BHSc Alumni Spotlights

What is your favorite BHSc memory? 
I fondly remember Dr. Mayi Arcellana-Panlilo who strengthened our love for molecular biology by developing creative teaching strategies. In particular, Dr. Mayi Arcellana-Panlilo shared a gorgeous video with us early on in our BHSc career (“The Inner Life of the Cell”) that made a huge impact on me, where it clearly depicted the beauty of scientific discovery. I am incredibly grateful for all the hard work and effort that went in to shaping our highly-enriching BHSc experience.

Looking back, what advice would you give yourself as a student?
I was really lucky to go through the BHSc program with wonderful friends and amazing teachers. The tight-knit nature of our cohort, as well as the care and attention provided by BHSc faculty to develop and refine an outstanding program, provided me with early insight on what a research career would look like. If I were to do it again, I would advise myself to pursue research opportunities earlier in my career (I only started in my third summer of the BHSc program) and participate in more scientific outreach/volunteer opportunities.

What is the best thing about your current job?
I am extraordinarily lucky to be able to continue in academia. I have always had a passion for genetics, and now I have the opportunity to discover genetic predictors of individual responses to pain medications to help optimize the safety and effectiveness of pain management strategies in children. This is exceedingly important in vulnerable patient populations, such as children with cancer and infants treated in the neonatal intensive care unit, who experience high burdens of pain and frequently require opioids for relief. The best thing about my current role is that I not only get to participate in genetic research that has the power to help children in pain, but I also have the opportunity to work with amazing trainees who inspire me every day. 

How has your career evolved?
During my BHSc/MSc at the University of Calgary, I worked to uncover genetic causes for rare disorders under the supervision of Drs. Micheil Innes and Jillian Parboosingh. I then sought to explore functional impacts of uncovered genetic mutations by pursuing a PhD under the supervision of Dr. Michel Leroux at Simon Fraser University, using the simple roundworm, Caenorhabditis elegans, as a model. As a postdoctoral fellow at the University of British Columbia, I then worked with Dr. Bruce Carleton and the Canadian Pharmacogenomics Network for Drug Safety to understand how genetic variation contributes to variable responses to medication. My current research program, the CFI-JELF funded Loucks Pain Management Pharmacogenomics Lab, is working to improve pain management in children by identifying genetic factors that can help predict an individual’s need for, and subsequent response to, specific analgesics. Additionally, we are working to translate genetic discoveries into improvements in clinical care. Together, our work will allow for more individualized risk-benefit decisions for pain management in children, while also contributing to the discovery of novel components of pain response pathways that could pave the way for improved pain management strategies with increased safety and effectiveness.

How did your BHSc degree help you get to where you are now/current career?
My BHSc degree made it possible to train with amazing genetic researchers for both my BHSc honours work and subsequent MSc work. Additionally, my BHSc degree introduced me to the wonderful C. elegans community in Calgary, where I pursued a summer studentship with Dr. Paul Mains during the summer of my third year in the BHSc program. Although it was not apparent to me at the time, this experience dramatically shaped my career. Specifically, this opportunity inspired me to pursue a PhD using C. elegans as a model, where I was immersed in the highly-collaborative VanWorm community (representing C. elegans researchers across the greater Vancouver area). Now, my research program is again using C. elegans as a model, and I feel very fortunate to be a part of the C. elegans community. 

What is the best piece of advice you have received during your career journey?
There is no one piece of advice I have received that has shaped my career journey on its own, but I aspire to base my career on examples set by my many excellent mentors/supervisors over the years. Specifically, I strive to concentrate my efforts on research questions that are important to both my team and individuals impacted by our research.