Dr. Kriste-Kaye King-Robinson (OAG-CAG recipient), McMaster University
Liron Birimberg Schwartz obtained her medical degree at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. She completed her internship and pediatric residency at Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem. Liron is currently in her 3rd year of training as a fellow in the division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition at the Hospital for Sick Children Toronto, Canada.
Following successful publications in the field of pediatric IBD, Liron has now decided to focus her training on pediatric pancreatic diseases and gastrointestinal manifestations of Cystic Fibrosis. Her research, under the mentorship of Dr. Tanja Gonska, includes developing in-vitro models for the testing of CFTR-modulating drugs using intestinal tissue and the study of pediatric acute pancreatitis.
Recipient: Kanwar Sahdra, University of Toronto
Supervisor: Dr. Jordan Feld
Project Title: Determination of the optimal vaccination strategy for hepatitis B.
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a major global public health problem with over 240 million people infected worldwide. The most common ways hepatitis B is spread are from mother to child at the time of birth and through sexual contact. Fortunately there is a highly effective vaccine that provides life-long protection from infection. Most countries vaccinate children at birth, including many provinces in Canada. In Ontario, children are vaccinated in grade 7 with the goal of preventing sexual transmission. Dr. Feld’s research will use an established model of HBV infection to determine which vaccination strategy (childhood or adolescent) is more cost-effective for Ontario. The results will be helpful to guide policy makers in Canada on the optimal vaccination strategy for this major public health issue.
Dr. Katherine Prowse completed her medical training at MUA after a four year B.Sc. in Chemistry at Dalhousie University. At Northeast Ohio Medical University/Akron Children's Hospital, she completed her core Paediatric residency program and Paediatric Gastroenterology fellowship at McMaster University. She is currently in her final year of the Clinical Investigator Program at McMaster University. She is conducting research on the Influence of Antidepressants in Pregnancy on the Microbiome of the Offspring. She is also pursuing her Masters of Medical Science focusing on the microbiome, predictive genomics and metabolomics exploring their involvement in intestinal inflammation under the supervision of Dr. Elyanne Ratcliffe.
