MODR Highlights – 2022
Celebrations & Success
Congratulations to Dr. Basma Ahmed on receiving one of the Impact Awards for 2022 from Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences! This prestigious award is designed to recognize graduate students for highly meritorious contributions to scientific literature.
Congratulations Dr. Deborah Sloboda on receiving the 2022 McMaster University Faculty Association Award for Outstanding Service! The MUFA Award for Outstanding Service recognizes faculty or professional librarians who have made an outstanding contribution to the mission of the University through the provision of exceptional service to other faculty, staff and students. Deb runs an excellent research lab, focused on perinatal and nutritional programming of metabolism. She is also the Associate Chair of Research in the Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences.
Hertzel Gerstein, MODR’s Senior Advisor, is a recipient of The American Diabetes Association (ADA) National Scientific and Health Care Achievement Award.
CIHR Fall Project Grant Success 2021
Tom Hawke is co-leading a study with Maureen Macdonald that will analyze skeletal muscle health in T1D. They will then determine how muscle health is improved by exercise intervention. They have been awarded $875,925 over 5 years for this study titled Targeting vascular and skeletal muscle health to improve the quality of life in males and females with Type 1 Diabetes. Zubin Punthakee is a co-investigator on this study.
Alison Holloway has received funding for her project titled Land-Based Community Monitoring of Selenium in the Canadian Rockies: Stoney Nakoda Women’s Health and Well-Being. This study, awarded $1,464,975 over 5 years, will assess the effects of exposure to contaminants originating from existing coal mining activity on reproductive health outcomes. It also aims to create a baseline for areas that are being considered for coal mining in the future.
Nik Pai (NPI), and co investigators Eileen Hutton, Katherine Morrison, Mike Noseworthy, Zubin Punthakee, Gregory Steinberg, Joyce Obeid, Gita Wahi and researchers from McMaster Children’s Hospital’s Children’s Exercise and Nutrition Centre (CENC) will assess if a low cost dietary fiber is efficient in treating NAFLD in pediatric obesity patients. This study, The efficacy of soluble, dietary fibre supplementation for the treatment of paediatric non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), has been awarded $707,625 over 5 years.
Stu Phillips, and a team of researchers at McMaster University, will use a novel method to measure skeletal muscle in a large cohort of older men and women over two years. They have been awarded $937,125 over 5 years for this study titled Using a novel method to diagnose the prevalence and health impact of muscle loss in older adults.
Mark Tarnopolsky and PDF Josh Nederveen’s project titled “Enhancing skeletal muscle health to improve the quality life in females and males with myotonic dystrophy type 1” was successful in receiving $497,249 of funding over 3 years. They aim to examine skeletal muscle in patients with Myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) to determine if skeletal muscle health improves with exercise training.
Constantine Samaan is leading a project titled “Treatment of obesity with metformin in survivors of childhood brain tumors: A feasibility randomized pilot trial”. This study, funded $480,000.00 over 2 years, will introduce metformin as a new treatment for obesity to improve health outcomes in survivors of childhood brain tumors SCBT.
Rahul Chanchlani is co-leading a national study on acute kidney injury (AKI). The project “The KIdney aNd blooD prESsure ouTcomes – Determining best fOllow-up in hospitalized Children (KINDEST-DOC) study: A national study of the FILTR-CKD study group” will study if children with AKI during hospitalization have long-term health issues. The study, awarded $1,074,825 over 6 years, aims to develop AKI follow-up and treatment guidelines.
Congratulations to Robert Gutgesell – Holloway lab – for successfully defending his MSc. thesis titled “Impact of petroleum related compounds on mesenchymal stem cell derived progenitor cells”. Robert contributed to the following publications:
Impact of pesticide exposure on adipose tissue development and function
Joyce Obeid is the recipient of an HHS Early Career Award. She is starting a pilot study exploring virtual reality cycling for children receiving dialysis. Joyice is also the recipient of the Canadian Pediatric Society early career award!
In the News
2022, News