Translational Research Project Support
We had a great experience collaborating with the translational research program, the students were presented with a task that the members of our group had not attempted before and they met the challenge, leaving a lasting contribution to our research group.Dr. Wilder Scott, Sunnybrook Research Institute and Department of Laboratory Medicine & Pathobiology
Apply to receive free support for your Translational Research Project. Deadline October 18, 2026
Submit your project by October 18
Do you have a research project with Translational potential? Do you want to see a project have a positive impact on health, medicine, and care but need some support?
Clinical, basic, and translational researchers across Temerty Medicine are invited to submit research-based project ideas (with Translational potential) for translational support by Sunday, October 18, 2026.
The benefits include:
- Having a student focussed on translational research support and move forward your project by conducting research and helping advance your ideas.
- Low commitment needed from you: the form is straightforward, and your time commitment will include an initial meeting in November or December, and then meetings on an as-needed basis (anticipated to be bi-weekly or monthly). The students will have additional project support from the course instructor.
- You get to support a small group of students and enrich their educational/research experience.
- There is no cost to the PI or lab for participation.
It will run from November/December 2026 until April 2027 and final projects will be presented on April 13, 2027.
Contact Janine Noorloos if you have any questions.
What kind of projects are we looking for?
We are looking for a broad spectrum of projects. They just need to be:
- In the translational space, from bench to bedside.
- Feasible to complete within the time frame (4 months).
- Of educational benefit to the student.
Projects completed through the Translational Research Project Support initiative
Each year, TRP students work with researchers on projects that have translational potential, producing research, analysis and practical deliverables to help advance the work. TRP-supported projects span research translation, knowledge translation, commercialization, health-care services, clinical practice, policy and more.
Projects completed April 2026
No Caregiver Left Behind: Addressing Accessibility and Sustainability of an ACT program for Family Caregivers of People with Neurodevelopmental Disabilities
- Supervisor(s): Dr. Janet Durbin and Dr. Johanna Lake, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) and Department of Psychiatry
- TRP students: Lydia Yeung, Trinidad Sanchez Barja, Iris Tianhui Ma
Policy Analysis of Services for Adults With Developmental Disabilities
- Supervisor(s): Dr. Janet Durbin and Dr. Avra Sellick, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) and Department of Psychiatry
- TRP students: Jennifer Usher, Anjana Rao
Social Media Strategy for Knowledge Translation Projects - neurodevelopment disorders
- Supervisor(s): Dr. Janet Durbin and Dr. Avra Sellick, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) and Department of Psychiatry
- TRP students: Winky Yau, T.J. Gowsalya Thayapararasa
Caregiver Experiences With ChatGPT in Chronic Illness
- Supervisor(s): Dr. Kristina Kokorelias, Sinai Health and University Health Network (UHN) and Department of Occupational Science & Occupational Therapy
- TRP students: Sanjana Vuyyuru, Shua Kim, Johanna Lynne Skippon
Electroarthrography for Cartilage Assessment: Research & Commercialization
- Supervisor(s): Dr. Adele Changoor, Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Sinai Health and Department of Surgery
- TRP students: Jennifer Woo, Nikki Ghavinchian, Olivia Charles, Trixia Eduard Luzon
Knowledge Dissemination Strategy for MaVen and PSC-Derived Cardiac Therapies
- Supervisor(s): Dr. Michael Laflamme, Toronto General Hospital: University Health Network (UHN) and Department of Laboratory Medicine & Pathobiology; Meghan Wright, Project Manager, UHN
- TRP students: Ava Singh, Kai Iwano, Hansika Dhari
Pipeline Development for Musculoskeletal Tissue Samples
- Supervisor(s): Dr. Wilder Scott, Sunnybrook Research Institute and Department of Laboratory Medicine & Pathobiology
- TRP students: Benjamin Banh, Ralph Abdallah, Noam Silverman
AAV Clinical & Regulatory Mapping for Neuronal Reprogramming
- Supervisor(s): Dr. JoAnne McLaurin, Sunnybrook Research Institute and Department of Laboratory Medicine & Pathobiology
- TRP students: Lucas Pokotylo, Thrisha Uthayakumar, Christina Tao, Bilal Hussain
Pre-Clinical Refinement of Gene Therapy for Prion Disease
- Supervisor(s): Dr. Gerold Schmitt-Ulms, Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Disease and Department of Laboratory Medicine & Pathobiology
- TRP students: Dhruv Srikanth, Kaya Walia, Betsy Rapaka, Arshia Sarah
Projects completed April 2025
Tendon tissues from bedside to bench
- Supervisor(s): Dr. Wilder Scott, Sunnybrook Research Institute and Department of Laboratory Medicine & Pathobiology
- TRP students: Dan Ambrochi, Angelina Da Silva
Effects of antipsychotics on brain insulin action in females: a placebo-controlled, crossover multi-modal neuroimaging study
- Supervisor(s): Dr. Sri Mahavir Agarwal, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) and Department of Psychiatry; Dr. Nicolette Stogios, CAMH
- TRP students: Amanda De Guzman, Kasthuri Theivendirarajah, Katarina Sinilaite
AquaReBal – water-based reactive balance training for older adults
- Supervisor(s): Dr. Anna Ogonowska-Slodownik, Toronto Rehabilitation Institute–University Health Network (KITE Research Institute)
- TRP students: Karina Pacholczyk, Shanuga Thavarajah
