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 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.
$960,000
Funding
38
Students
5
Institutions
Project: Non-invasive Localization of Epileptic Seizure Onset Zone using Blood-Brain Barrier Imaging in Drug-Resistant Epilepsy: A Promising Diagnostic Approach
Laith AlHadeed
Master’s Scotia Scholars Award
Dalhousie University
Supervisor(s): Dr. Alon Friedman
RNS Funding Contribution: $20,000.00
Project: Investigating the imbedded nature of turnover in nursing: Who quits, why, and what can be done about it
Gregory Anderson
Doctoral Scotia Scholars Award
Saint Mary’s University (SMU)
Supervisor(s): Dr. Debra Gilin
RNS Funding Contribution: $18,750.00
Project: Optical Engineering through Novel Micro/Nanoscale Structures for Blood Biosensing
Arslan Asim
Doctoral Scotia Scholars Award
Dalhousie University
Supervisor(s): Dr. Michael Cada
RNS Funding Contribution: $37,500.00
Project: Electrocortical Markers of Auditory Change Detection Mechanisms in High-Risk Psychosis Populations
Jenna Bissonnette
Doctoral Scotia Scholars Award
Dalhousie University
Supervisor(s): Dr. Igor Yakovenko & Dr. Derek Fisher
RNS Funding Contribution: $56,250.00
Project: Does Income Modify the Association Between Excess Gestational Weight Gain and Key Perinatal Outcomes? A Population-Based Retrospective Cohort Study of Pregnant Individuals in Nova Scotia
Cameron Bruce
Master’s Scotia Scholars Award
Dalhousie University
Supervisor(s): Dr. Christy Woolcott
RNS Funding Contribution: $12,500.00
Project: Investigating the mechanisms of long non-coding RNA in cancer, with a specific focus on NRAD1 in triple-negative breast cancer
Hannah Cahill
Doctoral Scotia Scholars Award
Dalhousie University
Supervisor(s): Dr. Paola Marcato
RNS Funding Contribution: $75,000.00
Project: Intolerance of uncertainty as a moderator of relationship uncertainty and conflict
Tessa Cosman
Master’s Scotia Scholars Award
Acadia University
Supervisor(s): Dr. Kathryn Bell & Dr. Diane Holmberg
RNS Funding Contribution: $12,500.00
Project: Establishing a Spatio-Temporal Baseline of Gene Expression After Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury
Laura Dauphinee
Master’s Scotia Scholars Award
Dalhousie University
Supervisor(s): Dr. Sean Christie
RNS Funding Contribution: $12,500.00
Project: The Effect of Environmental Factors on Mental Health Outcomes in Nova Scotia
Alexandra Del Favero-Campbell
Doctoral Scotia Scholars Award
Dalhousie University
Supervisor(s): Dr. Kelvin Fong
RNS Funding Contribution: $75,000.00
Project: Alternative Imagery as a Frame of Repair
Fanny Desroches
Master’s Scotia Scholars Award
Nova Scotia College of Art and Design (NSCAD University)
Supervisor(s): Adrian Fish
RNS Funding Contribution: $5,000.00
Project: Compassionate care for the mind and body: An empirical evaluation of a brief self-compassion intervention for improving sexual functioning after treatments for breast cancer
Kaylee Dyall
Master’s Scotia Scholars Award
Acadia University
Supervisor(s): Dr. Stéphanie Gauvin
RNS Funding Contribution: $12,500.00
Project: Does cannabidiol impact acute stress and anxiety responses in individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder and trauma-exposed healthy adults when presented trauma-related cues
Mikaela Ethier-Gagnon
Master’s Scotia Scholars Award
Dalhousie University
Supervisor(s): Dr. Sean Barrett & Dr. Sherry Stewart
RNS Funding Contribution: $22,500.00
Project: Virtual Reality (VR) Rehabilitation With Community Stroke Patients: A Pilot Study
Summer Fox
Master’s Scotia Scholars Award
Acadia University
Supervisor(s): Dr. Daniel Blustein
RNS Funding Contribution: $12,500.00
Project: Social-Emotional Learning in Canadian Elementary Curricula: An Assessment of its Alignment to Psychological Evidence
Julia Hall
Master’s Scotia Scholars Award
Mount Saint Vincent University (MSVU)
Supervisor(s): Dr. Krista Ritchie
RNS Funding Contribution: $12,500.00
Project: Examining outcomes for individual and group based Cognitive Behaviour Therapy – Ten (CBT-T) for eating disorders
Anastasia Harris
Master’s Scotia Scholars Award
Dalhousie University
Supervisor(s): Dr. Susan Gamberg & Dr. Aaron Keshen
RNS Funding Contribution: $12,500.00
Project: Fabric-based Wearable Sensors for Early Detection of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Mal Hedrick
Doctoral Scotia Scholars Award
Saint Mary’s University (SMU)
Supervisor(s): Dr. Christa Brosseau
RNS Funding Contribution: $18,750.00
Project: Speech production and hearing loss in older adults: Somatosensory feedback as a clinical tool for more accurate speech in hearing loss
Lindsay Heyland
Master’s Scotia Scholars Award
Acadia University
Supervisor(s): Dr. Daniel Lametti
RNS Funding Contribution: $12,500.00
Project: Experiences of Sexual Fluidity and Associated Health Outcomes: Towards a New Model of Understanding
Meaghan Hymers
Master’s Scotia Scholars Award
Acadia University
Supervisor(s): Dr. Diane Holmberg & Dr. Karen Blair
RNS Funding Contribution: $5,000.00
