Four postdoctoral fellows from the Faculty of Medicine are among 10 recipients from UBC to receive the 2016-2017 Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship. There are 70 fellowships awarded nationally. These prestigious fellowships provide each researcher with $70,000 each year for two years to support research that will positively contribute to Canada’s economic, social and research-based growth.
Travis Salway
Travis Salway
School of Population and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Supervisors: Mark Gilbert and Jean Shoveller
Research focus: Can specialized sexual health clinics address unmet mental health needs of Canadian sexual minorities?
His research focuses on the mental health services needs of gay, lesbian, and bisexual (GLB) Canadians in sexual health clinics, and how these needs can be supported. Travis works with nurses, clinic managers, and policy-makers to ensure that new approaches to meeting mental health needs are implemented in existing services.
Nicholas Weilinger
Nicholas Weilinger
Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Supervisor: Brian MacVicar
Research focus: Investigating a novel target for cerebral edema during stroke
Stroke is the third leading cause of death in Canada, and with our aging population, the tremendous human and economic cost of stroke is projected to keep increasing. Neuroscientist and 2016-2017 Banting Postdoctoral Fellow Nicholas Weilinger is working to understand brain swelling (edema), the leading cause of death in stroke patients. Working with equipment that is only available in the MacVicar lab, Nicholas hopes to develop drugs that may reduce the severity of edema.
Brianne Kent
Brianne Kent
Division of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Supervisor: Haakon Nygaard
Research focus: Investigating peripheral circadian oscillators as therapeutic targets for Alzheimer’s disease
Brianne Kent, a researcher with the UBC Hospital Clinic for Alzheimer Disease and Related Disorders, is a 2016-2017 Banting Postdoctoral Fellow. Her research is focused on finding innovative treatments for Alzheimer’s disease, a disease that’s projected to affect 1.4 million Canadians by 2031. In particular, Brianne examines the role of sleep and circadian rhythms in the progression of Alzheimer’s disease.
Jelena Kolic
Jelena Kolic
Department of Cellular & Physiological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Supervisor: James Johnson
Research focus: Genetic Determinants of Individualized Islet Responses to Dietary Macronutrients
Jelena Kolic works in the Diabetes Research Group with Dr. Jim Johnson. Her research seeks to understand the variations and molecular mechanisms associated with the development of Type 2 diabetes. One of the goals of her research is the implementation of personalized preventative and/or therapeutic intervention strategies.