SBME Interfaces

Welcome to Episode 11 of SBME Interfaces

In this episode, we interface with Wendy Hurlburt, President and CEO of Life Sciences BC, On the BC Life Sciences community, where the SBME fits into the picture, mobilizing Life Sciences BC through a pandemic, leadership, and more.

All episodes available to watch on our YouTube Channel

Guest:

Wendy Hurlburt
President and CEO, Life Sciences BC

Wendy Hurlburt, a passionate global executive with more than 25 years of experience in the Life Sciences and Technology sectors, is the President & CEO of Life Sciences BC. Wendy has held leadership positions in Johnson & Johnson, the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario, and Lexmark International where she provided strategic leadership across Finance, Business Development, Operations, IT, Privacy, Compliance, Regulatory, Quality and Risk Management. Her global experience includes leadership roles across Canada, the United States, Europe and South Asia.

Wendy has a BA in Finance & Economics from Western University Ontario, an MBA from Queen’s University, a Certificate in Strategic Leadership from the Sauder School of Executive Education and is a certified Privacy Professional (CIPP). Wendy serves on the Clinical Trials BC Advisory Board, the External Advisory Committee of the Centre for Health Evaluation and Outcomes Science and the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade’s Government, Budget and Finance Committee. Previously Wendy served on the Board of the Centre for Research and Drug Discovery (adMare BioInnovations) and chaired CDRD’s Finance & Audit Committee, co-Chaired of the International Association of Privacy Professionals Vancouver Chapter and was on the GVBOT Women’s Leadership Council, most recently serving as the WLC Policy Chair.

Learn more about LifeSciences BC

Hosts:
Dr. Payam Zahedi
Strategic Planning & Operations Director, UBC School of Biomedical Engineering

Payam is a born problem solver and dot connector who believes that real impact only occurs when everyone is given the means to chase it. He's the Director of Strategic Planning and Operations at UBC's School of Biomedical Engineering and holds a BASc in Biomedical Engineering and an MSc and PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences, from the University of Toronto. He believes we are better together and is an advocate for equity and inclusivity. In his spare time, when he's not chasing his two sons around, he's experimenting in the kitchen, reading crime fiction and untangling the mechanisms of effective leadership.

Miguel Eichelberger
Communications & Engagement Manager, UBC School of Biomedical Engineering

Miguel is an unflinching optimist. He is a communicator and writer whose work has appeared in literary magazines and on stages around the world. His most recent publications include Harpur Palate, the Literary Review of Canada, Plainsongs Magazine, and Soliloquies Anthology. He believes in authenticity; in doing and saying what you actually believe, and he is an obsessive student of leadership from the biological and anthropological perspectives. You've likely heard him rant about it, and he's not sorry.

Welcome to Episode 12 of SBME Interfaces

In this episode, we interface with Dr. Ali Tehrani, Co-founder, President and CEO of Zymeworks Inc. on launching Zymeworks, the profound moment that inspired him to science, communicating on its behalf, self-reflection, the BC Biomedical ecosystem, leadership, and more.

All episodes available to watch on our YouTube Channel

Guest:

Dr. Ali Tehrani
Co-founder, President and CEO of Zymeworks Inc.

Dr. Tehrani is a co-founder of Zymeworks and has served as President and Chief Executive Officer, and as a member of the Board of Directors, since the company’s inception in September 2003. He has been an integral part of many of Zymeworks's corporate achievements, including raising seed and angel financing and overseeing technical operations and patent filings. Dr. Tehrani holds both Bachelor’s and Master’s of Science degrees in biochemistry from the University of Massachusetts, and has a doctoral degree in microbiology and Immunology from the University of British Columbia.

While completing his PhD, he co-founded the Student Biotechnology Network, for which he received the UBC Faculty of Science Achievement Award for Outstanding Leadership in 2002. Dr. Tehrani has served as a board director for the Student Biotechnology Network and LifeSciences British Columbia, on the MITACS Industrial Advisory Board, and on BIOTECanada’s Industrial and Environmental Committee. He was a council member on the Premier of British Columbia’s Technology Council from 2016 to 2018. Currently, he is a member of the board of directors of Creatus Biosciences Inc.

