Scotia Scholars Award RECIPIENTS 2019/2020


The Scotia Scholars Award provides financial support to research trainees with exceptional potential who are engaged in health research at participating Nova Scotia institutions.  This award will support the growth, acquisition, and retention of highly skilled individuals who are advancing and translating knowledge in disease detection, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention, strengthening health care delivery systems, caring for vulnerable populations, and promoting better opportunities for future health and wellbeing.  Funding for this award is provided by the Nova Scotia Department of Health and Wellness

$785,333

Funding

62

Students

6

Institutions

Doctoral Award

Dalhousie University

Cathy Fournier
Interdisciplinary Studies
Project:
Supervisor: Dr. Robin Oakley
Amount: $15,000.00

Keisha Jeffereies 
Nursing
Project:
Supervisors: Dr. Ruth Martin-Misener & Dr. Gail Tomblin Murphy
*Honorary

Prathyusha Konda 
Microbiology and Immunology 
Project:
Supervisor: Dr. Shashi Gujar 
Amount: $30,000.00

Nicole MacKenzie 
Psychology and Neuroscience
Project:
Supervisor: Dr. Christine Chambers
Amount: $45,000.00

Matthew Mallay
Biomedical Engineering
Project:
Supervisor: Dr. Jeremy Brown
Amount: $47,500.00

Jacob Nearing
Microbiology and Immunology
Project:
Supervisor: Dr. Morgan Langille
Amount: $45,000.00

Myles O’Brien 
Health and Human Performance
Project:
Supervisors: Dr. Derek Kimmerly & Dr. David Westwood 
Amount: $45,000.00

Parisa Sadeghi 
Physics and Atmospheric Science
Project:
Supervisors: Dr. James Robar
*Honourary

Patrick Slaine 
Microbiology and Immunology
Project:
Supervisor: Dr. Craig McCormick
Amount: $15,000.00

Nathan Taylor
Health Administration
Project:
Supervisor: Dr. Catherine Mah
Amount: $45,000.00

Alyne Teixeira
Biomedical Engineering
Project:
Supervisor: Dr. John Frampton  
Amount: $15,000.00

Perri Tutelman
Psychology and Neuroscience
Project:
Supervisor: Dr. Christine Chambers
Amount: $15,000.00

Farshid Varnosfaderani
Computer Science
Project:
Supervisor: Dr. Stan Matwin 
Amount: $30,000.00

Saint Mary’s University

Brendan Grue 
Engineering
Project:
Supervisor: Dr. Samuel Veres
Amount: $14,000.00

Rhea Stronach
Psychology 
Project:
Supervisor: Dr. Camilla Holmvall
Amount: $10,500.00

Master’s Award

Acadia University

Brandi Milligan 
Psychology
Project:
Supervisor: Dr. Lisa Price 
Amount: $20,000.00

Marissa Walter 
Clinical Psychology
Project: This Does Not Define Me: Exploring how Memory Networks Contribute to Psychological Resilience and Well-Being among Sexual Minorities
Supervisors: Dr. Diane Holmberg and Dr. Karen Blair
Amount: $20,000.00

Dalhousie University

Elizabeth Baker 
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Project:
Supervisors: Dr. Jan Rainey and Dr. John Frampton 
Amount: $20,000.00

Laura Cole
Project: Econometric analysis of socioeconomic inequities in healthcare utilization in Canada: 2001 – 2017
Supervisor:
Amount: $10,000.00

Claudia Cote
Health Administration
Project:
Supervisor: Dr. Christine Herman
Amount: $20,000.00

Carson Halliwell 
Physiotherapy
Project:
Supervisor: Dr. Rebecca Moyer 
Amount: $10,000.00

Teba Hamodat
Psychology & Neuroscience
Project:
Supervisors: Dr. Jillian Filliter and Dr. Isabel Smith 
Amount: $10,000.00

Jasmine Mah
Medicine 
Project:
Supervisors: Dr. Janice Keefe and Dr. Susan Stevens
Amount: $20,000.00

Daniel Medina-Luna 
Microbiology and Immunology
Project:
Supervisor: Dr. Andrew Makrigiannis 
Amount: $10,000.00

Sandra Murphy
Nursing 
Project:
Supervisor: Dr. Lisa Goldberg
Amount: $10,000.00

Lindsey Power
Biomedical Engineering
Project:
Supervisor: Dr. Timothy Bardouille 
Amount: $11,500.00

David Richards
Physiotherapy 
Project:
Supervisor: Dr. Rebecca Moyer 
Amount: $20,000.00

Sarah Schwartz 
Microbiology and Immunology
Project:
Supervisor: Dr. Jeanette Boudreau
Amount: $20,000.00

Gracielle Schwenck
Psychology and Neuroscience 
Project:
Supervisor: Dr. Natalie Rosen
Amount: $2,500.00

Kathleen Vergunst 
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology 
Project:
Supervisor: Dr. David Langelaan 
Amount: $10,000.00

Zachary Visser 
Biomedical Engineering 
Project:
Supervisor: Dr. John Frampton
Amount: $20,000.00

Mount Saint Vincent University

Christopher Barber
Education
Project:
Supervisor: Dr. Krista Ritchie
Amount: $10,000.00

Kathleen Chan
Applied Human Nutrition
Project:
Supervisor: Kyly Whitfield
Amount: $10,000.00

Adena Cox 
Education
Project:
Supervisor: Dr. Steven Smith
Amount: $12,500.00

Hillary Fry
Applied Human Nutrition
Project:
Supervisor: Dr. Kyly Whitfield 
Amount: $20,000.00

Marin Whebby
Applied Human Nutrition
Project:
Supervisor: Dr. Jennifer Brady 
Amount: $12,500.00

