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Trainee Spotlight Awardees

Nicolette Stogios

Nicolette Stogios, Recipient of 2023 womenmind Postdoctoral Research Award, Postdoctoral Fellow at womenmind

I am pursuing a PhD through the Institute of Medical Science at U of T. My research is based out of the Schizophrenia Division at CAMH, under the supervision of Drs. Mahavir Agarwal and Margaret Hahn. I am interested in the complex interplay between antipsychotic medications, metabolic dysfunction and cognition.

I recently came in 2nd place in the Laidlaw Manuscript Competition at the Institute of Medical Science Scientific Day and the Annual Trainee Awards Competition at the Banting & Best Diabetes Centre Scientific Day for my retrospective chart review looking at the effectiveness of metformin in preventing clozapine-induced weight gain. This work was published in Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica in June 2022.

Ana Paula Silva

Ana-Paula Silva, Recipient of 2021 Discovery Fund Postdoctoral Research Award, 2022 womenmind Postdoctoral Research Award Fellowship

A neuroscientist and an enthusiast of mental health!

My current work investigates whether mitochondrial DNA variants are associated with structural brain changes in psychosis spectrum disorders. My research interest is to address the gaps of how mitochondrial dysfunction contributes to psychiatric disorders by surveying mitochondrial DNA variants with the ultimate goal of improving mitochondria-targeted therapies.

My advice to beginner research trainees is to find areas that you want to study, keep motivated by curiosity and a desire for understanding, stay open to learning different methods from those who are gracious enough to mentor you and/or do courses/attend workshops/conferences, and keep in mind both your short- and long-term career goals.

Justin Matheson

Justin Matheson, Recipient of 2023 womenmind Postdoctoral Research Award

I have a passion for studying the complex relationship between sex, gender and cannabis use. I hope to one day establish an interdisciplinary lab to incorporate both social and biological methods to tease apart sex and gender influences on cannabis use and effects.

I recently published a scoping review of sex differences in the effects and pharmacokinetics of cannabidiol (CBD) along with my supervisor (Dr. Bernard Le Foll) and a graduate student in our lab (Zoe Bourgault). I had a great time writing this and I think it may be my favourite publication yet! (DOI: 10.3390/biom12101462)

Alina Patel

Alina Patel, Recipient of 2023 Koerner Research Scholars Award

I am a PhD student studying clinical psychology at CAMH and U of T. I am working with Dr. Lena Quilty, with my research focusing on the associations between repetitive negative thinking, depression and anxiety, and the use of digital mindfulness interventions to alleviate these symptoms. I have just received the CAMH Koerner Studentship to continue this research. My advice to anyone just starting their research career is to remember the importance of work-life balance. It is important to work hard and persevere with a career in research, however, investing in aspects of life outside of work will increase fulfillment and ultimately lead to more productivity with research as well!

Kirsten Smith

Kirsten Smith, Recipient of 2022 Azrieli Adult Neurodevelopmental Centre Postdoctoral Research Award

I am a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Azrieli Adult Neurodevelopmental Centre, a practicing occupational therapist, and mom to a 10-year-old. My PhD work focused on the applications of mindfulness in paediatric rehabilitation and my current work explores the accessibility of mindfulness for people labelled with neurodevelopmental disorders. Some recent successes include publication of three manuscripts and acceptance to present my work at the International Congress on Whole Person Care. For those newer to research, my advice would be to seek out mentorship from skilled and experienced researchers, the kind of people you want to be “when you grow up.” There is always so much to learn and it is easy to get stuck in the trap of thinking you have to learn everything on your own.