Summer research highlights strength of college’s interdisciplinary research programs

Research plays a critical role in the college’s success and allows students to foster academic growth and discovery, while creating a foundation for new knowledge.

The college’s Interdisciplinary Summer Research program is designed for USask students across the health sciences. The college also offers Biomedical Summer Research Projects, which are open to students in the Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology and Dean’s Summer Research Projects, which offer research opportunities to first and second-year undergraduate medical students.

This year 115 students engaged in summer research projects within the College of Medicine.

In addition to completing their projects, students presented their work at a virtual Undergraduate Student Showcase on October 16. View their project posters and abstracts online until October 31.

A few of the college’s research students share their experiences below.    

Sam Bundus

Sam Bundus completed her undergraduate degree in Physiology and Pharmacology in Saskatoon but returned home for medical school at USask’s Regina campus.  

She is excited to be working on a Dean’s Summer Research Project this year as a second-year student noting she looked forward to the opportunity to dive into the world of research. 

Sam is working with Dr. Susan Petryk (MD), a Regina pediatrician and currently the only physician in Southern Saskatchewan who assesses individuals for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD).  

The project aims to compare the diagnosis and associated factors of FASD in Southern Saskatchewan with those in the Prairie Provinces of Alberta and Manitoba. “Our comparison focuses on demographics, referral patterns, neurodevelopmental assessment outcomes, and differences in mental health disorders,” Sam says.    

“The goal is to provide insights into the variations among the Prairie Provinces regarding FASD diagnosis and its related aspects within Canada.” She adds that each province examines different demographics and the research could determine if other differences might exist. 

Sam says her experience doing research has been good so far. To students who are looking to apply for a Dean’s Summer Research Project in the future, Sam says apply if you don’t have the experience. She herself had never done research before and it’s been a great experience.

“I’ve been working with a great team who helps me every step of the way. I’ve learned so much already,” she says.

Outside of the research project, Sam has gotten involved with student organizations such as SHRIP (Students for Harm Reduction and Informed Policy), as well as volunteering with organizations such as SEARCH (Student Energy in Action for Regina Community).

Michelle Desjarlais

“I was super excited and grateful for the opportunity when I was told I was accepted for a Dean’s Summer Research project – especially since it is in Obstetrics and Gynecology,” says Michelle Desjarlais, a second-year Regina campus student.  

Together with principal investigator Dr. Sarah Smith (MD), research specialists Karolina Grzyb and Kirat Shukla, as well as fellow Regina campus student Natisha Thakkar, Desjarlais has been working through a review of over 300 patient charts. Her focus is on patients who have undergone a cesarean section and permanent contraception through salpingectomy, a surgical removal of one or both fallopian tubes. 

“There has been more of a shift towards salpingectomy due to its implications in ovarian cancer risk reduction,” however, Michelle explains that some studies have shown the use of an advanced bipolar energy device is associated with shorter procedure time, hospital stay, and a higher completion rate compared to a traditional salpingectomy.  

“Use of advanced energy devices for salpingectomy may also increase the accessibility of this procedure to other physicians providing cesarean section who do not have formal obstetrics and gynecology training.” 

For this research project, Michelle has two goals. Her primary goal is to provide valuable information on this topic that could ultimately impact the increased implementation of this device to benefit patients receiving a salpingectomy. Her personal goal is to gain better insight into Obstetrics and Gynecology, a specialty she hopes to be lucky enough to match to in the future. 

Michelle says she has learned so much including how these procedures are completed, reading patients charts, improving her scientific writing, and more.  

While the research has kept Michelle busy, she has found time to immerse herself into volunteering as a crisis line worker for the Regina Sexual Assault Clinic. She says the skills she has learned such as trauma informed communication have been a great transferrable asset to her medical school education and career. In addition, as the Year Two SMSS Social Rep, Michelle has spent time planning events for Regina’s new cohort, the Class of 2028 and for her own Class of 2027.

Kevin Entwistle

Third-year Regina medical student Kevin Entwistle is gaining valuable knowledge through his Dean’s Summer Research Project as he discovers the inner workings of research through analyzing survey data and performing qualitative research through participant interviews. 
 
Under the supervision of Dr. Nazeem Muhajarine (PhD) and the population health unit in Saskatoon, Kevin’s project consists of learning how public trust in government and healthcare changed from before the pandemic to now, and what factors influenced that change. 

The purpose of the project is to find out what is important to people when it comes to communications from institutions. This information will assist in better informing public policy right now but also during the next health crisis. 
 
“Working on this project helps me accomplish a few things,” Kevin says. “I get to learn more about research, including how the process works and how to better understand reading other people’s research too. In addition, this is great experience that I can include on my CV for submitting a Canadian Resident Matching Service (CaRMS) application.” 
 
