Tell us about your role at UHN.
I am a bioinformatics Postdoctoral Researcher in Dr. Daniel De Carvalho’s lab at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre. My work focuses on using computational techniques and algorithms to analyze biological data and answer clinically meaningful questions in the context of cancer.
How long have you been at UHN and what led you to this role?
I joined UHN in January 2019 when a friend connected me with Dr. De Carvalho. When I met with him, I thought he was brilliant, and his work aligned exactly with what I wanted to do. I remember walking into the MaRS Discovery District and realizing this is where I wanted to be. Everywhere I looked, everyone was so dedicated to improving people’s lives and it was so exciting to be in that atmosphere. From that day, I had my heart set on joining UHN.
What are you passionate about in your role at UHN? What does health research mean to you?
What I want to do with my career in the long term is to help transform healthcare into something that is more just and compassionate. I have psychiatric and neurodevelopmental disabilities that were only diagnosed in the last few years. For a long time, I struggled on my own without medical support, but I believe I have been incredibly lucky throughout my healthcare journey. Now that I am on the other side, I want to help those who are not as fortunate.
How do you help to advance research? What work are you most proud of at UHN?
A lot of my time is spent on sex and gender equity advocacy. Transforming healthcare and advancing research is all about health equity and taking an intersectional approach. I apply this to my research by adding a sex and gender lens into the biological work that I am doing and encouraging my colleagues and friends to do the same.
I also spend time working on postdoc advocacy. I am surrounded by brilliant people doing work that they truly believe is going to change people’s lives and I think it’s important to understand their experiences and the challenges and barriers that they face.
What makes UHN an ideal place to advance health research?
The longer I am at UHN, the more people I have met who are sincerely dedicated to the shared vision of a more just and compassionate healthcare system. There are a lot of people at UHN who desire to meaningfully improve quality of life through healthcare, research and education.
Do you have any interests outside of work?
Outside of work I am a butler to a three-year-old Corgi name Sophie. She is a master of trial and error and a substantially better scientist than me. She studies me so she can adapt her behaviour to get what she wants based on previous observational data gathering. I don’t train her, she trains me.
What does the Pride in STEM Day mean to you?
I had a lovely moment a couple of months back while I was walking my Corgi with my neighbour. We passed by a progress pride flag that now includes the intersex flag, and he asked me what that meant. It was a lovely moment where I could use science communication in my everyday life and tell him what it meant as a member of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community but also from the perspective of a biologist.
Pride in STEM means I can use my intersecting identities, that have shaped who I am today, to make me a better scientist. It allows me to find the junction between my health care experience and my human experience as a queer person. It gives me, and other queer STEM folk at UHN, an opportunity to bring a little more authenticity with us when we come to work.
How to Participate in You @TeamUHN
You @TeamUHN is a campaign to highlight the important scientific contributions that research lab staff, trainees and learners, administrative staff, core facilities staff, Research Solutions & Services staff, and volunteers make towards A Healthier World through discovery and innovation. If you’re interested in sharing your story, we invite you to complete this form here (Open to UHN staff, trainees and volunteers).