Funding the future of children's health care research
Through your investment in children’s health research, you’re helping support programs such as the Postdoctoral Fellowship Program through the Women and Children’s Health Research Institute.
The Women and Children’s Health Research Institute Postdoctoral Fellowship Program funds postdoctoral candidates so they can continue their careers and training in children’s health research.
This year, there were five recipients of this award who will go on to further their research in advancing kids’ health care.
Anissa Armet
To find effective treatments for inflammatory bowel disease in Canadian children, Anissa Armet is working on two clinical trials to look at the potential for health professionals to use customized diets for children to reduce inflammation and improve their health.
“As a child, I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, a form of IBD. Over the years, I have changed my diet to better manage my disease. That drives my ambition to advance this research field to improve outcomes of children with IBD who may benefit from dietary strategies as I did.” – Anissa Armet.
Gabriele Matteoli
The use of cannabis during pregnancy and breastfeeding has been on the rise since its legalization in Canada. Gabriele Matteoli aims to investigate how cannabis exposure will affect infant development, since it remains largely unknown.
“Sleep and breathing are two essential functions that depend on healthy brain development. Our goal is to understand if cannabis consumption in the perinatal period can disturb these functions early in life and cause health problems.” – Gabriele Matteoli
Hidenori Moriyama
Using promising drug therapy, Hidenori Moriyama aims to improve the lives of children with muscular dystrophy, by targeting its root causes.
“By improving how these medicines reach muscle tissue, we aim to slow disease progression, enhance quality of life and offer children with muscular dystrophy a better chance at a healthier future.” – Hidenori Moriyama
Mirielle Pauline
Using a combination of gut hormone therapies and probiotics, Mirielle Pauline aims to improve gut health and outcomes for premature babies with short bowel syndrome, who often require intravenous feeding.
“My child is receiving care through the Stollery Children’s Hospital and realizing I am contributing to research for other children is an immense privilege.” – Mirielle Pauline
Yasser Abuetabh
Childhood obesity affects one in three Canadian children and adolescents. The popular weight–loss drug, semaglutide (otherwise known as Ozempic), has been used to face rising childhood obesity rates. Yasser Abuetabh’s research focuses on the drug’s long-term impacts on children’s hearts.
“…it is crucial to study the effects of semaglutide on the heart muscle of children living with obesity. The effect may be more important in the young, where the growth of the organs is maximal due to the growth of the child.” – Yasser Abuetabh
Read more about this year’s postdoctoral fellows and their groundbreaking research here.
