2020 Graduate Student Award Recipients

Quiana Ang: Mowafaghian Faculty Award

Quiana Ang is an incoming MSc student who will be officially starting in the fall with Ralph Pantophlet as her supervisor. She is happy to be part of FHS and hopes that her time here will be inspirational and fulfilling. She is excited to contribute to research in vaccine immunology and is thankful to be awarded the Mowafaghian Child Health Faculty Award to help her pursue her research goals.

Ang is currently working on a project based on Human Cytomegalovirus (HCMV). HCMV is a significant cause of morbidity in transplant recipients and immunosuppressed individuals, as well as being the most common cause of congenital infection around the world. About 1 in 150 infants are infected with HCMV at birth, which can result in neurocognitive disabilities such as deafness and cognitive impairment. The Mowafaghian Child Health Faculty Award will help her accomplish current research that is aimed at informing and advancing HCMV vaccine design strategies. This project is expected to contribute significantly to the development of an effective vaccine to prevent congenital disease and HCMV infection in general.

Maude Comtois-Cabana: Graduate Dean’s Entrance Scholarship

Maude Comtois-Cabana is honoured to be a recipient of the Graduate Dean’s Entrance Scholarship. Starting in the fall, she will pursue a joint (Cotutelle) degree at Simon Fraser University and Université de Montréal (UdeM). During her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology at UdeM, Maude developed a strong interest in the biological embedding of childhood adversity and its influence on the development of mental health problems. This encouraged her to pursue a Master’s degree in Psychology at the same university to investigate the role of DNA methylation and stress reactivity in the association between child maltreatment and adult depression.

For her doctoral studies, Comtois-Cabana will work on an interdisciplinary project developed by FHS professor Nadine Provençal and Isabelle Ouellet-Morin, UdeM professor in the School of Criminology, to further investigate the genetic, epigenetic and environmental factors underlying the development of social, emotional and behavioral problems in childhood and adolescence. The Graduate Dean’s Entrance Scholarship will not only help her to contribute to child health research, but also support her growth as an independent researcher. Outside of her classes, Maude is involved in the university community, and was elected as President of the Psychology Graduate Students’ Association at UdeM. She is looking forward to becoming an engaging member of the Faculty of Health Sciences community.