May 2017 Newsletter

    • decorative imageA family connection
      Rebecca Rodrigues was just 11 years old when her older brother, then 16, was diagnosed with schizophrenia. Today, she is studying involuntary hospitalization in those with first-episode psychosis in an effort to shed light on this area of mental health.

    • decorative imageA Q&A with Dr. Marat Slessarev
      Motivated by his experiences treating patients with sepsis, Dr. Marat Slessarev decided to go back to school and enroll in the medical biophysics program as a PhD Candidate. Through his research he aims to create better outcomes for those with sepsis.

    • decorative imageKeeping up with the millennials
      It's not hard to see that a majority of graduate and post-doctoral trainees on campus are of the 'millennial' generation. Andrew Watson, PhD, discusses how academia must adapt to millennials' changing needs and bridge the generational gaps that may present along the way.

    • decorative imageUsing stipends to fund your future
      Tomi Nano, Chair of the Graduate Students Council, discusses stipends, why its important for graduate and post-doctoral trainees to understand stipend breakdowns and how students can find new sources of funding to help them progress through their studies.

    • decorative imageFinding a weakness in a silent killer
      With easily-confused symptoms, low survivor rates and the absence of formal risk-detection tests, ovarian cancer is often called a 'silent killer' disease. Bringing new hope to those battling the disease is Trevor Shepherd, PhD, who is making ground-breaking discoveries in the field of ovarian cancer research.

    • decorative imageTurning childhood intrigue into a career
      As a young boy, David Cechetto was fascinated with the missionaries who attended his church. Their stories intrigued and inspired him to follow a path that would ultimately take him to Africa, where he has now spent almost 20 years working on health-centred initiatives.

    • In the news: Dr. Michael Silverman discusses his new ICES study showing nearly half of patients with a cold get inappropriate antibiotics
      Dr. Michael Silverman discusses his new ICES study showing nearly half of patients with a cold get inappropriate antibiotics

    • Celebrating our achievements
      Congratulations to Rebecca Sullivan, Alice Shin, Hayley Good, Farzad Asadi, Jina Kum, Brittany Pillon, Terry Robins, Richard Filek, Anu Thomas and Peter Szabo on their recent achievements.

    • Twenty five new CIHR-funded projects for Western researchers
      Researchers at Western University are the recipients of a total of $12.4 million in project and bridge grant funding announced by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).

    • Four new Collaborative Research Seed Grants recipients
      Congratulations to Chris Brandl, PhD, Amin Rizkalla, PhD, Trevor Shepherd, PhD, Piotr Wilk, PhD, and their teams.

    • Students heading to Kenya with the Global MINDS Summer Institute
      Congratulations to Michelle Quaye and Gunjan Mhapankar, Medicine Class of 2020, on being chosen as two of the 10 Western University students taking part in the first ever Global MINDS Summer Institute in Machakos Town, Kenya.

    • CIHR delays Project Grant Competition
      Congratulations to Chris Brandl, PhD, Amin Rizkalla, PhD, Trevor Shepherd, PhD, Piotr Wilk, PhD, and their teams.

    • Discovery eyes how brain sorts unwanted sounds
      Susanne Schmid is looking into the brain’s ability to filter out unwanted sounds and how this could eventually help in the treatment of schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorders.

    • CFMM receives Canada Brain Research Fund Grant
      Western’s Centre for Functional and Metabolic Mapping (CFMM) is the recipient of a $2.7 million Platform Support Grant from the Canada Brain Research Fund, as part of $29 million in funding announced by Jane Philpott, Minister of Health.

    • Team eyes non-invasive alternative to biopsies
      Len Luyt, PhD, a Chemistry professor cross-appointed to Medical Imaging, has developed a new class of imaging agents targeting the prostate to accurately detect and localize cancer in order to improve treatment decisions.

    • Top stories from April 2017 Current Affairs
      Did you miss the April 2017 issue of Current Affairs? Read the top stories on the role of gestational diabetes in fetal heart development, London Health Research Day and the Three Minute Thesis qualifiers from Schulich Medicine & Dentistry.