Hear more from Dr. Tehrani on the BC MedTech sector.


Hosts:
Dr. Payam Zahedi
Strategic Planning & Operations Director, UBC School of Biomedical Engineering

Payam is a born problem solver and dot connector who believes that real impact only occurs when everyone is given the means to chase it. He's the Director of Strategic Planning and Operations at UBC's School of Biomedical Engineering and holds a BASc in Biomedical Engineering and an MSc and PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences, from the University of Toronto. He believes we are better together and is an advocate for equity and inclusivity. In his spare time, when he's not chasing his two sons around, he's experimenting in the kitchen, reading crime fiction and untangling the mechanisms of effective leadership.

Miguel Eichelberger
Communications & Engagement Manager, UBC School of Biomedical Engineering

Miguel is an unflinching optimist. He is a communicator and writer whose work has appeared in literary magazines and on stages around the world. His most recent publications include Harpur Palate, the Literary Review of Canada, Plainsongs Magazine, and Soliloquies Anthology. He believes in authenticity; in doing and saying what you actually believe, and he is an obsessive student of leadership from the biological and anthropological perspectives. You've likely heard him rant about it, and he's not sorry.

Welcome to Episode 10 of SBME Interfaces

In this episode, we interface with Drs. Anna Blakney and Nika Shakiba, both Assistant Professors at UBC's School of Biomedical Engineering, on moving and starting labs during a pandemic, science communication, using social media to educate the public about vaccines, the future of health and healthcare, and much more.

All episodes available to watch on our YouTube Channel

Guest:

Dr. Anna Blakney
Assistant Professor, SBME & Michael Smith Laboratories

Dr. Anna Blakney is an Assistant Professor at the University of British Columbia in the Michael Smith Laboratories and School of Biomedical Engineering. She received a BSc in Chemical and Biological Engineering prior to pursuing her PhD in Bioengineering at the University of Washington. She then completed her postdoctoral training at Imperial College London, co-supervised by Prof. Robin Shattock and Prof. Molly Stevens. Her group is interested in molecular and formulation immunoengineering to develop the next generation of RNA vaccines and therapies. She is passionate about public engagement and is a part of Team Halo- a group of scientists and clinicians who educate the public about vaccines using TikTok.

Follow Dr. Blakney on TikTok

Dr. Nika Shakiba
Assistant Professor, SBME

Dr. Nika Shakiba is an Assistant Professor in the School of Biomedical Engineering (SBME) at UBC. Her research program (https://shakiba.bme.ubc.ca) applies a combined systems and synthetic biology approach to reverse- and forward-engineer the role of cell competition in developmental and stem cell systems. Prior to joining SBME, Nika was a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Biological Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and completed her PhD in Stem Cell Bioengineering at the University of Toronto. Nika is a big believer in outreach and mentorship. Beyond her research and teaching, she is passionate about providing equity in mentorship and advice access through her latest project, Advice to a Scientist.

Check out Dr. Shakiba's Advice to a Scientist

Hosts:
Dr. Payam Zahedi
Strategic Planning & Operations Director, UBC School of Biomedical Engineering

Payam is a born problem solver and dot connector who believes that real impact only occurs when everyone is given the means to chase it. He's the Director of Strategic Planning and Operations at UBC's School of Biomedical Engineering and holds a BASc in Biomedical Engineering and an MSc and PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences, from the University of Toronto. He believes we are better together and is an advocate for equity and inclusivity. In his spare time, when he's not chasing his two sons around, he's experimenting in the kitchen, reading crime fiction and untangling the mechanisms of effective leadership.