As for the advice he would give students who want to apply for a Dean’s Summer Research Project in the future, Kevin strongly suggests having their CV updated before applications open. “You want to try to get your application in as soon as possible for a project that interests you.” 
 
He also says if you have a genuine connection to the material, make sure that shines through in the application. 
 
In addition to his passion for research and public health, Kevin was also president of the artificial intelligence in medical systems society which has given him important leadership experience. 
 
“I also try to attend lots of lunch talks, and participate in learning events to expand my knowledge, especially for disciplines I am interested in.”

Justin Klassen

Justin Klassen is a fourth-year College of Medicine student studying biochemistry, microbiology and immunology.

This summer, he tackled a research project exploring the Zika virus and the methods it uses to infect cells.

“Doing this project was important to me because it felt like the first step toward a lifelong career,” says Klassen, who worked in the lab with supervisor Dr. Anil Kumar (PhD), a USask virologist and professor.

Their goal was to identify unknown host factors that the Zika virus depends on for infection, specifically looking at microproteins. They hypothesized that removing them would make infection harder.

Using CRISPR technology, Klassen removed specific microprotein genes from human cells and created modified cell lines. He then tested how these changes affected the virus's ability to infect compared to normal cells, using viral titration and qPCR techniques.

“Although this research is still in its early stages, our long-term goal is to develop more effective treatments for Zika. While we can manage symptoms, there’s currently no cure,” he explained. “Identifying these microproteins could pave the way for new treatment avenues.”

Klassen reflects fondly on his summer research opportunity with and is now considering graduate programs to further his knowledge.

“I loved every minute of this experience. I got my first real experience with lab work and a great look at what a life of research would be like, and it excited me for my future career," he said.

"My supervisor and the lab staff were fantastic and did a great job of welcoming to an unfamiliar environment. This project has really sparked my interest in this field and has added a new level of excitement to my classes and university experience as a whole.”

Mahrukh Masood

“As each and every project is so unique and diverse, I believe that there is a project out there for everyone,” says Mahrukh Masood.

Masood is excited to have the opportunity to work on a Dean’s Summer Research Project. She says having completed a master’s degree in neurophysiology, she often finds herself being drawn back to research.  

“It is complex, focused and challenging but also stimulating, exciting and rewarding,” she says. 
 
A third-year medical student at the Regina campus, Mahrukh spent her summer working with Dr. Polya Ninova (MD) and Sabiha Sultan on the health outcome of young children born to antenatal COVID-19 positive mothers. 
 
“The long-term effects on children born to mothers who had COVID-19 at any point during their pregnancy remains unclear,” Mahrukh says, “so we are analyzing if there is an increased risk of adverse health outcomes in the first two years of life.” 
 
The results from the research will help inform the development of clinical guidelines to assist in the care of those children and address their health challenges and needs. 
 
Mahrukh is excited to be a part of a research project that will improve and expand scientific literature, and is enjoying taking the knowledge she gained from her first two years of medical school and applying it to the project.

Allison Novecosky

Allison Novecosky is now in her final year of a BSc degree in Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology at the College of Medicine’s Saskatoon campus. She was excited to spend the past few months in the lab for the first time as a summer research student.

“Knowing that I would be able to apply to this program that would let me dip my toes in to see how I feel about the research process felt really important to me,” she says. “If I have an opportunity to try something, I definitely want to take that opportunity.”

She worked with supervisor Dr. Wei Xiao (PhD) on a project that uses a yeast model to better understand DNA damage tolerance—a process that can occur in cells in which damage to DNA is tolerated and bypassed, instead of being repaired.

“Genomic stability is kind of the basis of cancers and inherited diseases. Anything that we can do to have a better understanding of some of these DNA damage response pathways is going to be applicable to these diseases in humans and in plants,” she says.

Her work is contributing to a better understanding of how the DNA damage tolerance pathway works.

Novecosky received a National Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Undergraduate Student Research Award and a College of Medicine biomedical summer research fund award to support her project.

She recommends that students interested in summer research find a project that aligns with their interests and take time to learn about the supervisor they’re applying to work with.

Her summer work has led her to pursue an honours project as part of her degree, and she’ll be building on her summer project throughout the school year.

In addition to her studies, Novecosky is a USask Huskie athlete on the track and field and cross-country teams, which she says has helped her develop discipline and focus toward her studies – and now her science.

Jian Park                

Jian Park completed her bachelor’s degree in biochemistry, microbiology, and immunology at USaskthis spring. She is now a graduate student in Dr. Jeff Dong’s (PhD) lab.

Park plans to an immunology research career, and her Dean's Summer Research Project provided her with additional lab experience and deepened her knowledge of immunology.

