learn about our graduate students
Q&A with Rewa Zurub, M.Sc. (c)
Who is Rewa Zurub?
I am a 23-year-old born and raised in Ottawa, but my parents are from Lebanon. I’m the oldest of 3 sisters, and my family is what is most important to me. I love to read, especially during the summer, I love working out because it has given me a lot more confidence, and I love finding ways to make my recipes healthier if possible.
What undergraduate degree did you pursue, and which degree are you currently pursuing?
I am an MSc Candidate at the University of Ottawa in collaboration with Health Canada, under the supervision of Dr. Shannon Bainbridge and Dr. Mike Wade. I did not take a traditional path, instead I went to college at La Cité and did a biotechnology program. In my undergrad, I was fortunate enough to have a lot of lab and research experience, and I gained a lot of relationships with professors and my peers.
Why did you choose uOttawa for your Master’s degree and why the field of reproductive health?
In my 3rd year of my bachelors at La Cité, COVID shut everything down, including my job at the Ottawa Heart Institute as a research assistant. So, going into 4th year, I had to find a supervisor for my honours project, and finally connected with Dr. Jocelynn Cook. After working with her, I found my passion in reproductive health sciences and when pursuing my master’s supervisor, Dr. Cook suggested Dr. Bainbridge’s lab.
What is an overview of your research project?
Under the supervision of Dr. Shannon Bainbridge and Dr. Mike Wade at Health Canada, I am investigating the accumulation of microplastics in human placentas in a Canadian pregnant population. Microplastics are tiny particles broken down from larger plastic. A recent study out of Italy first demonstrated that microplastics may accumulate in human placentas, so we are now trying to replicate these findings in a Canadian context.
What method are you using for your study?
We collected 20 placentas from healthy moms without major complications, half from pregnancies delivered by C-section delivery, and half delivered by vaginal delivery. Using a plastic reduced protocol, these tissues are transported in the lab and placed in a biosafety hood to reduce the risk of contamination with microplastics in the air. The placentas are divided into 4 quadrants, with sampling occurring in each quadrant. I micro-dissect samples from different anatomical areas of the placenta, including the basal plate, chorionic villi, chorionic plate, and chorio-amnotic membrane. I freeze the samples and then I take 1 gram of tissue from each layer and add 100 mL of 30% filtered hydrogen peroxide, then place on the shaker at 55 degrees for 5 days. Once the samples are fully digested, I filter it through a glass membrane filter and dry it in the hood. After the samples dry, I use Raman microspectroscopy to visualize the presence and character of any identified microplastics in the samples.
How do you think your findings will be relevant to Canadian health?
Plastics and microplastics can interfere with normal biological processes, and because of this, if we can find accumulation of microplastics in human placentas, it may mean that this important organ was not functioning properly during pregnancy. This could result in long-term impacts on the baby, possibly leading to higher risks of obesity, cardiovascular disease, or diabetes. Microplastics also have additives and toxic chemicals like BPA that can leak into the body and cause further issues, which is why this research is so important. Finding microplastics in a Canadian context can raise awareness to government and Environment Canada that microplastics are an issue, and hopefully it can lead to policy changes to regulate our exposure to these substances.
What has been your biggest accomplishment during your graduate work so far?
Finding a methodology that would successfully work in isolating and visualizing the microplastics was the biggest obstacle I had to overcome. I tried a million things and would read so many papers, and nothing would work. However, I finally discovered the right method and I’m glad to say it works!”
What do you like to do outside of the lab?
I love reading, right now my favourite books are Twisted Love by Ana Huang and Verity by Colleen Hoover. I also love to hang out with my friends and family. Cooking is another passion of mine, especially cooking healthier meals, and I love working out, especially for my mental health!
Q&A with Hannah Poisson, M.Sc. (c).
Who is Hannah Poisson?
I’m a twenty-two-year-old lifelong Ottawa resident in my third semester of a Master’s in the Cellular and Molecular Medicine program at the University of Ottawa. I began my thesis research in the summer of 2020. The proposal emphasizes the importance of investigating the role of placental nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) depletion on mitochondrial dysfunction, and its detrimental effects on placental function and fetal development.