Miguel Eichelberger
Communications & Engagement Manager, UBC School of Biomedical Engineering

Miguel is an unflinching optimist. He is a communicator and writer whose work has appeared in literary magazines and on stages around the world. His most recent publications include Harpur Palate, the Literary Review of Canada, Plainsongs Magazine, and Soliloquies Anthology. He believes in authenticity; in doing and saying what you actually believe, and he is an obsessive student of leadership from the biological and anthropological perspectives. You've likely heard him rant about it, and he's not sorry.

Welcome to Episode 9 of SBME Interfaces

In this episode, we interface with Dr. Gail Murphy, Vice-President Research & Innovation of UBC and Professor in UBC's Department of Computer science on the research landscape of UBC, leadership, entrepreneurialism, creating the right environment for students to become complete people, the exciting opportunities for interdisciplinary science both in SBME and around the University, and even Jane Austen.

All episodes available to watch on our YouTube Channel

Guest:

DR. GAIL MURPHY
Vice-President Research & Innovation, UBC
Professor, UBC's Department of Computer Science

Dr. Gail Murphy assumed the role of Vice-President, Research & Innovation on August 14, 2017.

Dr. Murphy is a professor in UBC’s Department of Computer Science and was formerly Associate Dean (Research and Graduate Studies) in the Faculty of Science. After completing her B.Sc. at the University of Alberta in 1987, she worked for five years as a software engineer in the Lower Mainland. She later pursued graduate studies in computer science at the University of Washington, earning first an M.Sc. (1994) and then a Ph.D (1996).

Dr. Murphy joined UBC in 1996 and was a key driver of the new Master of Data Science, a professional graduate program launching this fall — and has been instrumental in championing the creation of a Data Science Institute at the university. She also maintains an active research group with post-doctoral and graduate students.

Dr. Murphy’s research focuses on improving the productivity of software developers and knowledge workers by providing the necessary tools to identify, manage and coordinate the information that matters most for their work. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and a Fellow of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), as well as co-founder, board member and former Chief Scientist at Tasktop Technologies Incorporated.

Read One-on-One with Dr. Murphy

Hosts:
Dr. Payam Zahedi
Strategic Planning & Operations Director, UBC School of Biomedical Engineering

Payam is a born problem solver and dot connector who believes that real impact only occurs when everyone is given the means to chase it. He's the Director of Strategic Planning and Operations at UBC's School of Biomedical Engineering and holds a BASc in Biomedical Engineering and an MSc and PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences, from the University of Toronto. He believes we are better together and is an advocate for equity and inclusivity. In his spare time, when he's not chasing his two sons around, he's experimenting in the kitchen, reading crime fiction and untangling the mechanisms of effective leadership.

Miguel Eichelberger
Communications & Engagement Manager, UBC School of Biomedical Engineering

Miguel is an unflinching optimist. He is a communicator and writer whose work has appeared in literary magazines and on stages around the world. His most recent publications include Harpur Palate, the Literary Review of Canada, Plainsongs Magazine, and Soliloquies Anthology. He believes in authenticity; in doing and saying what you actually believe, and he is an obsessive student of leadership from the biological and anthropological perspectives. You've likely heard him rant about it, and he's not sorry.

Welcome to Episode 8 of SBME Interfaces

In this episode, we interface with Dr. Santa Ono, the 15th President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of British Columbia, on UBC, his second term, the changing conversation around mental health, and his excitement for the future of SBME at UBC.

All episodes available to watch on our YouTube Channel

Guest:

DR. SANTA ONO
15th President and Vice-Chancellor, UBC

Santa J. Ono PhD FRSC FCAHS is the 15th President & Vice-Chancellor of the University of British Columbia.

Installed as President and Vice-Chancellor in 2016, he also serves as Chair of the U15 Group of Universities, on the Board of Directors of Universities Canada, and as Past Chair of Research Universities of British Columbia. He is also a member of the Boards of Fulbright and MITACS. He has also served on the Boards of the American Council on Education and the Council on Competitiveness and as Chief Innovation Advisor to the Province of British Columbia.

