By: Shabana Amanda Ali, ORT Times Writer @amandality
Krembil Research Day
The Krembil Research Institute (Krembil), formerly known as the Toronto Western Research Institute, is affiliated with Toronto Western Hospital. The research at Krembil is focused on three priority areas: vision, brain and arthritis. In its 19th year, the research day included 275 attendees, 80 posters, nine oral presentations and six elevator pitches. The keynote speaker was Dr. Amit Etkin, MD, PhD, who is a neuroscientist, psychiatrist and an Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University. His lecture was titled “A ‘Circuits-First’ Approach to Mental Illness” and described ways to understand the neural basis of emotional disorders and their treatment.
Elevator Pitches
Now an established part of Krembil Research Day, the elevator pitch presentations were highly successful. This is in part due to the growing recognition of the importance of elevator pitches—being able to succinctly describe a research project to a general audience. In fact, the Krembil Research Institute recently held a “Pitch Perfect” training workshop and competition for elevator pitches, where members of UHN’s Public Affairs team provided feedback to trainees. A short video featuring UHN CEO Dr. Kevin Smith highlighted some key tips for successful pitches. At Krembil Research Day, the best presentation was selected by popular vote: the People’s Choice Award for best elevator pitch went to Alexandra Chatzikalymniou in Dr. Frances Skinner’s research group.
Award Winners
Two new awards were presented for the first time: the LAB150 Innovation Award recognized the oral presentation with the greatest potential for research translation; the ‘Spotlight’ Staff Recognition Award recognized an individual who have made exceptional contributions to Krembil. The LAB150 Innovation Award was presented to Brian Wu in Dr. Mohit Kapoor’s research group and the ‘Spotlight’ Staff Recognition Award was presented to Frank Vidic, Coordinator of Research Laboratory Services–Lab Operations. Awards for best oral and poster presentations were awarded to Postdoctoral fellows and graduate students as follows:
ORAL COMPETITION
Postdoctoral Fellow Category:
First Place: Dr. Scott Rich (Supervisor: Dr. Frances Skinner)
Graduate Student Category:
First Place (Tie): Kevin Siyue Chen (Supervisor: Dr. Lorraine Kalia) and Kramay Patel (Supervisor: Dr. Taufik Valiante)
Second Place: Dario Ferri (Supervisor: Dr. Joan Wither)
POSTER COMPETITION
Postdoctoral Fellow Category:
First Place: Dr. Amanda Ali (Supervisor: Dr. Mohit Kapoor)
Second Place: Dr. David Groppe (Supervisor: Dr. Taufik Valiante)
Third Place: Dr. Marjan Rafiee (Supervisor: Dr. Taufik Valiante)
Graduate Student Category:
First Place: Jonathon Chio (Supervisor: Dr. Michael Fehlings)
Second Place: Carolina Muñoz-Grajales (Supervisor: Dr. Joan Wither)
Second Place (Tie): Shirley Zhang (Supervisor: Dr. Suneil Kalia)
Congratulations to the winners and thank you to the Trainee Affairs Committee led by Dr. Mary Pat McAndrews and the Krembil administrative team for making this day possible.