Faculty of medicine doctoral students are among the UBC awardees of Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships (Vanier CGS).
The Vanier CGS program awards up to $50,000 per year for three years, for students working in social sciences and humanities, natural sciences, engineering and health.
Across Canada, 166 doctoral students received Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships, while 70 received Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships. UBC’s 18 researchers were revealed as part of the Government of Canada’s announcement on November 28, 2022. Adam van Koeverden, Parliamentary Secretary, on behalf of the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, announced the recipients. Together the awards total an investment of $34.7 million over three years.
“The Government of Canada continues to make record investments in science and research because we know it’s key to creating a more equitable future for all,” said The Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry. “This year’s recipients of the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships and Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships represent the highest calibre of researchers in the health sciences, natural sciences and engineering, and social sciences and humanities. They will bring new voices and new insights to help ensure that cutting-edge discoveries continue to propel Canada as a global leader.”
Scholarships are distributed equally between the three federal granting agencies: Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.
Faculty of medicine 2022 Vanier Scholars
Chloe Gao, Experimental Medicine (MD/PhD)
Research Supervisor: Dr. Skye Barbic
Area of Research: Health Services Research
Research Proposal: Understanding the mental health and recovery needs of first- and second-generation Canadian East Asian immigrant youth aged 12–24: A Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research (SPOR) collaboration study.
Madeline Lauener, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine (PhD)
Research Supervisor: Dr. Kirk Schultz
Area of Research: Immunology-Transplantation
Research Proposal: Optimization and characterization of expanded CD56bright regulatory natural killer cells for the therapy of chronic graft-versus-host disease.
Dhiraj Mannar, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology (MD/PhD)
Research Supervisor: Dr. Sriram Subramaniam
Area of Research: Virology
Research Proposal: Structure, Function, and Broad Neutralization of Emerging SARS-CoV-2 Variant Spikes.