Prior to his appointment as President and Vice-Chancellor of UBC, Dr. Ono served as the 28th President of the University of Cincinnati and Senior Vice-Provost and Deputy to the Provost at Emory University.

A molecular immunologist educated at the University of Chicago and McGill, Dr. Ono has taught at Johns Hopkins, Harvard University and University College London. He has advised national and regional governments on higher education and mental health. He has also advised companies such as GSK, Johnson & Johnson, Merck and Novartis on R&D.

Dr. Ono has been inducted as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences, the National Academy of Inventors, USA and the Johns Hopkins Society of Scholars. He holds Honorary Doctorates from Chiba University and the Vancouver School of Theology and is a recipient of the Reginald Wilson Diversity Leadership Award from the American Council on Education, the Professional Achievement Award from University of Chicago, a Grand Challenges Hero Award from UCLA and the NAAAP 100 Award from the National Association of Asian American Professionals.

View Dr. Ono's TEDx Talk on Mental Health in our Youth

Hosts:
Dr. Payam Zahedi
Strategic Planning & Operations Director, UBC School of Biomedical Engineering

Payam is a born problem solver and dot connector who believes that real impact only occurs when everyone is given the means to chase it. He's the Director of Strategic Planning and Operations at UBC's School of Biomedical Engineering and holds a BASc in Biomedical Engineering and an MSc and PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences, from the University of Toronto. He believes we are better together and is an advocate for equity and inclusivity. In his spare time, when he's not chasing his two sons around, he's experimenting in the kitchen, reading crime fiction and untangling the mechanisms of effective leadership.

Miguel Eichelberger
Communications & Engagement Manager, UBC School of Biomedical Engineering

Miguel is an unflinching optimist. He is a communicator and writer whose work has appeared in literary magazines and on stages around the world. His most recent publications include Harpur Palate, the Literary Review of Canada, Plainsongs Magazine, and Soliloquies Anthology. He believes in authenticity; in doing and saying what you actually believe, and he is an obsessive student of leadership from the biological and anthropological perspectives. You've likely heard him rant about it, and he's not sorry.

Welcome to Episode 7 of SBME Interfaces

In this episode, we interface with Dr. Roger Wong, Vice-Dean of the UBC Faculty of Medicine on his passion for geriatric care and healthy aging, training doctors across British Columbia, UBC's Faculty of Medicine and much more.

Guest:
Dr. Roger Wong
Vice Dean, Education, Faculty of Medicine Clinical
Professor, Division of Geriatric Medicine
Fellow, Canadian Academy of Health Sciences
Fellow, American College of Physicians

Roger Y.M. Wong, CM, BMSc, MD, FRCPC, FACP, FCAHS, is a Clinical Professor in the Division of Geriatric Medicine in the University of British Columbia (UBC) Department of Medicine and is a Consultant Physician of the Geriatric Consultation Program at the Vancouver General Hospital. He is the Vice Dean (Education) in the UBC Faculty of Medicine. Dr. Wong has been appointed to the Order of Canada, the first time a geriatrician is appointed to the country's highest civilian honour, for his contributions to the field of geriatric medicine, including the advancement of policies, education and specialized, culturally sensitive health care.

Dr. Wong works tirelessly to advance academic and clinical health sciences related to geriatrics, and his work has made significant impact on the care for older people in Canada and the world. He was the 13th President of the Canadian Geriatrics Society and founded the state-of-the-art Acute Care for Elders (ACE) Unit in Vancouver, which has been implemented nationally and internationally. His clinical research focuses on hospital medicine in vulnerable older adults, including quality improvement in acute care geriatrics. Dr. Wong has made significant contributions in showcasing Canadian geriatrics around the world, culminating in his selection as the Trevor Howell Guest Lecturer in London, a prestigious honour bestowed by the British Geriatrics Society for an eminent physician or scientist with an international reputation.

