Health Sciences Speed Networking
Wed, Oct 04
|Ollie's Pub and Patio
Help us kick off the new academic year with our first in-person event since Winter 2020!
Time & Location
Oct 04, 2023, 6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Ollie's Pub and Patio, Ollie's Pub and Patio, University Centre, 1125 Colonel By Dr 1st floor, Ottawa, ON K1S 5B6, Canada
About the Event
Are you interested in getting to know more about potential careers? Want to chat with local professionals about their experience in the health sciences? Join us at Ollie's for an in-person speed networking event where you get a chance to meet and interact with a range of academic and industrial professionals in the National Capital region. Tickets for the event are 10$, and appetizers will be served.
Find out more about our invited guests below:
Dr. Piriya Yoganathan (https://www.linkedin.com/in/piriya-yoganathan/)
Dr. Piriya Yoganathan is the director and chapter developer at S2BN. She has always been intrigued in understanding the genetic basis of diseases. After completing a PhD in Pathology and Molecular Medicine at Queen’s university, she joined the BMC’s Virus Manufacturing Facility as a postdoctoral fellow. She was part of the team led by Dr. John Bell that developed a clinical-grade viral vector manufacturing process for the Canadian-Led Immunotherapies in Cancer (CLIC) program, supporting the first made-in-Canada CAR-T therapy trial. She has completed an Executive MBA through uOttawa’s Telfer School of Management and received a 2022 Businesswoman of the Year award in Enterprise – Rising-Star Category from the Women’s Business Network. She is currently working at the Biotherapeutics Manufacturing Centre – Virus Manufacturing Facility, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute as Head of Research and Development (R&D).
Dr. Hiren Parmar (h.parmar@dal.ca)
Hiren is currently working at Health Canada as a Biologist/Evaluator. Previously, he worked on the cell therapy clinical trials for cardiovascular diseases at Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, where he got a firsthand experience in preparing cell therapy products for patients. Hiren also worked at a start-up biotech company, Appili Therapeutics, under the Mitacs Accelerate Program for postdocs, where he worked on a project to develop a novel class of antibiotics to fight against antimicrobial resistance. Hiren holds three different degrees (Bachelors, Masters, and Doctorate) from three different continents (Asia, Europe, and North America, respectively) and had the privilege of visiting more than 10 countries. His doctorate degree was from Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, where he studied the protein trafficking pathways for a viral encoded fusion protein.
Dr. Xiao Xiang (https://www.linkedin.com/in/xiao-xiang-ph-d-a40139214/)
Xiao earned his Ph.D. in Cellular and Molecular Medicine from University of Ottawa. He studied the tumour-suppressive function and mechanism of a channel protein, Pannxin 1, in rhabdomyosarcoma, and published 8 high-impact papers of which he first-authored 3. During his Ph.D. Xiao co-founded Genomex, a company dedicated to genetic testing for personalized pharmacology. He led a multi-disciplinary team that created a portable PCR machine and its accompanying reagents from which he was granted with 6 patents. Upon completion of his Ph.D., Xiao became interested in oncolytic viruses and immunotherapy. He started working on bioengineering Reovirus, a benign gastro-intestinal virus, for use in cancer therapy and an oral vaccine for infectious diseases. The technology he developed has been filed for patent protection, and it also led to the incorporation of an Ottawa-based biotechnology company called Curo-V Science. Xiao currently collaborates with laboratories and companies all over the world to further develop his Reovirus vaccine.
Dr. Rowida Mohamed (https://www.linkedin.com/in/rowida-mohamed-794463a1/)
I am Dr. Rowida, a PDF, and Instructor in Chemistry and Health Science, specializing in Cancer Biology. My career has been marked by collaborations with renowned organizations, such as the Canadian Diabetes Association, Kidney Foundation Canada, and the Ottawa Mission. Mentoring has been a significant part of my journey, spanning both undergraduate and graduate students. Additionally, I volunteered for over five years at the Paul Menton Center, supporting students with diverse needs. I've made valuable contributions across various university departments, including the Examination Center and the Environmental Health Department. During the pandemic, I created instructional videos to aid undergraduate students in their learning. My dedication to research and teaching excellence has earned me several prestigious awards, including multiple NSERC awards from 2017 to 2021, the TA Award in 2015, and the recent Excellence in Teaching Award in 2022. I am deeply committed to Chemistry, Health Science, and Cancer Biology, and I'm passionate about sharing my knowledge and experiences with the next generation of scientists. I am thrilled to inspire others to reach their full potential on this exciting journey.