Saint Mary’s University

Ashley Francis
Applied Science
Project:
Supervisor: Dr. Derek Fisher
Amount: $9,000.00

Alicia McVarnock
Psychology
Project:
Supervisor: Dr. Leanna Closson
Amount: $10,000.00

Hyunseo Park
Geography and Environmental Studies
Project:
Supervisor: Dr. Min-Jung Kwak
Amount: $10,000.00

Kailey Roche
Psychology
Project:
Supervisor: Dr. Skye Stephens
Amount: $2,500.00

Undergraduate Award

Acadia University

Lily Callon
Biology
Project: Investigating the Cytotoxic and Anti-Proliferative Effects of Phloridzin-Docosahexaenoate on Colon Cancer Cells
Supervisor: Dr. Melanie Coombs
Amount: $3,000.00

Tomer Chaffer
Biology
Project: Epidemiology, Behavioral Interventions, and Pharmacological Approaches to Primary Polydipsia in Persons with Serious Mental Illness: A Meta-Analysis
Supervisor: Dr. Brian Wilson
Amount: $3,000.00

Cristina Forcione
Kinesiology
Project: Whole-body Vibration Training as an Alternative Resistance Exercise Intervention in Type 2 Diabetes
Supervisor: Dr. Jonathon Fowles
Amount: $3,000.00

Yingqi Li
Biology and Mathematics
Project: Effects of Mastoparan Derivatives on Leukemia Cells
Supervisor: Dr. Melanie Coombs
Amount: $3,000.00

Katelyn McMillan
Biology
Project: Investigating the Anticancer Effects of Mastoparan Against HCT 116 +/+ Colon Cancer Cells
Supervisor: Dr. Melanie Coombs
Amount: $3,000.00

Brooke Thompson
Kinesiology
Project: The Effects of Neuromuscular Training Intervention on Clinical Risk Factors for Sport Related Concussion in Female Athletes
Supervisor: Dr. Lauren Lattimer
Amount: $3,000.00

Robert Tupper
Psychology and Computer Science
Project: I Want to Live: How Desire for Life Moderates the Impact of Self-Esteem and Mortality Salience on Anxiety
Supervisor: Dr. Joseph Hayes
Amount: $3,000.00

Lindsay Wyatt
Psychology
Project: The Neurocognitive Mechanisms Underlying a Gradual Home-Based Therapeutic Prism Adaptation Protocol: An Electroencephalographic Investigation
Supervisor: Dr. Anne Sophie Champod
Amount: $3,000.00

Cape Breton University

Samar Ali
Chemistry
Project: Synthesis of Lignin Nanoparticles for the Effective Administration of Antibiotics in Wound Care Management
Supervisor: Dr. Martin Mkandawire
Amount: $5,000.00

Rahaf Geisa
Chemistry
Project: Intercepting Plastic Toxins From the Food Chain Through Conversion to Oil
Supervisor: Dr. Martin Mkandawire
Amount: $5,000.00

Robyn Shibinette
Nursing
Project: Exploring Nursing Student Experiences with Symptoms of Burnout While Being Enrolled in An Accelerated Nursing Program: A Qualitative Study
Supervisor: Dr. Rebecca MacDougall
Amount: $5,000.00

Mount Saint Vincent University

Sarah MacNeil
Psychology
Project: Auditory Change Detection and Auditory Hallucinations in Bipolar Disorder
Supervisor: Dr. Derek Fisher
Amount: $5,000.00

St. Francis Xavier University

Alexa Davis
Nursing
Project: A Multifaceted Evaluation of Provincial Maternal Tdap (Tetanus, Diphtheria, and Acellular Pertussis Vaccine) Immunization Programs
Supervisors: Dr. Donna Halperin and Dr. Scott Halperin
Amount: $4,800.00

Charlotte Elliott
Health
Project: Enhanced Microbial Detection using DNA Aptamer Functionalized Gold Nanoparticles
Supervisors: Dr. Geniece Hallet-Tapley and Dr. Mohamed Shahjahan Gulam Razul
Amount: $4,800.00

Andreina Gregor
Sociology and Psychology
Project: Barriers and Facilitators to Quality Late-Life Long-Term Care: An Intersectional Analysis of Care Relationships
Supervisors: Dr. Katie Aubrecht and Dr. Janice Keefe
Amount: $4,800.00

Prahar Ijner
Science
Project: Ensemble Learning Using Convolutional Neural Networks for Detecting Abnormalities in Medical Images
Supervisor: Dr. Jacob Levman
Amount: $4,800.00

Claire Joseph
Nursing
Project: Barriers and Facilitators to Accessing Sexualized Violence Prevention and Response Services for Racialized Students on a University Campus in Canada
Supervisor: Dr. Debbie Sheppard-LeMoine
Amount: $4,800.00

Catherine Kennedy
Sociology
Project: A Phenomenology of Rest: Implications for Well-Being
Supervisor: Dr. Riley Chisholm
Amount: $4,800.00

Juliana Khoury
Psychology
Project: The Role of Risk Perception in Sexual Victimization
Supervisor: Dr. Margo Watt
Amount: $4,800.00

MacKenzie Muir
Psychology
Project: University Sexual Violence Policies: Perceptions of Students and University Counsellors
Supervisor: Dr. Angela Weaver
Amount: $4,800.00

Margaret Oliver
Human Kinetics
Project: The Comradery Effects of a Group Fitness Program on the Quality of Life of Older Men Living in Rural Nova Scotia
Supervisor: Dr. Angie Kolen
Amount: $4,800.00

Kamy Roberge
Health
Project: Health and Violence: A Cross-Country Comparison of the Role of Health Professionals in Policy Debates on Gun Violence
Supervisor: Dr. Christina Holmes
Amount: $4,800.00