Dr. Wong has published and lectured extensively on geriatric medicine and medical education. He is also a TEDx Speaker, and his TEDx Talk has been viewed by international audiences around the world.

View Dr. Wong’s TEDx talk here

Hosts:
Dr. Payam Zahedi
Strategic Planning & Operations Director, UBC School of Biomedical Engineering

Payam is a born problem solver and dot connector who believes that real impact only occurs when everyone is given the means to chase it. He's the Director of Strategic Planning and Operations at UBC's School of Biomedical Engineering and holds a BASc in Biomedical Engineering and an MSc and PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences, from the University of Toronto. He believes we are better together and is an advocate for equity and inclusivity. In his spare time, when he's not chasing his two sons around, he's experimenting in the kitchen, reading crime fiction and untangling the mechanisms of effective leadership.

Miguel Eichelberger
Communications & Engagement Manager, UBC School of Biomedical Engineering

Miguel is an unflinching optimist. He is a communicator and writer whose work has appeared in literary magazines and on stages around the world. His most recent publications include Harpur Palate, the Literary Review of Canada, Plainsongs Magazine, and Soliloquies Anthology. He believes in authenticity; in doing and saying what you actually believe, and he is an obsessive student of leadership from the biological and anthropological perspectives. You've likely heard him rant about it, and he's not sorry.

Welcome to Episode 6 of SBME Interfaces

In this episode, we interface with Dr. Sally Thorne, Vice-Dean of the UBC Faculty of Applied Science, on the psychology and science of nursing, science-led public policy, end-of-life care, and so very much more.

Guests:
Dr. Sally Thorne
Associate Dean, UBC Faculty of Applied Science
Professor, UBC School of Nursing
Fellow, Canadian Academy of Health Sciences
Fellow, American Academy of Nursing

Sally Thorne, RN, PhD, FAAN, FCAHS, FCAN, DSc(Hon) is a Professor of Nursing and Associate Dean of the Faculty of Applied Science at the University of British Columbia, where she has a longstanding program of substantive clinical research in the fields of chronic illness, cancer experience, and end-of-life care as well as scholarship in the fields of philosophy of science and the nature of evidence claims in a complex health policy environment. She is the author of a body of applied qualitative methodological writing, including Interpretive Description (2008, Left Coast Press) and its second edition Interpretive Description: Qualitative Research for Applied Practice (2016, Routledge). She is also Editor-in-Chief for Nursing Inquiry (Wiley), a journal that deals with critical scholarship in nursing and health care. Thorne has served as Board Director for numerous organizations, including the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences, Canadian Partnership Against Cancer, Canadian Association of Nurses in Oncology, the Association of Registered Nurses of British Columbia and more recently for Nurses & Nurse Practitioners of BC. A Fellow of both the American Academy of Nursing and the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences, she was inducted into Sigma Theta Tau’s International Nursing Hall of Fame in 2017, 2018 was recognized by the Canadian Nurses Association with its Jeanne Mance Award, and in 2020 named a Charter Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Nursing. She holds honorary doctorates from Queen’s University (2013) and Université Laval (2017).

By Sally Thorne: Why People Choose Medically Assisted Death Revealed Through Conversations With Nurses

Hosts:
Dr. Payam Zahedi
Strategic Planning & Operations Director, UBC School of Biomedical Engineering

Payam is a born problem solver and dot connector who believes that real impact only occurs when everyone is given the means to chase it. He's the Director of Strategic Planning and Operations at UBC's School of Biomedical Engineering and holds a BASc in Biomedical Engineering and an MSc and PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences, from the University of Toronto. He believes we are better together and is an advocate for equity and inclusivity. In his spare time, when he's not chasing his two sons around, he's experimenting in the kitchen, reading crime fiction and untangling the mechanisms of effective leadership.

