Since 2013, Waterloo Pharmacy has recognized the excellence of our Master’s and Doctoral students at our annual Graduate Awards ceremony. Due to COVID-19, these celebrations took place online for the first time.

“The accomplishments of our graduate students are many and varied, and we were excited and proud to gather digitally to extend our congratulations to our award winners, grant recipients and recent graduates,” says David Edwards, Hallman Director.

Here are 2020’s Graduate Award recipients:

Donald J. and Kathleen D. McDougall Graduate Scholarship

Cindy Yeung receiving the Donald J and Kathleen D. MCDougall Graduate Scholarship

Janet McDougall is a long-time friend of School of Pharmacy and a graduate of the University of Waterloo. She is the founder and president of McDougall Scientific in Toronto and established this award to support science and education and to honours her parent. Her father Don was a practicing pharmacist from 1934 to 1993, and both Don and Kay were community leaders, dedicated volunteers, and civic activists. 

This year, Cindy Yeung received this award recognizing her commitment to community service and her academic achievement. Cindy is a PhD student in the research group of Dr. Andrea Edginton.  Cindy balances her academic life with a passion for community engagement. She is described by one of her referees as a “dedicated volunteer and civic activist”.  Throughout her post-secondary education, she has served her community in many volunteer positions, including  volunteering for Darling Home for Kids, Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital, Big Brothers and Big Sisters, and Rotary International.

Highest Final Grade in the Course Topics in Drug Development

Cindy Yeung receiving the Highest Final Grasde in the Course PHARM 610

This award is given each year to the student who achieved the highest grade in the required course “PHARM 610 Topics in Drug Development”. 

Cindy Yeung is this year’s award recipient. Not only did Cindy earn the top mark in the winter 2020 cohort, but she obtained the highest grade ever achieved in this course since it was first delivered back in 2012. 

Best Student Presentation in the Research Seminar Series

Paul Malik receiving the Best Presentation in the Pharmacy Research Seminar Series

PhD students in Pharmacy must present their research at our graduate studies seminar series as part of the Graduate Studies Seminar milestone requirement.  This year, three reviewers independently reviewed the student presentations based on the quality of the presentation slides, the quality of the presentation itself, understanding of the field of study, the ability of the presenter to answer questions, and on the overall impression of the presentation. 

This year’s Best Student presentation in the Pharmacy Research Seminar Series goes to Paul Malik, for his presentation titled, “Strategies to derive first-in-pediatric doses for biologics and nanomedicines”, delivered in January 2020. 

Best Graduate Student Teaching Assistant

Gurmeet Lall receiving Best Graduate TA award

The Best Graduate Student Teaching Assistant awards goes to a graduate student based on nominations received by the department.  This year’s winner is described by her nominees as someone who truly enjoys teaching and is developing strong teaching skills. This year’s winner is Gurmeet Lall.

According to nominees Gurmeet’s teaching style is diversified and adaptable; she is personable, professional, patient and approachable.  She is well-liked by students and shows leadership within the TA team. She is consistntly prepared and conveys her knowledge in a clear and organized manner. She is dedicated in fulfilling her TA duties and never backed away from taking on extra responsibilities.

Special Merit Award for Substantial Impact on Pharmacy’s Overall Research Mission

Yannick Traore receiving Special Merit Award for Substantial Impact on Overall Research Mission

Yannick Traore is this year’s recipient of the Special Merit award for Substantial Impact on Pharmacy’s Overall Research Mission. Yannick is a senior graduate student who has mentored junior graduate students in a number of ways including assisting them in learning research skills and providing feedback to their scholarship applications. He is also an entrepreneur and enjoys giving back to the community.

Recently, he co-founded a company called Asli Technologies which focuses on developing 3D printing solutions using clean and sustainable materials.  Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, he re-purposed his custom-built 3D printers to fabricate face-shields for donation to frontline healthcare workers in the fight against COVID-19. He has been working around-the-clock to ensure that these face-shields are getting into the hands of those that need it most.

Overall, his willingness to step-up to support the community, employing his research skills and knowledge for the good of society demonstrates that Yannick Traore is highly deserving of the Special Merit Award for Substantial Impact on Pharmacy’s Overall Research Mission.

Outstanding Faculty Mentor in the Graduate Program

Sherilyn Houle receiving Outstanding Faculty Mentor

The Outstanding Faculty Mentor in the graduate program award is an honorary award that goes to one member of faculty based on nominations . 

This year’s recipient is Professor Sherilyn Houle.  Prof. Houle is described by their nominators as a “passionate role model who is devoted to the education and development of their students.”  Leading by example, their mentorship as a researcher, a pharmacist, a professor and a friend have shown their advisees the possibilities that are available to them as clinician-scientists.

Her passion and leadership encourage others to enjoy the process and persevere in face of challenges, to take the reins and discover the research process in a self-directed way.  Her inspiration, drive, and support are invaluable to the success of her students.

To further recognize the achievements of graduate students throughout 2020, the event also recognized both those who recently graduated and to acknowledge those who also received the following funding, awards and fellowship achievements.

“We had a record number of tri-agency and OGS award recipients compared to size of our program,” says Andrea Edginton, Associate Director of Graduate Studies and Research. “This speaks to the accomplishments of our students and to their supervisors in supporting them.”

The following students have earned funding, fellowships and other accolades:

  • Wajd Alkabbani, PhD student (Gamble): Ontario Graduate Scholarship
  • Ashley Bancsi, PhD student (Beazely & Grindrod): Provost Doctoral Entrance Award for Women
  • Sadaf Faisal, PhD candidate (Patel): Canadian Frailty Network Interdisciplinary Fellowship
  • Ai-Leng Foong, PhD candidate (Grindrod & Houle): Ontario Graduate Scholarship
  • Jiahao Huang, PhD candidate (Wettig):WIN Nanofellowship
  • Hayden Huh, MSc (Blay & Slavcev): Dean of Science Award – “Characterization of Bacteriophage Lambda Displaying Epidermal Growth Factor in the Uptake, Infiltration and Formation of HT29 Spheroids”
  • Paul Malik, PhD candidate (Edginton): AFPC/CCPE Pharmacy Student Research Poster Award – “A physiological approach to predicting pharmacokinetics in chronic kidney disease”
  • Alanna McEneny-King, PhD (Edginton): W.B. Pearson Medal – “Pharmacokinetic modelling of clinically relevant situations in the treatment of hemophilia A and B”
  • Amy Pham, PhD candidate (Nekkar Rao): Ontario Graduate Scholarship
  • Morgan Robinson, PhD candidate (Beazely & Leonenko): Ontario Graduate Scholarship, WIN Nanofellowship (2020-2021)
  • Arash Shakeri, PhD student (Nekkar Rao): Ontario Graduate Scholarship
  • Yannick Traore, PhD candidate (Ho): WIN Nanofellowship
  • Cindy Yeung, PhD student (Edginton): CIHR Banting and Best Canada Graduate Scholarship Doctoral in honour of Nelson Mandela
  • Esther Yun, PhD candidate (Edginton): NSERC Postgraduate Scholarship-Doctoral