
CIHR: Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships Program The Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships Program will award 70 postdoctoral fellowships each year. Fellowships will be of two-year duration, valued at $70,000/year (taxable). Uniquely, the program requires that research institutions be closely involved in endorsing applicants and be committed to providing the research environment and professional development successful applicants require in order to become the research leaders of the future.
For further information, please see www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca/e/42092.html or a program description and a preview of the key application elements.
Any questions about the program should be directed to
Harmonization of CIHR's Doctoral Research Awards In June, CIHR was pleased to launch the fall 2010 open Doctoral Research Awards competition. In an effort to harmonize and promote funding equity among CIHR's doctoral awards programs, CIHR increased the value of all doctoral awards to $35,000 per year to align with the amount per award provided through the Canada Graduate Scholarship Doctoral Awards (CGS-D) program.
As part of this competition, CIHR is offering CGS-D awards and Doctoral Foreign Study Awards (DFSA). Although the awards are of equivalent value, the CGS-D is targeted to support top-ranked Canadian students studying within Canada, while the DFSA is targeted to support top-ranked students studying abroad.
Information regarding additional opportunities for funding through Priority Announcements on the Doctoral Research Award competitions will be available on the CIHR website in August 2010. For more information on CIHR's open Doctoral Research Awards program, please consult the Funding Opportunity at the following link: www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca/e/42139.html
UBC Faculty of Medicine: Graduate Student Awards Deadline: July 30, 2010 The Graduate Student Awards are available to graduate students registered in the UBC Faculty of Medicine or supervised by a faculty member with a primary appointment in the Faculty of Medicine. Students must be registered before the awards are adjudicated. Students graduating in December 2010 are eligible for consideration; however, students who register in January 2011 will not be eligible as adjudication will occur prior to their registration.
Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada Research Program Research Scholarship - Deadline: November 1, 2010 Junior Personnel Awards - Deadline: November 1, 2010
The Heart and Stroke Foundation, a volunteer-based health charity, leads in eliminating heart disease and stroke and reducing their impact through the advancement of research and its application, the promotion of healthy living, and advocacy.
Internship Award - International Development Research Centre (IDRC):
International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Deadline: September 12, 2010 These awards are paid internships in Canada (most held in Ottawa) for graduate students or graduates with at least a master's degree. The internship may be part of an academic requirement. The main goal of the Internship Awards is to provide exposure to research for international development through a program of training in research management and grant administration under the guidance of IDRC program staff. Internships are designed to provide hands-on learning experiences in research program management - in the creation, dissemination and utilization of knowledge from an international perspective.