Dr. Christine Péladeau Ladouceur (https://www.linkedin.com/in/christine-peladeau/)
Dr. Christine Péladeau Ladouceur completed a PhD at the University of Ottawa specializing in the development of drug repurposing therapies for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy. She also completed a short postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Ottawa where she started investigating the link between the gut microbiota and muscles in neuromuscular diseases. In September 2020, Christine joined the NRC as a postdoctoral fellow under the supervision of Dr. Jagdeep Sandhu, Dr. Mehdi Arbabi Ghahroudi and Dr. Jamshid Tanha. Her research focuses on the development of single domain antibodies targeted against key proteins from the inflammasome, in the hopes of finding new therapeutics for inflammatory disorders.
Dr. Ana Magalhaes (https://www.linkedin.com/in/magalhaesana/)
Ana Magalhaes obtained her Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry and Immunology, a Masters dregree in Physiology and Pharmacology at one of the best Universities in Brazil, the Federal University of Minas Gerais. She completed her PhD in Molecular Pharmacology and Biochemistry at the same university with one year international exchange program at the NIAID/NIH in the US. Currently, she is a Research Officer at NRC specialized in cell biology and optical microscopy. Dr. Magalhaes also worked for a Clinical Research Organization on the design of clinical trials and data analysis and for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency in the regulatory and policy branch. Her research interests lies in cell signalling, intracellular trafficking, optical microscopy and drug discovery.
Dr. Joey Sheff (https://www.linkedin.com/in/joey-sheff-31936560/)
Joey Sheff received his Ph.D. in analytical chemistry from the University of Calgary where his research focused the development of structural mass spectrometry technologies for the study of protein-based interactions in complex sample types. This was followed by a post-doc position at the National Research Council Canada, where his main role is to build, adapt, and innovate a structural mass spectrometry tool box for the study of emerging biotherapeutics. He has since transitioned to a role as an assistant Research officer in the Human Health Therapeutics department.
His work focuses on enhancing structural mass spectrometry capabilities to build stronger scientific foundations for developing therapeutics and to expand the target space by accessing challenging sample types to match the continuing evolution of therapeutics. In this field, he has fostered a passion for the application of biophysical tools to probe the complex biological and therapeutic challenges, with a keen eye towards novel method development.
Dr. Bruce Seet (https://www.linkedin.com/in/bruce-seet-68666b19/)
Bruce Seet joined Novavax in 2022 as Head of Medical Affairs in Canada. With more than 16 years of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry in Canada, he has served in a variety of functional capacities across a number of therapeutic areas including oncology, rare diseases and in particular vaccines. Dr. Seet received his BSc (Honours Physiology) and PhD (Microbiology and Immunology) from Western University (London, Ontario, Canada) and completed a post-doctoral fellowship in Molecular Biology and Cancer at Mt Sinai Hospital in Toronto. Bruce also earned an MBA at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management in 2010. Since 2018, Dr. Seet has held an appointment as Adjunct Professor in the Department of Molecular Genetics at the University of Toronto.
As an active volunteer and leader in the Canadian life sciences ecosystem, Bruce has been recognized for his work by Life Sciences Ontario with their 2020 Community Service Award and was a recipient of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Community Service Award in 2022.
Tim Garrant (timgarant@cmail.carleton.ca)
Tim Garant earned a BSc. and MSc. from Carleton University. Tim now currently works as a Research Technician at Carleton University, where he tests wastewater for viruses and look to improve that process.