What undergraduate degree did you pursue, and which degree are you currently pursuing?
I conferred my Honour’s Bachelor of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Ottawa in the spring of 2022. Currently, I’m pursuing my Master’s of Science in Cellular and Molecular Medicine at the University of Ottawa.
Why did you choose uOttawa for your Master’s degree and why the field of reproductive health?
I only applied to a Master’s program at the University of Ottawa because being close to home is very important to me. I’ve been interested in female reproductive health and fetal development, but it was in a reproductive physiology class that my passion for the topic flourished. I was particularly intrigued by course content related to the placenta and came to learn of the lab in research. There is still so much to know in this field of research, which is what drew me to it in the first place.
What is an overview of your research project?
My research project is about the effects of maternal obesity on chronic inflammation (role of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerases) and how this leads to placental dysfunction and impairs fetal cardiometabolic programming.
What method are you using for your study?
This project uses a mouse model to mimic the state of maternal obesity, using a high-fat high-sugar diet that will be given to the experimental mice to best represent a common Western diet that a human may consume. These mice will help establish the effects of maternal obesity on placental and fetal health. Subsequently, placental tissue from the experimental groups previously mentioned will be isolated to analyze enzyme signaling and NAD+ levels in the mouse model of maternal obesity. This design was chosen as it will give greater understanding of the mechanism this PARP signaling pathway has on the placenta. Nicotinamide riboside (vitamin B3) will be administered to mouse models of maternal obesity to see if this supplement could rectify placental dysfunction caused by the inflammatory state of obesity that could then translate into a feasible supplement to be given to pregnant patients. To circumvent the potential limitation of using the mouse model where one cannot determine if the diet, the chronic inflammation or other physiological impacts caused changes in the placenta, an in vitro cell model design will supplement the findings. The cell work will be used to look specifically at the effect of the high fat high sugar diet on the health of placenta cells.
How do you think your findings will be relevant to Canadian health?
The findings of this work will go on to inform obese women who are pregnant or trying to conceive if nicotinamide riboside supplementation can improve placental function and fetal outcomes. If proven successful, this supplement accessible in local drugstores could be used in cases of maternal obesity to prevent adverse fetal outcomes including future cardiometabolic diseases.
What has been your biggest accomplishment during your graduate work so far?
I feel that the completion of my project proposal and oral presentation for the thesis advisory committee to be my biggest accomplishments in my graduate work thus far. Also, I’ve finally reached a point where I feel comfortable and confident working in the lab.
What do you like to do outside of the lab?
I like spending time with family and friends when I’m not occupied in the lab because I prioritize a work-life balance. I have a variety of small hobbies that include piano, reading, exercising and spending time in nature.
Q&A with Dr. Yusmaris Cariaco
Who is Yusmaris Cariaco?
I am from Venezuela, I was born in a coastal city. I did my undergrad there in what you would consider biomedical sciences/microbiology. I did a thesis then that had to do with shadow diseases that compromised the heart. My first contact with science was parasitology and my supervisor mentioned that she did her PhD in Canada. And I am 33 years old.
What undergraduate degree did you pursue, and which degree are you currently pursuing?
I did my undergrad in Venezuela in biomedical sciences/microbiology and now I am pursuing my post-doc under the supervision of Dr. Bainbridge.
Why did you choose uOttawa for your Master’s degree and why the field of reproductive health?
I really enjoyed my undergrad; to look at hypotheses, get results, and then publish them. I liked the idea that it could make people’s lives different and have an impact like knowing what you’re doing impacts the quality of life of people suffering from conditions. Everything is useful when doing research, it’s a collaborative environment. As for choosing uOttawa, when I was in an online course from Cambridge University, I saw one presentation that was from a different lab about reproductive health and was very interested. Later on while scrolling on Twitter, I saw Dr. Bainbridge had interacted with the profile of the other lab. When I looked at her account, it was very catchy and she was looking for reproductive researchers. I then went to the placenta lab website and it caught my interest. I sent Shannon an email and she had just received a grant for the opioids project and was looking for postdocs.