Miguel Eichelberger
Communications & Engagement Manager, UBC School of Biomedical Engineering

Miguel is an unflinching optimist. He is a communicator and writer whose work has appeared in literary magazines and on stages around the world. His most recent publications include Harpur Palate, the Literary Review of Canada, Plainsongs Magazine, and Soliloquies Anthology. He believes in authenticity; in doing and saying what you actually believe, and he is an obsessive student of leadership from the biological and anthropological perspectives. You've likely heard him rant about it, and he's not sorry.

Welcome to Episode Five of SBME Interfaces

Join us as we interface with Rohit Singla, MD/PhD student at SBME, and Dr. Eric Zhao, UBC MD/PhD Alum, on the challenge of the program, the perspective shift of a COVID world, screenwriting, slime, entrepreneurialism and more.

Guests:
Rohit Singla
MD/PhD Student, School of Biomedical Engineering

Rohit Singla is a third year MD/PhD student in Biomedical Engineering. He received a Vanier Scholarship in Spring 2020, where he ranked first nationwide in the NSERC stream. He received a BASc in Computer Engineering and MASc in Biomedical Engineering, both at UBC. Halfway through his medicine degree, Rohit is now focusing on the development of intelligent kidney ultrasound to serve as a better marker for chronic kidney disease and kidney transplant. He's worked on engineering projects in multiple clinical areas including urology, anesthesiology, and maternal/fetal medicine. Rohit is an amateur screenwriter, a former football coach and a former radio show host.

Rohit on being named a Vanier Scholar


Dr. Eric Zhao
UBC MD/PhD Alum
Resident Doctor at UofT in Radiation Oncology

Eric Zhao is a resident doctor at the University of Toronto specializing in Radiation Oncology. He is an alumnus of the UBC MD/PhD Program, specializing in Bioinformatics. His research leverages genomics for discovery and clinical translation of novel biomarkers to guide cancer treatment. During his PhD, he demonstrated the clinical utility of examining DNA mutations for characteristic patterns of poor DNA repair. He showed that cancer cells which fail to repair their DNA are more vulnerable to platinum-based chemotherapies, potentially allowing oncologists to better utilize existing treatments. His work contributed to the Personalized Oncogenomics Program at BC Cancer. Eric has also served in numerous leadership roles including on the CIHR Working Group on Health Research Training and as President of the UBC Medical Student Society.

Dr. Zhao on the UBC MD/PhD program


HOSTS
Dr. Payam Zahedi
Strategic Planning & Operations Director, School of Biomedical Engineering

Payam is a born problem solver and dot connector who believes that real impact only occurs when everyone is given the means to chase it. He's the Director of Strategic Planning and Operations at UBC's School of Biomedical Engineering and holds a BASc in Biomedical Engineering and an MSc and PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences, from the University of Toronto. He believes we are better together and is an advocate for equity and inclusivity. In his spare time, when he's not chasing his two sons around, he's experimenting in the kitchen, reading crime fiction and untangling the mechanisms of effective leadership.

Miguel Eichelberger
Communications & Engagement Manager, School of Biomedical Engineering

Miguel is an unflinching optimist. He is a communicator and writer whose work has appeared in literary magazines and on stages around the world. His most recent publications include Harpur Palate, the Literary Review of Canada, Plainsongs Magazine, and Soliloquies Anthology. He believes in authenticity; in doing and saying what you actually believe, and he is an obsessive student of leadership from the biological and anthropological perspectives. You've likely heard him rant about it, and he's not sorry.

Welcome to SBME Interfaces, a podcast that introduces you to the people who interface with Biomedical Engineering from students and faculty to staff and industry—and everyone in between.

In our fourth episode, we interface with Dr. James Olson, Dean of the UBC Faculty of Applied Science on UBC, SBME’s new home, the Faculty of Applied Science’s new strategic plan, DIY vintage arcade games and the beauty of BC's Shuswap lake.