Needs assessment of radiation technologist training for the orthopaedic operating room
- Supervisor(s): Dr. Portia Kalun, Sunnybrook Research Institute
- TRP students: Kareem Draz, Pardaman Setia, Jodie Lin
Improving client transition from Early Psychosis Intervention Services: Development of an evidence-based transition protocol and tools
- Supervisor(s): Dr. Janet Durbin, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) and Department of Psychiatry
- TRP students: Abigail Mathews, Fardin Islam, Sheryl Ordonez
Mobilizing Medical Humanities and Arts-Based Research: A Clinic-Classroom-Community Knowledge Translation Project
- Supervisor(s): Dr. Suze Berkhout, Toronto General Hospital: University Health Network (UHN) and Department of Psychiatry
- TRP students: Ayyah Elayan, Muhammad Ansar, Tala Alrashid
Creating a patient and care team facing report for measures obtained from wearable devices
- Supervisor(s): Dr. Nicholas Neufeld, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) and Department of Psychiatry
- TRP students: Jessica Schnarr, Emili Duni, Muhammad Asif
Systematic Search for Serum and Plasma Bone Biomarkers in Humans and Animal Models with Spinal Cord Injury: Knowledge dissemination
- Supervisor(s): Dr. Philemon Tsang, Toronto Rehabilitation Institute–University Health Network (KITE Research Institute) and Department of Physical Therapy
- TRP students: Sarah Li, Ally Suarez, Rukana Ragutharan
Landseed: Dementia Villages
- Supervisor(s): Dr. Raza M. Mirza, LandSeed and Translational Research Program, Temerty Faculty of Medicine; Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work
- TRP students: Amanda Sunderdas, Mansimran Kaur
We had a wonderful experience working with students from the Translational Research program. They were proactive, thoughtful and diligent and overall provided a huge value add to our team. Beyond their technical and analytical skills, they brought fresh perspectives, creative ideas and were a pleasure to work with.Dr. Avra Sellick, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) and Department of Psychiatry
How to take part
You are invited to submit research-based project ideas (with Translational potential) for translational support by Sunday, October 18, 2026. After you complete the form, someone will connect with you so we can learn more.
We will then review, assess, and work with you to create a project plan with useful deliverables. Examples could include needs assessments, strategy plans, regularity work and identification, commercialization strategy and analysis, and more!
If you have any questions, please contact Janine Noorloos (janine.noorloos@utoronto.ca).
Quotes from previous collaborators
Want to know why you should submit a project? Hear from previous researchers who have taken part.
“Mentoring in the Translational Research Program last year was incredibly rewarding. It was inspiring to support emerging researchers and see their ideas grow through collaboration and guidance” - Dr. Anna Ogonowska-Slodownik, Toronto Rehabilitation Institute–University Health Network (KITE Research Institute)
"Mentoring students through the Translational Research Program was a rewarding and collaborative experience. Together, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis exploring the interaction between cognition and metabolic health in mood disorders, laying important groundwork for future clinical studies in an area of significant unmet need.” - Dr. Nicolette Stogios, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH)
“Working with the student team from the TRP was mutually beneficial. We were able to orient them to an important area of clinical care; they quickly absorbed the content and prepared KT products that were right on target and advanced our work. Even better, they were a pleasure to work with.” – Dr. Janet Durbin, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) and Department of Psychiatry
"It was so invigorating to be a part of the translational research program as a supervisor. It was a chance to see my research with fresh eyes and to think with a group of dedicated trainees about how we might make a bigger impact with it in the world. The students brought an incredible about of energy, enthusiasm and skill to the work together and it was invaluable to have them collaborate on ways to develop our work further". – Dr. Suze Berkhout, Toronto General Hospital: University Health Network (UHN) and Department of Psychiatry
"What I found particularly valuable about the experience was that the students applied frameworks to help translate their findings into recommendations for practice, some of which we are currently using. I’m not well versed in knowledge translation frameworks, so this was a very helpful contribution to our project". – Dr. Portia Kalun, Sunnybrook Research Institute
Learn about the projects our students have worked on
What course is this is related to?
Students in the Translational Research Program take LMP2300: Foundations in Translational Research throughout the first year of the program. Case studies are used as a tool for students to work in teams and learn about the translational research process. Throughout the first term, students are given case studies based on real happenings, but are theoretical. For the second term, students can learn from projects that are current and occurring within the LMP faculty and community.
With this we are asking for projects which could benefit from translational research support.
The TRP could benefit YOU!
The TRP is a flexible two-year masters program where you as an academic and/or clinician can learn how to innovate in your workplace and develop skills you can implement in your work immediately. Bring your research and knowledge to the bedside and help improve healthcare by putting patients at the center.