CIHR fellowships and scholarships for FHS emerging scholars and graduate students

Zohaib Anwar – CIHR fellowship

Postdoctoral fellow Dr. Muhammad Zohaib Anwar is a member of the Centre for Infectious Disease Genomics and One Health (CIDGOH) group at FHS. His research interests pertain to the application of cutting-edge genomics and bioinformatics technologies to study infectious diseases caused by bacterial and viral pathogens. 

Anwar will be using the fellowship to continue his work with the Computational Analysis, Modelling and Evolutionary Outcomes (CAMEO) initiative of the Coronavirus Variants Rapid Response Network (CoVaRR-Net). CAMEO aims to use computer modeling and simulations to evaluate the genetic evolution of SARS-CoV-2 variants and how quickly they propagate in the Canadian population.

Anwar is also a co-investigator with the Pandemics and Borders Project, deploying genomic analyses to understand and evaluate the use of cross-border measures, notably travel and trade restrictions, during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

During his spare time, Anwar spends time with his wife and daughter exploring new places and trying new activities. He also plays football (soccer) and follows the season zealously.

Brandi Berry – CIHR Canada Graduate Scholarship 

Doctoral candidate Brandi Berry – who is of Métis descent, with Red River ancestry – completed her Bachelor of Sciences in Nursing and worked throughout the pandemic before earning her Master of Science at SFU’s Faculty of Health Sciences in partnership with First Nations Health Authority. She was encouraged by her supervisor, other SFU faculty members, and Métis Nation of British Columbia (MNBC) to continue pursuing research and felt an obligation to her community to address the lack of data for Métis youth that centers youth voices.

Berry will be working with MNBC to collect culturally relevant data about the factors – particularly cultural and social factors – that promote positive mental wellness for Métis youth in British Columbia. Her research will not only provide insights in to the health of Métis youth in the province, but will also provide desperately needed data to MNBC and the wider research community. Berry’s work will be overseen by the Métis Data Governance Committee and will contribute significantly to increasing Métis sovereignty over their own research and data.

When Berry is not working on her research, she can be found gardening and beading.

Sarah Bradwell – CIHR Canada Graduate Scholarship 

Master of Science candidate Sarah Bradwell was involved in various research programs as an undergraduate at the University of the Fraser Valley. When she began working as a registered kinesiologist, she experienced the positive impact exercise can have on individuals with chronic disease – this experience led her to look for research projects involving the use of exercise as a treatment modality for various diseases.

She will be working in the Koelwyn Lab at the Centre for Heart Lung Innovation to investigate whether aerobic exercise is an effective treatment pathway for improving immune dysfunction and reducing re-hospitalization in patients recovering from sepsis. Her research could lay the foundation for future studies to determine the efficacy of exercise to improve post-sepsis outcomes and inform future patient-oriented (sepsis rehabilitation) approaches and public health guidelines.

Bradwell moved to Vancouver to complete her Master’s degree. When she is not working at the lab, she enjoys spending as much time as possible outside riding her bike, reading on the beach, and sampling all the local breweries.

Rhiannon Cameron – CIHR Canada Graduate Scholarship 

Doctoral candidate Rhiannon Cameron is a member of the Centre for Infectious Disease Genomics and One Health (CIDGOH) group at FHS. While completing her undergraduate degree at UVic, Cameron gained first-hand experience with using computational approaches to understand and target infectious diseases. Her research interests include: public health ontologies, bioinformatics, microbiology, open-source development, and FAIR data.

Sequencing and sharing of large amounts of genomic data and associated contextual information has been a key to public health infectious disease response. Comparing contextual data across different regions has proved challenging as there is no data standard for collecting and encoding this information. With her CGS funds, Cameron aims to develop an accessible specification data model that aids in the creation of compatible genomic contextual data sets and enables computational processing of complex research questions, thereby accelerating public health pandemic response time across disparate health jurisdictions.

She will be working specifically in the area of COVID-19 as well as antibiotic resistance (AMR) in food within the “farm to fork” stream to develop her data specification models and bioinformatics applications. Once she completes this work, she will formulate protocols and educational materials to support other researchers in generating and collaborating on their own ontology data standard scenarios.

Outside of work, Cameron is passionate about cooking and is a trained professional sushi chef. She enjoys experimenting with food – sushi and other cuisines – when the opportunity arises.   

Sarah Moreheart – CIHR Canada Graduate Scholarship 

Faculty of Health Sciences doctoral candidate Sarah Moreheart is a trainee at the Centre for Gender and Sexual Health Equity (CGSHE) with the AESHA project (An Evaluation of Sex Workers' Health Access). Prior to joining CGSHE, she managed a transitional housing program for at-risk women in Vancouver’s Downtown East Side that screen women for inclusion in the program based on the complexity of their needs. For more than a decade, Moreheart has participated in peer-led initiatives, working with experiential staff and supporting the human rights of sex workers.

Moreheart’s research aims to examine patterns and determinants of engagement with peer-led and/or community-based services providing supports for women sex workers (trans inclusive) experiencing HIV/sexually transmitted blood borne infections (STBBI) and/or overdoses. She will also be evaluating impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on sex worker access to HIV/STBBI and overdose services and supports. Through this work, Moreheart hopes to develop a set of 'best practices' for peer-led/community-based interventions to address ongoing overdose and sexual health inequities during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.

Outside of work, Sarah enjoys crossword puzzles and reading.

Miguel Prieto  – CIHR Canada Graduate Scholarship 

Doctoral candidate Miguel Prieto is a member of the Centre for Infectious Disease Genomics and One Health (CIDGOH) group at FHS. He became interested in epidemiology while serving as an MD in Colombia, eventually pursuing research about neglected tropical diseases with the Centro Internacional de Entrenamiento e Investigaciones Médicas (CIDEIM). After moving to Canada in 2019, Prieto has focused his studies on the implementation of results from infectious diseases genomics as public health policies and health care interventions.

With his CGS award, Prieto will investigate whether changes in the microbial population of the lung (microbiome), such as the presence of aggressive pathogens or a decrease in species diversity, are associated with complications of bronchiectasis, a devastating chronic lung condition with limited therapeutic options. 

Prieto will identify gene features of the microbiome that are linked to faster disease progression, providing preliminary evidence about pathogen targets that can be used to create specific and much-needed therapies for bronchiectasis patients. He is also aiming to combine microbiome, clinical and demographic data to build a predictive algorithm that establishes a patient's risk of episodic exacerbation of symptoms, allowing clinicians to adjust care provision according to a patient’s individualized needs.

In his free time, Prieto likes to read literature and explore new paths on his bicycle.  

Anmol Swaich  – CIHR Canada Graduate Scholarship 

Master of Science candidate Anmol Swaich majored in honours psychology during her undergraduate studies. However, her interest in community and population health led her to pursue graduate studies at the Faculty of Health Sciences where she is able to further explore her interest in understanding how drug policy influences health and well-being among people who use drugs.

Swaich’s research will examine whether unintentional exposure to benzodiazepines through B.C.’s unregulated, and increasingly contaminated, drug supply is related to violent victimization, and potential gender-based differences. Swaich will also examine potential protective effects of different forms of housing and supervised consumption sites against experiencing violence among people unintentionally exposed to benzodiazepines.  Given that this rise in benzodiazepine adulteration in the unregulated drug supply coincides with dual epidemics of the toxic drug fatal overdose crisis and severe housing crisis in B.C., this research aims to provide timely and intersectional insight into how social and policy contexts impact the well-being of people who use drugs and how those circumstances might be improved.

When Swaich is not working, she likes to be active exploring the outdoors, especially during the summer.