Guest Bio:
Dr. James Olson
Dean of UBC's Faculty of Applied Science since 2017
Professor of Mechanical Engineering
Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineers

James A. Olson, PhD, PEng, is a professor of Mechanical Engineering and the dean of the UBC Faculty of Applied Science. He was the past associate dean of Research and Industry Partnerships, director of UBC’s Pulp and Paper Centre and is an internationally recognized forest products researcher who has been actively involved in the transformation of the forest sector into a vibrant diversified bio-products industry. He currently leads a $4M research consortium focused on industrial energy conservation, as well as a research group focused on the development of novel biomaterials. His research has been the recipient of 2 NSERC Synergy Awards, the 2008 Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Innovation, the 2009 Fundamental Research Committee’s Van den Akker Gold medal and several best paper awards.
Dean Olson's Full Biography
Dean Olson's Message

HOSTS
Payam Zahedi
Strategic Planning & Operations Director, School of Biomedical Engineering

Payam is a born problem solver and dot connector who believes that real impact only occurs when everyone is given the means to chase it. He's the Director of Strategic Planning and Operations at UBC's School of Biomedical Engineering and holds a BASc in Biomedical Engineering and an MSc and PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences, from the University of Toronto. He believes we are better together and is an advocate for equity and inclusivity. In his spare time, when he's not chasing his two sons around, he's experimenting in the kitchen, reading crime fiction and untangling the mechanisms of effective leadership.

Miguel Eichelberger
Communications & Engagement Manager, School of Biomedical Engineering

Miguel is an unflinching optimist. He is a communicator and writer whose work has appeared in literary magazines and on stages around the world. His most recent publications include Harpur Palate, the Literary Review of Canada, Plainsongs Magazine, and Soliloquies Anthology. He believes in authenticity; in doing and saying what you actually believe, and he is an obsessive student of leadership from the biological and anthropological perspectives. You've likely heard him rant about it, and he's not sorry.

In our third episode, we interface with Priye Iworima and Elizabeth Castle on researching through the pandemic, community outreach, scientific literacy, representation and sibling rivalry/worship.

GUESTS:
Priye Iworima
SBME PhD Student working in Tim Kiefer's Lab

Priye is a Nigerian-Canadian Biomedical engineering student whose research focuses on developing a differentiation protocol to generate stem cell-derived insulin-producing cells that may be used as a potential therapy for type 1 diabetes. She is also interested in the optimizing process parameters for large scale manufacturing of stem cell-derived products. In her free time, she loves travelling to explore new places and cultures, music, eating and socializing with friends and family.

Elizabeth Castle
SBME PhD Student working in Peter Zandstra's Lab

Elizabeth has only recently called Vancouver home, having moved here from Calgary. She began her work in Dr. Peter Zandstra’s lab in January 2020, where she is working on pluripotent stem cells and regenerative medicine. Outside of the lab, she is interested scientific literacy and mental health promotion. She spends a great deal of her spare time in nature, hiking, surfing and snowboarding. She loves to cook and read read read, especially fiction as she sees more than enough non-fiction through her research.

HOSTS:
Hosts
Payam Zahedi
Strategic Planning & Operations Director, School of Biomedical Engineering

Payam is a born problem solver and dot connector who believes that real impact only occurs when everyone is given the means to chase it. He's the Director of Strategic Planning and Operations at UBC's School of Biomedical Engineering and holds a BASc in Biomedical Engineering and an MSc and PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences, from the University of Toronto. He believes we are better together and is an advocate for equity and inclusivity. In his spare time, when he's not chasing his two sons around, he's experimenting in the kitchen, reading crime fiction and untangling the mechanisms of effective leadership.

Miguel Eichelberger
Communications & Engagement Manager, School of Biomedical Engineering

Miguel is an unflinching optimist. He is a communicator and writer whose work has appeared in literary magazines and on stages around the world. His most recent publications include Harpur Palate, the Literary Review of Canada, Plainsongs Magazine, and Soliloquies Anthology. He believes in authenticity; in doing and saying what you actually believe, and he is an obsessive student of leadership from the biological and anthropological perspectives. You've likely heard him rant about it, and he's not sorry.