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Outstanding research on display at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute’s 13th annual Research Day


November 15, 2013

The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute’s 13th Annual Research Day was a great success, with more than 350 attendees packing the St. Elias Centre to capacity. Designed to highlight and celebrate the outstanding work of trainees, as well as promote scientific interaction, the event featured 130 posters (nearly 100 competing for prizes) and 16 oral presentations. Drs. Jack Kitts, Bernard Jasmin and Duncan Stewart set the stage with introductory remarks, while Drs. Mona Nemer and Sharon Strauss gave the keynote lectures.

Prizes were awarded to the following trainees:

IMPACT (Identification of Marketable Products, Applications and Commercializable Technologies) Award
  • 1st Place: Dr. Jeffrey Smirle in Dr. Nongnuj Tanphaichitr’s group for “Development of antimicrobial peptides into vaginal contraceptives with anti-STI properties”
  • 2nd Place: Larissa Shamseer in Dr. David Moher’s group for “Improving the completeness of reporting of research articles: implementing an innovative electronic system”
  • 3rd Place: Dr. Florian Bentzinger in Dr. Michael Rudnicki’s group for “Pharmacologic Modulation of Skeletal Muscle Stem Cells”

Oral Presentation Competition:
  • 1st Place: Janet Manias Rothberg in Dr. William Stanford’s group for “Pcl2 is critical for normal hematopoiesis”
  • 2nd Place: Katherine Atkinson in Dr. Kumanan Wilson’s group for “Release of a virtual immunization record in Ontario, Canada: Uptake and opportunities for improving public health”
  • 3rd Place: Samantha Richard in Dr. Jay Baltz’s group for “Glycine-Dependent Cell Volume Control in Mouse Oocytes: The Role of Gap Junctions in the Antral Follicle”

Postdoctoral Fellow Poster Competition:
  • 1st Place: Dr. Nathasha Chang in Dr. Michael Rudnicki’s group for “Regulation of Carm1 in myogenic commitment of satellite stem cells”
  • 2nd Place: Dr. Yong Tao in Dr. Johné Liu’s group for “Peri-ovulatory putrescine supplementation reduces midgesation embryo loss in older mice”
  • 3rd Place: Dr. Elliot Faller in Dr. Paul MacPherson’s group for “Differential and contrasting functions of Interleukin-7 during homeostatic vs. cytotoxic responses”

PhD Student Poster Competition:
  • 1st Place: Jean-Francois Thibodeau in Dr. Chris Kennedy’s group for “A Novel Model of Advanced Diabetic Kidney Disease in Mice”
  • 2nd Place: Ryan O’Meara in Dr. Rashmi Kothary’s group for “The role of Integrin-linked kinase in oligodendrocyte development”
  • 3rd Place: Nicholas Tokarew in Dr. Valerie Wallace’s group for “The Role of Norrie Disease Pseudoglioma (Ndp) in cerebellar development and its relationship with the sonic hedgehog pathway”

MSc Student and Other Poster Competition:
  • 1st Place: Benjamin Pryce in Dr. Luc Sabourin’s group for “Role of the Ste20-Like Kinase in Muscle Development and Regeneration”
  • 2nd Place: Anisha Lynch-Godrei in Dr. Rashmi Kothary’s group for “A disruption in the autophagic process underlies the sensory neuropathy in dystonia musculorum mice”
  • 3rd Place: Peter Glen in Dr. Dean Fergusson’s group for “Partial Versus Complete Fundoplication for the Control of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease in Children: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis”

Dr. Goodman Cohen Summer Student Award:
  • Senior Award: Will Foster in Dr. Duncan Stewart’s group for “Characterization of bone marrow-derived cells isolated from rats with hypoxia-induced pulmonary hypertension”
  • Junior Award (tie): Joanne Joseph in Dr. Eve Tsai’s group for “Effect of UV-sterilized PCL biomaterial on the proliferation and differentiation of in vitro neurospheres” and Rebecca Xu in Dr. Rashmi Kothary’s group for “Assessment of motor neuron pathology and potential compensatory mechanisms in phenotypically normal mice with reduced Smn levels”

Sponsors:
Fisher Scientific, Bio-Rad, Allphase Clinical Research, Borden Ladner Gervais, Centre for Commercialization of Regenerative Medicine.

Research Day Committee:
Dr. Fraser Scott (Chair), Dr. Angela Crawley, Dr. Anouk Fortin, Paddy Moore, Dr. Luc Sabourin, Dr. Jay Baltz, Dr. Jim Dimitroulakos, Jennifer Ganton, Alessandra Pasut, Dr. Duncan Stewart, Jane Canniff, Dr. Dean Fergusson, Dr. Ian Lorimer, Dr. Tim Ramsay, Dr. Cathy Tsilfidis

About the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI) is the research arm of The Ottawa Hospital and is an affiliated institute of the University of Ottawa, closely associated with the university’s Faculties of Medicine and Health Sciences. OHRI includes more than 1,700 scientists, clinical investigators, graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and staff conducting research to improve the understanding, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of human disease. www.ohri.ca

Media contact
Jennifer Ganton
Director, Communications and Public Relations
Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
613-798-5555 x 73325
613-614-5253 (cell)
jganton@ohri.ca