“Being in a lab allowed me to try new laboratory techniques, such as cell culturing, immunofluorescent staining and RNA isolation, and allowed me to apply skills I’ve learned in the course," she said. "In addition, it's been a privilege to be able to work with supportive and encouraging lab members, who’ve always welcomed discussions and giving advice about this project.”

Park’s project investigated the responses of macrophages to oxidized phosphatidylcholine in the context of TREM2 expression.

“When reactive oxygen species react with phosphatidylcholine, an abundant lipid in cell membranes, this creates a cytotoxic molecule known as oxidized phosphatidylcholine (OXPC)," said Park.

"Previous literature shows that microglia, resident macrophages in the brain, plays a role in OXPC neutralization by responding to OXPC through a lipid sensing receptor known as TREM2. Our lab wants to further investigate the effects of OXPC on macrophages and the intracellular mechanisms of OXPC neutralization by macrophages."

For her project, Park worked with Dr. Jeff Dong, Shirley Yu, Kenny Ta, Ally Seifert, Qurat UI Ain, Racheal Dignean, lab managers, and Lab Animal Services Unit faculty.

When not in the lab, Park participates in journal clubs, and attends symposiums and conferences. She found this project was a valuable way to build skills outside of experiments and lab work.

“Being actively involved in research forces you to learn other skills—presentation skills, writing skills, communication and teamwork skills, and problem-solving skills—which can be valuable for different careers beyond research.”

Michael Thorpe

Michael Thorpe, a second-year Regina student was led to apply for a Dean’s Summer Research Project because he wanted to know what conducting research was all about. 
 
“I wanted to experience having my own hand in the research process,” he says. “Having a project with a specified timeline and smaller objectives felt like a great way to gain that initial experience.” 
 
When he received word his application to take on a research project was accepted, Michael felt it was confirmation the project was purposeful and something worth exploring. 
 
Working alongside Dr. David Kopriva (MD) and in partnership with the University of Regina’s Dean of Kinesiology, Dr. John Barden (PhD), the research looks at outcomes in vascular claudication patients who have undergone invasive revascularization in their lower extremities to reduce persistent claudication symptoms. 
 
This will give the group an opportunity to see if receiving revascularization procedures causes patient’s walking characteristics to improve. The outcome Michael hopes to obtain from his project is a deeper understanding peripheral arterial disease and how it may impact patient’s functional capacity and subsequent quality of life. 
 
As for how it’s going so far, he says the first-hand conversations he’s had with patients have made it worth it. “Having an understanding of the patient’s story and putting that in the context of their clinical history and walking characteristics has been a rewarding process.” 
 
For students who want to pursue a Dean’s Summer Research Project in the future, Michael advises to let curiosity be their guide. “Don’t be afraid to approach faculty members with questions or ideas.” 
 
He adds that having an open mind and a genuine curiosity will go a long way in finding a supervisor and project that works for each individual student. 
 
Outside of his research project, Michael enjoys shadowing local physicians and mentoring at his old gymnastics club in his spare time. “I also plan to stay involved in school clubs I was a part of in my first year.” 

Terri Thunder

“I thought it was really important to support patients who usually fall through the cracks,” says Terri Thunder, a second-year medical student who completed a Dean’s Summer Research Project. 

Her goal was to document the experience of patients receiving treatment for endocarditis, a life-threatening heart infection that disproportionately affects people who use drugs intravenously. More than half of endocarditis patients in Saskatchewan are Indigenous, with many factors influencing their experiences in care.

“I thought that since this patient population is very different from elsewhere in Canada, or even in North America, that it was important to understand how care plans are impacting their outcomes and using that to inform changes in procedure or policy,” she said.

“It’s a complex issue, but I wanted to do what I could.”

Thunder joined the Multi-Disciplinary Endocarditis (MENDO) Pathway Project for the summer, collecting patient stories through semi-structured interviews – contributing to a body of research that aims to improve outcomes for patients with endocarditis.

She worked with internist Dr. Benjamin Leis (MD), researcher Dr. Cara Spence (PhD), patient support worker Stacey Naytowhow and social worker Lianna Mackinnon.

The MENDO team is building a model of multidisciplinary, wraparound care, which includes support from staff who help patients find housing, access government services and attend follow-up care.

Thunder shadowed Leis during her first year of medical school, and was inspired to get involved with MENDO, approaching him with her idea for a research project.

She said her project presented an interesting challenge – while she holds a MSc in chemistry, this was her first experience conducting qualitative research, so the summer gave her a crash course in epidemiology.

“I learned a lot this summer, and I was really thankful for the opportunity,” she said.

Outside of classes, Thunder is a parent to a five-year-old. She also serves as the senior Indigenous Health Representative for the Student Medical Society of Saskatchewan, advocating for improved health outcomes and representation of Indigenous perspectives within the medical school curriculum.