I attended my first UofT Department of Laboratory Medicine & Pathobiology Conference and it was more amazing than I imagined! From the graduate students, faculty, and industry professionals in attendance there was certainly no shortage of expertise. I had the opportunity to present a poster with my Translational Research Program team The Mental Health Marvels: Vedant Shukla, Linette Penney, Laura Abbatangelo, and Hira Cheema. Our poster was entitled Mental Health in All Policies, which focuses on incorporating the impact of social and structural determinants of mental health into the development and implementation of health policies and policies across various sectors, including housing and employment to effectively address the interdisciplinary factors that impact mental health to improve prevention efforts, access to care and overall wellbeing of the Canadian population. There was such a diversity of research presented! I am in awe of the various approaches, perspectives, and opinions researchers have integrated into their work. This conference, like many others, has reiterated the importance of networking and building communities in the spaces you want to spearhead change in. So go to that event and sign up for that conference!

The Translational Science conference centered around the theme of “Innovating to Increase Equity across clinical research and translational science”, with a strong emphasis on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion practices. This theme aligns with my group’s capstone project, which aims to bridge health equity through developing a model for primary healthcare in Hamilton, Ontario’s Keith neighbourhood. Through attending various keynote speaker presentations, workshops and the poster presentations, I was able to learn more about relevant topics to my capstone such as: community engagement approaches, socially responsible practices, community asset mapping, and how to collaborate to address health disparities through translational science.

Out of all the meaningful engagement conferences I’ve been to in the past year or so, I have not yet experienced a conference so dedicated to emphasizing the significance of the practice of unlearning within this research space. As a new researcher in the space of youth and patient engagement, I think it’s so important to understand that unlearning is such a necessary process when centering the experiences of others within my research endeavors

I am honored to have been one of only three Canadians—and the sole presenter on the DS-ASD topic—at the 5th International Conference of the Trisomy 21 Research Society in Rome, Italy. At the conference, my research on the co-occurrence of ASD in individuals with Down Syndrome sparked valuable discussions among international experts, highlighting critical research gaps and the urgent need for broader engagement. I extend my deepest gratitude to Rudaina Banihani, MD, MMEd and Olaf Kraus de Camargo, whose collaboration, expertise, and guidance have been instrumental in advancing this research work. Including my advisors - Kerry Boyd, Oksana Hlyva, and Jennifer Crowson - whose diverse perspectives and expertise have significantly enriched this project. Additionally, I am profoundly thankful for the support from Translational Research Program - University of Toronto , Temerty Faculty of Medicine as well as Edyta Marcon and Joseph Ferenbok, PhD who continually empower my endeavors in the field of translational research.

First research poster presentation at an international conference ✅ It was wonderful to connect with dementia researchers, clinicians and experts across the world, and to share my team’s work on young dementia caregivers! #aaic2023 #endalz #dementiacaregiver #dementiaresearch

Christina Wong & Anabela Cotovio (2nd year TRP students) were exhibitors at the Pri-Med Conference, running a booth as interns for a medical device company through the Mitacs Accelerate Fellowship Grant at the University of Toronto. We surveyed and had conversations with primary care providers on their knowledge, awareness, attitude and practice on viral illness prevention. We introduced them to the medical device and their use as an intervention against viral illness. We had the opportunity to network with primary care professionals, while gaining a better understanding of people’s needs for viral illness prevention. It was a highlight to be able to deliver quick elevator pitches for the product and follow up with the “right” questions to gain valuable information as researchers. The conference allowed us to apply our translational research skills in a professional setting. We were able to seek information, filter what was relevant/important to us, and gain insight from our results.

The highlight of the Temerty Medicine Research Showcase was definitely the networking opportunities and Career Coffee Chats. Getting to sit down with seasoned professionals from both academia and industry was an incredible experience. These conversations provided not only valuable career advice but also practical tips on navigating the current job market. I learned about how to effectively position myself for job opportunities and heard inspiring career stories that motivated me to think more strategically about my professional path.

Through a course at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, Benjamin Zhang, Anna Billowits, Darienne Russell and I developed "Strip the Stigma" -- a U=U health campaign for the Gay Men's Sexual Health Alliance (GMSH). Yesterday, Benjamin and I had the amazing opportunity to present this campaign at the GMSH's "Many Voices - One Vision" symposium. Thank you so much to GMSH for having us, and to all the attendees for your kind words! Excited to see where this campaign goes and the impact it will have on reducing HIV/AIDS-related stigma among gay and bisexual men.