WCVM researchers excel at USask Life and Health Sciences Research Expo

The annual event features the wide range of health sciences research and learning projects that are based at USask and throughout Saskatchewan.

More than 100 participants gathered in the university’s Health Sciences Building to showcase their research work through poster and paper presentations for USask colleagues and a panel of judges.

Participants competed for over $5,000 in prizes across categories that included basic, translational, clinical and applied science as well as social and population health. Awards were also presented for top student-nominated supervisors.

The event included 24 WCVM students, with eight participants receiving first- and second-place prizes in judge scoring.

Dr. Behzad Toosi (DVM, PhD), an assistant professor in WCVM’s Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences and the Allard Research Chair in Oncology, also received a Best Supervisor Award — one of two such awards given at the event. Dr. Jessica Sharpe (DVM), a PhD student who is part of Toosi’s research group, nominated him for the honour.

The following list includes all WCVM award recipients in the event’s different categories. Click here to view the full list of research award recipients.

SUPERVISOR AWARDS

Best Supervisor Award

Dr. Behzad Toosi (DVM, PhD), Assistant Professor, WCVM
Nominated by Dr. Jessica Sharpe

BASIC SCIENCE 1 CATEGORY

First place: Kira Mudrey, Department of Veterinary Microbiology, WCVM
Poster title: “Molecular diagnostic methods for brucella abortus detection in wood bison.”
Supervisor: Dr. Tim Dumonceaux, WCVM/Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

BASIC SCIENCE 3 CATEGORY

Second place: Leonie Bettin, Department of Veterinary Microbiology, WCVM
Poster title: “Investigating the cytotoxic potential of porcine gamma-delta t cells."
Supervisor: Dr. Volker Gerdts, WCVM/VIDO

BASIC SCIENCE 4 CATEGORY

First place: Victoria Gonzalez, Department of Veterinary Pathology, WCVM
Poster title: “I canonical and non-canonical features of the bat interferon response."
Supervisors: Dr. Arinjay Banerjee, WCVM

Second place: Marina Carla Bezerra da Silva, Department of Veterinary Pathology, WCVM
Poster title: “From larva to adult: in vitro rearing protocol for honey bee (Apis mellifera) drones.”
Supervisors: Drs. Sarah Wood and Elemir Simko, WCVM

TRANSLATIONAL, CLINICAL OR APPLIED SCIENCE 1 CATEGORY

First place: Hemlata Gautam, Department of Veterinary Pathology, WCVM
Poster title: “Induction of immune response against necrotic enteritis by a single intrapulmonary live clostridium perfringens vaccine at hatch: uncovering the principles of gut-lung axis.”
Supervisor: Dr. Susantha Gomis, WCVM

Second place: Iresha Subhasinghe, Department of Veterinary Pathology, WCVM
Poster title: “Protection of broiler chickens from lethal bacterial infections by trained immunity initiated by CPG-ODN.”
Supervisor: Dr. Susantha Gomis, WCVM

TRANSLATIONAL, CLINICAL, OR APPLIED SCIENCE 2 CATEGORY

Second place: Emilio Enrique Tellarini Prieto, Department of Veterinary Pathology, WCVM
Poster title: “Effects of incremental doses of vaporized oxalic acid on honey bee workers and queens.”
Supervisor: Dr. Sarah Wood, WCVM

SOCIAL AND POPULATION HEALTH 1 CATEGORY

First place: Oleksii Obshta, Department of Veterinary Pathology, WCVM
Poster title: “Global surveillance of antibiotic-resistant Paenibacillus larvae using commercially available honey samples.”
Supervisor: Dr. Sarah Wood, WCVM