Career Event

This event is co-hosted with UHN Office of Research Trainees (ORT)

About the event

Trainees will learn and explore different career paths and provides an opportunity to ask questions and network with professionals. This is an highly interactive event. Speakers will share their career positions and organizations, and how they have navigated their career paths.

Format of event

* Invited speakers panel
* Open Q&A Session
* Informal networking

Who can attend?
This event is geared to undergraduate students, MD’s, graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows within affiliated programs at UHN, SickKids, St. Michael’s Hospital, University of Toronto, and the UHN Research community.

Please share the event flyer to interested individuals

Notice of Photography
When you attend this event, you enter an area where photography may occur. By entering the event premises, you consent to such recording media and its release, publication, exhibition or reproduction.

Speaker Profiles

Dr. Laura Donahoe completed her undergraduate degree in Health Sciences at McMaster University and received her M.D. from Queen's University. She did general surgery training at Dalhousie University and thoracic surgery training at the University of Toronto, with a one-year fellowship specializing in CTEPH, mesothelioma and lung transplantation. She recently completed a MSc in Health Sciences Education at McMaster University. Her research interests are varied and include CTEPH, mesothelioma, germ cell tumours and surgical education.

Ramzi Khattar was a research associate working under the guidance of Drs. Gary Levy and Nazia Selzner to expand understanding of the various immunoregulatory roles of a molecule known as, fibrinogen-like protein 2 (FGL2) in viral infection, cancer and the induction of immune tolerance in transplantation. By full engagement of with the staff at UHN and the superb mentorship of his supervisory team, he was presented with numerous opportunities to both collaborate, learn and grow professionally. As part of his strive for continuous improvement, Ramzi took further educational certifications and joined Health Canada as a Regulatory Compliance and Enforcement Officer to implement risk-based inspections for licensed producers of medical marijuana under the Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations and Cannabis Regulations. In his current role, Ramzi joined Roche Canada as a Senior Technical Manager for Global Annual Product Quality Review, examining all quality related issues within Roche's global manufacturing portfolio. Taking away from his experiences early on as a graduate student and inspiration from his supervisors, Ramzi hopes to continue to drive innovation, while consistently ensuring the delivery of high quality drugs to those who critically need them

Alejandro Gomez-Aristizabal is a scientist working at Bluerock Therapeutics, where he investigates the immunology of pluripotent stem cell (PSC) derived cells as well as the derivation and functional evaluation of immune cells derived from PSCs. Alejandro completed his PhD at the University of Toronto, followed by postdoctorates at Tissue Regeneration Therapeutics and later at UHN investigating the immunology of arthritis and possible cell-based immunotherapies.

Natalie Farra is an alumni of the University of Toronto (HBSc 2007, PhD 2012), she completed her Honours Bachelor of Science degree at the University of Toronto, and her Ph.D. in the Department of Molecular Genetics at the Hospital for Sick Children under the mentorship of Dr. James Ellis. Her research thesis “Rett Syndrome Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Neurons Exhibit Electrophysiological Aberrations” involved devising and testing a new method to study autism spectrum disorder using iPS cells. Since 2013, she has been working as an Acquisitions Editor for Elsevier, the world’s largest medical and scientific publishing company. First based in San Diego and now Toronto, she decides what neuroscience textbooks are published to meet the educational needs of students and scientists studying the brain all over the world.

Dr. Mamatha Bhat is a staff Hepatologist and clinician-scientist at the UHN Transplant Program and UofT's Division of Gastroenterology. She graduated from medical school at McGill University and completed a residency in Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology at the McGill University Health Centre. She completed an MSc in Experimental Medicine, as part of the Royal College Clinician Investigator Program, followed by a fellowship in Transplant Hepatology at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. She subsequently completed a PhD in Medical Biophysics through a CIHR Fellowship for Health Professionals. She has established a research program that uses a systems biology approach to liver disease and transplantation.