Sam Hirniak

Sam is a PhD candidate being co-supervised by Dr. Edginton and Dr. Wong. She is currently studying the pharmacoeconomics of hemophilia A gene therapy, focusing on generating high-quality data from real-world sources to allow for more accurate cost-effectiveness analysis modelling to mitigate algorithmic bias. She has won numerous awards during her time in the Edginton/Wong labs, including the SMDM Lee B Lusted Milt Weinstein Award 2024, Donald J. & Kathleen McDougall Graduate Scholarship 2024, Christine & David Edwards Studies Travel Grant (2022, 2023, 2024), and the Provost Doctoral Entrance Award (PDEA) for Women 2023 when she transitioned from the MSc program to the direct to PhD program.

She obtained a BMath in Honours Mathematical Studies with minors in Applied Mathematics and Biology from the University of Waterloo. She has previously worked with Dr. Ingalls from Waterloo Applied Mathematics on an algorithm to link signalling network analysis with metabolic pathway analysis.