The CIP Trainees
CIP Trainees
Dr. Amelia Srajer (Lead Resident 2025-2026)
Dr. Amelia Srajer is an Obstetrics and Gynecology resident, currently pursuing her MSc in the Community Health Sciences Epidemiology program under the supervision of Dr. Amy Metcalfe. Dr. Srajer completed 3 years of a BSc in Neuroscience at the University of Toronto, after which she obtained her medical degree from the University of Calgary.
Over 80% of pregnancy-related deaths are preventable and occur due to unexpected complications during the perinatal period. These complications, defined as severe maternal morbidity (SMM), and their associated costs have been increasing with higher rates observed in patients of lower socioeconomic status and racial minority groups. Dr. Srajer’s research will evaluate the most recent rates and cost of SMM and how the intersection of socioeconomic status and race may be impacting these trends. These results will highlight specific deficits in care and points of intervention to improve obstetrical outcomes and healthcare spending.
Dr. Holly Lee
Dr. Lee is a Hematology resident, currently pursuing post-doctoral work in Medical Science under the supervision of Dr. Nizar Bahlis. Dr. Lee obtained her Bsc from McGill and MD from the University of Toronto.
Multiple myeloma is the second most common type of blood cancer. Despite advances in immune therapies, this cancer remains incurable, and patients will unfortunately experience relapse. Dr. Lee’s research is expected to optimize the efficacy of current (CAR) T cell immunotherapy treatments by increasing the ability of the T cells to sustain their anti-tumor effects against myeloma cells. She will do this by assessing the transcriptome and epigenetic pattern of the T cell subsets and introducing or inhibiting transcription factors driving the T cell dysfunction, or manipulating epigenetic markers that either prevent T cell exhaustion or reinstate function in exhausted cells.
Dr. Brij Karmur (Lead Resident 2024-2025)
Brij is currently pursuing a PhD in Community Health Science Clinical Epidemiology under the supervision of Drs. Jay Riva-Cambrin and Garnette Sutherland. After completing an undergraduate degree in Psychology, Neuroscience, & Behaviour at McMaster University, he went to medical school at the University of Toronto. He then started his neurosurgery residency in the Department of Clinical Neurosciences at the University of Calgary in 2020. His clinical interest lies in skull-base neuro-oncology (surgically treating tumors of the skull-base) and his research interests are in meningioma and artificial intelligence.
Meningioma is the most common primary brain tumor in adults. Emerging molecular technology is helping us understand which tumors are more concerning, however, these technologies are costly and sometimes unavailable, even at resource-rich centres. His research seeks to identify if artificial intelligence applied to MRI images can reliably predict the molecular underpinnings of meningiomas.
Dr. Catherine Veilleux
Dr. Catherine Veilleux is pursuing an MSc in Biomedical Engineering under the supervision of Drs. Alim Mitha and Jay Riva-Cambrin. She attended medical school at the University of Sherbrooke, where she completed an infolded MSc in Biomedical Imaging and Radiation Sciences between her second and third years, focusing on cortical thinning signatures in Alzheimer’s disease. Her interest in surgery developed during her clerkship, leading her to begin a neurosurgery residency at the University of Calgary in 2020. Starting in 2027, she will undertake a dual vascular and endovascular fellowship in Seattle.
Dr. Veilleux’s research centers on improving endothelialization following the implantation of intracranial flow-diverting stents. While these stents have revolutionized aneurysm treatment, complications related to poor endothelialization persist. Her work aims to determine whether intra-arterial stem cell injection can accelerate endothelialization. She is also working to launch a clinical trial during her research period, exploring the role of surgery in improving outcomes for patients with intracranial hemorrhage.
Dr. Richard Yu
Dr. Richard Yu is a Neurosurgery resident, currently pursuing his PhD in Biomedical Engineering under the supervision of Drs. Aaron Phillips and Steven Casha. Dr. Yu obtained an MSc and medical degree from the University of British Columbia.
Traumatic spinal cord injury is associated with significant mortality and impaired quality of life. Previous research has suggested that improving blood flow to the injured spinal cord may decrease the injury severity and potentially improve function. The goal of his research is to investigate whether inhaling carbon dioxide can improve the outcomes in an animal model of spinal cord injury and using specialized sensors, whether it can modulate spinal cord blood flow in human patients.
Dr. Gareth Ryan
Dr. Gareth Ryan is an Orthopedic Surgery resident, currently pursuing his MSc in Medical Science under the supervision of Dr. Prism Schneider. Dr. Ryan obtained his BSc from Dalhousie University and medical degree from the University of Toronto.
Patients with head injuries tend to produce more bone compared to those without a head injury. This can result in increased bone formation during fracture healing, or abnormal bone formation around joints or in muscles. Animal studies have suggested this might be due to certain bone-promoting proteins. His research will evaluate the blood levels of various bone-promoting proteins on patients with long bone fractures, with and without traumatic brain injury. The study hopes to aid in understanding the relationship between head injury and bone healing and potentially aid in the development of new therapeutic techniques to improve fracture healing.
Dr. Cody Dunne (Lead Resident 2023-2024)
Dr. Dunne is an Emergency Medicine resident, currently pursuing his PhD in Community Health Science under the supervision of Drs. Andrew McRae and Khara Sauro. Dr. Dunne obtained his BSc and medical degree from the Memorial University of Newfoundland.
Foreign body airway obstruction (FBAO) or choking represents a life-threatening emergency where the person’s outcome is determined largely by the initial actions taken by bystanders and care providers. Focusing on long-term care residents, the goal of Dr. Dunn’s study is to evaluate how various factors improve or worsen the outcome of a person who suffers a choking event. Factors that will be examined include age, health status, what the person choked on, and what intervention(s) were used. By improving knowledge in this field and optimizing how first aiders intervene, there is potential to decrease poor outcomes in these individuals.