Four FHS students secure scholarships for graduate research

Maggie Duncan

CIHR Canada Doctoral Graduate Scholarship 2023 competition

Doctoral candidate Maggie Duncan has always been fascinated by infectious diseases and considered pursuing a PhD even as an undergraduate. Research figured prominently early in her academic career: she completed two Undergraduate Studies Research Awards (USRAs) at the Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS) studying influenza with former assistant professor turned adjunct Ian Tietjen, and then focused her Honour’s thesis on Marek’s Disease under the supervision of professor Masahiro Niikura. During this time, she met professor Zabrina Brumme – her current graduate supervisor and leader of the Brumme Lab – and developed an interest in HIV research. Duncan began her Master’s studies in 2021 after working with the BC Centre of Excellence in HIV/AIDS for a period. She recently transferred into the PhD program to more comprehensively address her research interests.

Duncan’s PhD research involves studying the viral ‘reservoir’ in people with HIV – a collection of infected host cells that contain viral genetic material that is integrated with the host’s DNA. This HIV reservoir allows the disease to persist in people’s bodies for decades even when the person is taking antiretroviral therapy (ART) and their virus levels are undetectable. When ART is interrupted, the HIV virus emerges from the reservoir and circulates through the host’s body, meaning that in the absence of a cure, people with HIV must take ART for life.

Duncan’s doctoral research examines three aspects of the HIV reservoir. So far, she has studied the impact of COVID-19 mRNA vaccines on HIV reservoirs. Next, she will aim to identify sociodemographic, clinical and immunogenetic factors that influence reservoir size in people with HIV, which varies greatly from person to person. While doing this, she is also working to improve the assay used to quantify HIV reservoirs so that they can be used to detect a wider variety of HIV genetic variants, making this tool more applicable globally.

When she is not investigating infectious diseases or thinking about how to cure HIV, Duncan can be found crafting. She has recently taken up jewelry making and embroidery.

Tara Erb

SSHRC Canada Doctoral Graduate Scholarship - 2022 competition

Doctoral candidate Tara Erb is a sociologist by training with a love of social theory. She began her foray into research when she was hired to support research transcription: she ended up learning from her mentor how to conduct qualitative analysis, literature reviews, interviews, and manage research projects. Erb’s experiences in this setting inspired her to pursue a Master’s degree in Sociology, where she used qualitative and Indigenous approaches to examine the lived experiences of Indigenous facilitators of cultural safety and antiracism training.

For her PhD, Erb – who is of mixed Moose Cree First Nation and French European ancestry –  will be investigating how to build Indigenous cultural safety within the context of research ethics in British Columbia. She is specifically focusing on how research ethics boards (REBs) throughout the province must address existing systemic inequities and colonial lenses of inquiry and practice that are built into existing academic research frameworks, and have both disadvantaged and harmed Indigenous researchers and populations. Erb and her former mentor and collaborator, Dr. Charlotte Loppie, have developed a research framework that acknowledges the leadership and self-determination of BC’s many Indigenous communities, collectives and organizations (ICCOs) and incorporates Indigenous ways of knowing. Through her PhD work and under the mentorship of Dr. Krista Stelkia, Erb aims to develop a research ethics process/approach that will bring REBs into relationship with localized Indigenous ICCOs, transform existing policies that are harmful to Indigenous researchers and populations, decolonize current research ethics systems, and add Indigenous methodologies and engagement approaches that are meaningful and beneficial to all stakeholders.

Aayush Sharma

SSHRC Canada Master Graduate Scholarship - 2022 competition

While completing his undergraduate degree, Master of Science candidate Aayush Sharma became interested in exploring the health effects of the built environment on communities, writing several class papers on the subject. After undertaking directed studies and research classes to further his understanding of the topic, he elected to pursue graduate studies focusing on the impacts of the built environment on the health of his community of Surrey, BC.

For his thesis, Sharma investigated how several 15-minute neighbourhoods intersected with social inequities in the City of Surrey. 15-minute neighbourhoods are a municipal planning concept where all essential services are located within a 15-minute walk, cycle, or transit from one’s home to support sustainability, transport, and livability goals. His approach is community-informed and contextually relevant, as his research focused on responding to needs expressed by city staff in Surrey, who wonder how to plan for healthy, equitable, and sustainable cities in the face of rapid population growth and housing affordability concerns. He hopes to amplify the voices of equity-deserving community members and get them excited about helping plan their own communities during this project.

When he is not focused on his studies, Sharma loves travelling, playing sports, or watching movies. He also enjoys going on hikes and exploring the outdoors.

Judy Wu

SSHRC Doctoral Fellowship - 2022 competition

PhD candidate Judy Wu’s entered university through a biology program because she was passionate about climate and environmental action. During her undergraduate program, she developed an interest in mental health and was inspired to pursue the topic more deeply through her Master of Public Health degree. During her MPH practicum, she met FHS assistant professor Hasina Samji, lead of the Capturing Health and Resilience Trajectories (CHART) lab. Samji is one of British Columbia’s leading experts on child and youth mental health, leading several studies and community-engaged projects that examine this topic through the lenses of epidemiology, child and youth psychology, education, health sciences, and public health.

Under Samji’s supervision, Wu is combining her interests in climate action and mental health for her PhD research. Her SSHRC doctoral grant will allow her to investigate the impact of climate change and environmental issues on the mental health of BC youth. Specifically she aims to identify the demographic, socio-contextual, and modifiable protective factors associated with eco-anxiety. Additionally, her work aims to track trends in climate change concern and eco-anxiety over time, and collaborate with youth to develop age-appropriate climate concern and eco-anxiety support resources.

When she is not working at the CHART Lab as a research assistant or teaching at SFU, Wu can be found training in Muay Thai, kayaking, working on pottery and listening to podcasts.