Graduate studentships provide salary support for basic science trainees to complete masters or doctorate-level studies. They ensure that the brightest science graduates have the opportunity to pursue careers in medical research, putting them on a path of competitive success in the future.
Hazel L. MacDonald Graduate Studentship
The Hazel L. MacDonald Graduate Studentship plays a vital, ongoing role in training talented scientists in the areas of cardiovascular and metabolic research.
Current recipient: Dr. Gerard GaspardWorking closely with Dr. Kishore Pasumarthi in Dalhousie’s Department of Pharmacology, Dr. Gerard Gaspard is pursuing graduate studies in myocardial repair with support from the DMRF’s Hazel L. MacDonald Graduate Studentship. He is investigating the role of a particular protein (known as Cyclin Dependent Kinase 1) in the death of heart muscle cells in diseased adult hearts. Prior to joining Dalhousie, Dr. Gaspard worked with a pharmaceutical company in his home country of India, where he completed advanced training as a veterinarian and biotechnologist.
Bruce and Dorothy Rossetti Traineeship in Cancer Research
The Rossetti Fund makes a tremendous contribution to Dalhousie’s cancer research effort. Holders of the Rossetti traineeship award work in close collaboration with senior investigators to advance specific objectives of established research programs.
Current recipient:Dr. Christine King received a two-year traineeship award through the Rosetti Fund in 2008, to explore how human herpes virus 8 contributes to the development of Kaposi’s Sarcoma, a form of cancer that takes a deadly toll on people with compromised immune systems. She is studying how a protein made by the virus interferes with a cellular protein that normally repairs DNA damage in cells. Her work is of great interest to her two faculty supervisors, Dr. Craig McCormick and Dr. Chris Richardson, both renowned for their work in how viruses cause cancer.
A viral immunologist, Dr. King completed a three-year postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Cambridge in England after earning her PhD at Dalhousie University in 2003. She aims to make significant contributions to our understanding of viruses in cancer with her current award.
Previous recipients:Suzanne Furlong: With the Rossetti traineeship award, Suzanne Furlong embarked on masters-level studies in Dr. David Hoskin’s lab. Her project identified strategies for stimulating an effective T-cell response against cancerous tumours, to overcome the immune-dampening effects of cancer. Her long-term career goals are to complete doctoral studies in cancer immunology and immunotherapy, then pursue a faculty position at a top research university so she can continue her cancer research while teaching others.
Lesley Dunfield: As holder of a Rossetti traineeship award, PhD student Lesley Dunfield worked in Dr. Mark Nachtigal's ovarian cancer research program, examining the role of a particular signaling pathway that is defective in ovarian cancer. After completing post-doctoral studies, she plans to pursue a career in cancer cell biology research.
The Rosetti Fund previously supported a scholarship award, which coincidentally supported Dr. Nachtigal's recruitment to the Faculty of Medicine.
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