Krembil Research Day 2022

Each summer, Krembil Research Day is an opportunity for Krembil trainees, investigators and research staff to come together to celebrate achievements across the Institute’s three research pillars: brain and spine, vision, and bone and joints.

This year’s Research Day was a two-day hybrid event that enabled members of the Krembil community to connect and discuss research in person and virtually. Day one of the event was hosted online and at the BMO Education & Conference Centre at the Krembil Discovery Tower, and day two was hosted entirely on the GatherTown virtual event space.

The event began with opening remarks from Dr. Mary Pat McAndrews, Chair of the Trainee Affairs Committee and Dr. Brad Wouters, Executive Vice President, Science and Research at UHN. “We’re here today to celebrate you, the next generation of scientists and explorers at Krembil. And we couldn’t be prouder that you’ve chosen UHN as the place where you’ll begin your exciting careers,” said Dr. Wouters.

Following these remarks, attendees heard an inspiring message to trainees from Krembil Director Dr. Donald Weaver.

Attendees then tuned in to six informative oral presentations from trainees across the Institute’s research pillars. They also enjoyed a keynote presentation from Dr. Donna Rose Addis, Senior Scientist at Baycrest’s Rotman Research Institute, titled “The imaginative brain: Exploring the personal past and future.”

Day 2 of the event continued with 56 poster presentations from trainees and research staff hosted on GatherTown. Attendees were able to explore the virtual conference centre, view the posters, and engage with presenters and colleagues.

The Krembil community thanks the many individuals who made this year’s Research Day a resounding success, including Krembil’s Trainee Affairs Committee, Administration Team and Public Affairs team, and UHN’s Education Technology & Media Services (ETMS), who co-produced day one of the event. We also thank the 40 volunteers who served as presentation judges and the Nadler Family for their generous donation for prizes awarded to presentation winners.

PRESENTATION AWARDS

The following trainees are recipients of awards for best oral and poster presentations:

Oral Presentation Graduate Student Category:

• 1^st Prize: John MacMillan (Weaver Lab)
• 2^nd Prize: Jenny Zhang (Sivak Lab)

Oral Presentation Postdoctoral Category: 

• 1^st Prize: Ivan Martinez‐Valbuena (Kovacs Lab)

Poster Presentation Graduate Student Category:

• 1^st Prize: Akshay Gurdita (Wallace Lab)
• 2^nd Prize: Lizbeth Ayoub (McAndrews Lab)
• 3^rd Prize: Lauren Banh (Viswanathan Lab)

Poster Presentation Postdoctoral Category:

• 1^st Prize: Michelle Barraclough (Touma Lab)
• 2^nd Prize: Tarun Arora (Chen Lab)
• 3^rd Prize: Michael Tang (Inman Lab)

Congratulations to the winners and everyone who presented their work!