What is an overview of your research project?
My research project aims to determine the effects of combined exposure of cannabis and opioids in fetal and placental health.
How did you determine your study design and methodology?
The way we came up with this study design and methodology was through talking to Shannon about it since she has the most experience in the field. We talk about it, then run the tests, share results and make decisions based on that.
How do you think your findings will be relevant to Canadian health?
The part of the population that uses drugs (opioids and cannabis) are increasing. Despite studies that show that the single exposure can affect the placental health and fetal development even later in life, we are unsure if combined exposure is worse than single exposure in the opioid using community. Cannabis is the highest secondary drug that this population takes. Combined in utero, it can give some knowledge to pass through to women that are pregnant to be aware of the effects. It will help people make conscious decisions. We cannot tell people to not use drugs but if we can tell them “look if you use these drugs they can affect the baby and if you combine it it will be worse”, the goal is for them to drop one of them or hopefully both. The project also looks at reduction of harm in groups with fentanyl and THC. We will look if we remove THC early in pregnancy, what poor pregnancy outcomes change. And if we use opioid agonists early in pregnancy to see if it changes adverse outcomes.
What has been your biggest accomplishment during your graduate work so far?
A large accomplishment to me is just getting to where I am now, which is a big jump from Latin America to here. I struggle with my English but I am very proud that I am able to speak in English every day to practice it. I want to develop my other skills that can give me the opportunity to get to the next step in my career.
What do you like to do outside of the lab?
After settling into Canada, I realized people have one or several hobbies. I don’t really have a main hobby. I really like movies and tv shows. My favourite genres are mystery and science fiction. A series I really enjoyed was Dark on Netflix. I also tried to learn to do outdoor activities like skating in the winter, and when it’s warmer I rollerblade and bike. I have also thought of trying cross country skiing.
Q&A with Landry Kalembo, MSc(c)
Who is Landry Kalembo?
I am Landry but my family and friends call me Lendo. I am Congolese-Canadian, and have called Ottawa home for the last 10 years. I was born in Eastern Congo, and grew up in Kampala, Uganda.
What undergraduate degree did you pursue, and which degree are you currently pursuing?
I studied Interdisciplinary Health Sciences with a focus in Population and Public Health right here at the University of Ottawa. I’m currently an MSc candidate.
Why did you choose uOttawa for your Master’s degree and why the field of reproductive health?
It was mostly because of my research supervisors, and my previous experience at the same faculty during my undergrad degree. Dr. Bainbridge was my professor during my 4th year, and I enjoyed her DOHaD lectures very much that I wanted to explore my interested research themes using the DOHaD framework.
What is an overview of your research project?
Right now, I am looking at specific pregnancy exposures (Food insecurity and pandemic related pregnancy stress) and their effects on newborn birthweight, and gestational weight gain
How did you determine your study design and methodology?
I chose to use a retrospective cohort study design to properly capture the pandemic effect on maternal stress, access to nutritious food, healthcare services, social support etc. that might not have been previously documented for the last 3 years.
How do you think your findings will be relevant to Canadian health?
The results of this pilot project will help clarify the scope of FI and maternal stress during the pandemic, potentially identifying distinct Canadian pregnant populations at highest risk for these harmful gestational exposures and subsequent adverse maternal and infant health outcomes. This could inform targeted interventions and programs aimed at alleviating the potential short- and long-term adverse health outcomes of social and material deprivation during pregnancy which may have been exacerbated in pandemic times.
What has been your biggest accomplishment during your graduate work so far?
The most memorable milestones have been giving over five guest lectures in undergraduate classes and going to fancy research meetings with my colleagues.
What do you like to do outside the lab?
I grew up around a very big family, playing sports and going to church on a regular basis. I now play both basketball and football (the real football) on a weekly basis as an adult. Further, I enjoy playing musical instruments and hanging out with my brothers as a result of being exposed to church music and large groups of people as a kid. I think those are the two major things that have certainly influenced who I am today.