Four students awarded the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship in 2024
The Edwin S.H. Leong Centre for Healthy Children is proud to announce that two of its Leong Scholars, Erica Wennberg and Sarah Maleki, both under the supervision of the Centre’s Co-Directors, have been awarded the prestigious Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships for the 2024 cycle. Additionally, Bryan Gascon and Lauren Tailor, two trainees from the Child Health Evaluative Sciences program at the SickKids Research Institute, have also received this honour.
This award, established by the Government of Canada in 2008, aims to attract and retain outstanding doctoral students, positioning Canada as a leader for research and higher education.
Please join us in congratulating these recipients on their remarkable achievement.
Sarah Malecki
Sarah Malecki is a General Internal Medicine fellow at the University of Toronto and a PhD student in Clinical Epidemiology and Healthcare Research at the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation. She is supervised by Dr. Eyal Cohen, Co-Director of the Edwin S.H. Leong Centre for Healthy Children. Her research focuses on characterizing and comparing the resource use and morbidity/mortality trajectories of adults with pediatric-onset complex diseases.
“My work will show the impact of an emerging population on the adult healthcare system, and explore the possibility of accelerated aging (i.e. accelerated accrual of common adult-onset conditions) in these young adults. I expect this work will support development of new models of care to anticipate and manage evolving complexity from transition to adult care onwards, and I envision multi-disciplinary "adult complex care teams" that mirror models on the pediatric side.”
Erica Wennberg
Erica Wennberg is in her 3rd year as a PhD student and 4th year as an MD-PhD student at the University of Toronto. She is supervised by Dr. Astrid Guttmann, Co-Director of the Edwin S.H. Leong Centre for Healthy Children. Her research focuses on the use and quality of virtual mental health care for youth and young adults.
“Virtual care expanded during the COVID-19 pandemic and is likely to remain a fixture of healthcare, particularly in the provision of care for mental health needs. The goal of my research is to guide decision-making regarding its future role in the mental health care of youth and young adults.”
Bryan Gascon
Bryan Gascon is currently a 4th year student in the MD/PhD program at the University of Toronto. He is supervised by Dr. Avram Denburg, a Scientist in the Child Health Evaluative Sciences program at The Hospital for Sick Children. His research focuses on the sustainment and sustainability of programs for improving early detection and diagnosis of childhood cancers in Kenya and Cameroon, using both quantitative and qualitative methods.
“The sustainment and sustainability of health programs are among the most significant translational research problems of our time. My PhD research aims to advance our understanding of sustainability in health systems and in low-and middle-income countries contexts. I hope to identify strategies that promote the continued use and long-term benefit of these interventions for children with cancer worldwide.”
Lauren Tailor
Lauren Tailor is a 2nd year PhD student in the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto. She is also a pharmacist with a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Waterloo School of Pharmacy. Her research is co-supervised by Dr. Sonia Grandi, a scientist in the Child Health Evaluative Sciences program at The Hospital for Sick Children, and Dr. Hilary Brown, an Associate Professor in the Department of Health & Society and the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto. Her research focuses on perinatal and pediatric pharmacoepidemiology, specifically prenatal exposure to antidepressants and cardiometabolic outcomes among offspring.
“My research aims to expand healthcare and patient knowledge on the long-term cardiometabolic safety of antidepressants during pregnancy. By providing evidence-based information on mental health medications for mothers and their children, I hope to empower healthcare providers, pregnant individuals, and their families to make informed decisions. This can improve maternal and child health outcomes, reduce stigma, and influence healthcare policies, ultimately fostering a more supportive environment for families.”