Project: An Exploration of Nova Scotian School Psychologists’ Learning Disability Diagnostic Practices
Ashley Kennedy
Master’s Scotia Scholars Award
Mount Saint Vincent University (MSVU)
Supervisor(s): Dr. Jamie Metsala
RNS Funding Contribution: $12,500.00
Project: Caring for the Instrument: Fine Tuning Teacher Wellness in Nova Scotia
Erika Kirk
Doctoral Scotia Scholars Award
Acadia University
Supervisor(s): Dr. Tanya Surette
RNS Funding Contribution: $18,750.00
Project: Improving ROP Screening Pain in Premature Infants with Intranasal Fentanyl
Helen McCord
Doctoral Scotia Scholars Award
Dalhousie University
Supervisor(s): Dr. Marsha Campbell-Yeo
RNS Funding Contribution: $75,000.00
Project: Characterizing Neurological Damage and Cognitive Impairments in Long COVID Patients: An Integrated Approach using Neuroimaging and Neurocognitive Assessment
Betsabe McCord
Master’s Scotia Scholars Award
Dalhousie University
Supervisor(s): Dr. Carlos Hernandez Castillo
RNS Funding Contribution: $25,000.00
Project: Psychological Barriers that Women with Substance Use Issues Experience During Reintegration After Incarceration
Jordyn Monaghan
Master’s Scotia Scholars Award
Saint Mary’s University (SMU)
Supervisor(s): Dr. Marguerite Ternes
RNS Funding Contribution: $12,500.00
Project: Defining the role of peroxisome-derived lipid during neurogenesis in a Peroxisome Biogenesis Disorder fruit fly model
Yizhu Mu
Doctoral Scotia Scholars Award
Dalhousie University
Supervisor(s): Dr. Francesca Di Cara
RNS Funding Contribution: $18,750.00
Project: Formulating salt premix co-fortified with thiamine and iodine
Jessica O’Flaherty
Master’s Scotia Scholars Award
Mount Saint Vincent University (MSVU)
Supervisor(s): Dr. Kyly Whitfield
RNS Funding Contribution: $12,500.00
Project: Utilitarian Processing: A Strengths-Based Approach to Examining Ways that Autistic Persons Understand the World Around Them
Emily Pico
Master’s Scotia Scholars Award
Acadia University
Supervisor(s): Dr. Darlene Brodeur
RNS Funding Contribution: $12,500.00
Project: Investigating the role for a natural killer cell-based immunotherapy for high-grade serous carcinoma within an engineered tumor microenvironment
Morgan Pugh-Toole
Doctoral Scotia Scholars Award
Dalhousie University
Supervisor(s): Dr. Jeanette Boudreau & Dr. Brendan Leung
RNS Funding Contribution: $75,000.00
Project: Influence of Frailty on Cardiac Rehabilitation: A Harmonized Analysis of Five Cardiac Rehabilitation Databases in Canada and Europe
Jack Quach
Doctoral Scotia Scholars Award
Dalhousie University
Supervisor(s): Dr. Olga Theou & Dr. Scott Kehler
RNS Funding Contribution: $56,250.00
Project: The Intergenerational Impacts of Military Service Related Moral Injury
Kathryn Reeves
Master’s Scotia Scholars Award
Mount Saint Vincent University (MSVU)
Supervisor(s): Dr. Deborah Norris
RNS Funding Contribution: $25,000.00
Project: Social Choreography Lab
Lauren Runions
Master’s Scotia Scholars Award
Nova Scotia College of Art and Design (NSCAD University)
Supervisor(s): Craig Leonard
RNS Funding Contribution: $10,000.00
Project: Targets for Cancer: KRAS and YAP Require Phosphatidylserine Trafficking
David Sapp
Master’s Scotia Scholars Award
Dalhousie University
Supervisor(s): Dr. Gregory Fairn
RNS Funding Contribution: $12,500.00
Project: Stress and Safety Outcomes Among Healthcare Workers: The Moderating Effect of S.A.F.E.R Leadership
Diana Serban
Doctoral Scotia Scholars Award
Saint Mary’s University (SMU)
Supervisor(s): Dr. Kevin Kelloway
RNS Funding Contribution: $18,750.00
Project: A Novel Network-Based Algorithm for Predicting Drug-Drug Interactions
Naeem Shirmohammady
Master’s Scotia Scholars Award
Saint Mary’s University (SMU)
Supervisor(s): Dr. Somayeh Kafaie
RNS Funding Contribution: $12,500.00
Project: Testing the Interactive Associations of Cannabis Potency and Cannabis Use Regimen on Cannabis Consumption and Dependence Levels in Trauma-Exposed Individuals
Thomas Snooks
Master’s Scotia Scholars Award
Dalhousie University
Supervisor(s): Dr. Sherry Stewart & Dr. Phil Tibbo
RNS Funding Contribution: $12,500.00
Project: Understanding the Process of Knowledge Brokering in the Context of Children’s Health
Emily Wildeboer
Doctoral Scotia Scholars Award
Dalhousie University
Supervisor(s): Dr. Christine Chambers
RNS Funding Contribution: $56,250.00
Project: The Impact of Cannabinoids on Heart Development in Zebrafish
Katharine Yeo
Master’s Scotia Scholars Award
Dalhousie University
Supervisor(s): Dr. Alex Quinn
RNS Funding Contribution: $25,000.00
Project: Perceived barriers to Mental Health Services among Canadians with perceived mental health needs
S M Kawser Zafor Prince
Master’s Scotia Scholars Award
Dalhousie University
Supervisor(s): Dr. JianLi Wang
RNS Funding Contribution: $25,000.00
Project: Marine Data Sonification and Visualization as Educational Public Art
Eruige (Brigitta) Zhao
Master’s Scotia Scholars Award
Nova Scotia College of Art and Design (NSCAD University)
Supervisor(s): David Clark
RNS Funding Contribution: $10,000.00