Cancer is a global challenge. The prospects of major advances in tackling cancer have never been greater, and international collaboration and funding are essential in supporting these opportunities. By hosting the GCI Research Day, we wanted to highlight the progress of GCI trainees and celebrate the possibility to discuss science in person again after more than two years of online events.
This annual event provided trainees, who are the future of research, an opportunity to showcase their scientific work within a network of experts and peers, to share innovative strategies to help further their projects and to foster collaborations among different labs and institutes. During this day we welcomed trainees from the GCI, the Lady Davis Institute, the MUHC, IRCM, IRIC and CRCHUM.
It was a fabulous event with around 200 participants, we had wonderful presentations from the trainees including nine elevator pitch presentations, eight short talks and sixty-five posters. Prof. Thomas Duchaine (Associate Director of the GCI) and Prof. Morag Park (Director of the GCI) gave inspiring opening and closing remarks and speeches.
It was difficult for the judges to pick the winners.ÌýCongratulations to all the awardees!
Elevator Pitches:
- 1st: Sarah Maritan
- 2nd :Shyam Menon
- 3rd: Ansley Gnanapragasam
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Short Talks:
- 1st: Simon Milette
- 2nd: Miranda Yu
- 3rd: Mark Sorin
- 4th: Michael Schwartz
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Posters:
- Undergrad 1st place: Chenyue Wu
- Junior grad student 1st place: Mariam Anwar
- Junior grad student 2nd place: Ana Hincapie
- Senior grad student 1st place – ex-aequo: Chuhan Feng
- Senior grad student 1st place – ex-aequo: Deepak Saini
- Post-doc 1st place: Elise Vickridge
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Last but not least, we had a brilliant and truly inspiring talk given by Prof. Rod Bremner, a distinguished expert on retinoblastoma and other solid cancers, from the Lunenfeld Tanenbaum Research Institute (LTRI), Mt Sinai Hospital, and the University of Toronto. The presentation was about his favourite topic YAP, but also the importance of curiosity and passion in research.
Thank you to everyone that made this day possible:
- The Goodman Cancer Student Society (GCSS).
- The dozens of volunteers.
- GCI employees (Daniel Caron, Kristen Rose-Anne Stecher, Louis Blais and Diana H. Lee).
- The thirty judges.
- The sponsors and partners:ÌýWisent, Medimabs, Fisher Scientific, Pall Corporation, Tecan, Cytiva ,ÌýVWR (part of Avantor).
- The RIOT / DÉSIR association represented by Joan Miguel Romero and Diana Berry.
- The GCI innovation platforms (SCIMAP, histology, MPCP,Ìýflow cytometry,ÌýMIR and MICAM).
- And finally, many thanks to all the participants, it wouldÌýnot have been possible without your attendance!
