CUBEC
Canadian Undergraduate Biomedical Engineering Conference
Grad Student Panel
Andrew D’Elia, BASc
Andrew D’Elia is a first-year medical student at the University of Toronto. He is a published student researcher and aspires to contribute to the development of novel medical technologies and therapeutics. Before going into medicine, Andrew completed his Bachelor of Applied Science in Materials and Biomedical Engineering as part of the Integrated Biomedical Engineering and Health Sciences (iBioMed) Program at McMaster University. Throughout his educational career, Andrew has been highly involved in his community and enjoys teaching/mentorship opportunities. After completing his medical degree, he hopes to train as a surgeon/physician-scientist. At present, he is particularly interested in specializing in emergency medicine, orthopedic surgery, and surgical oncology.
Bisan Samara, BSc
Bisan Samara is a biomedical researcher & engineer with 4+ years of experience in academic research. She is currently completing her Master’s in Biological and Biomedical Engineering at McGill University in the Micro and Nanobioengineering Lab under Dr. David Juncker. Samara’s research interests include microfluidics, three-dimensional cell culture, and biomimetics. Prior to entering McGill, Samara worked at New York University Abu Dhabi on the development of a paper-based platform for the aggregation and cryopreservation of mammalian cells for drug testing applications. Her projects collectively resulted in a patent filing, 7 journal/conference papers, and ~CAD$160k commercialization/R&D grants.
Natalie Landon-Brace, BEngSci
Natalie Landon-Brace is a Class of 2017 graduate of the Engineering Science program (Biomedical Engineering Major) at the University of Toronto. During the course of her undergraduate degree, she worked in a number of different research areas from vision science to cancer genetics to regenerative medicine. Fascinated with scientific discovery and its implications for medicine, she decided to pursue a career at the intersection of these two worlds, which led her to the MD/PhD program at the University of Toronto. Her PhD work focuses on building 3D in vitro models to better recapitulate the tumor microenvironment and using these models to identify novel aspects of cancer biology.
Resumé Workshop
Laura McKiel, PhD
Laura McKiel joined STEMCELL Technologies as a Scientific Recruiter in January 2021 after completing her PhD in Biomedical Engineering at Queen's University, and has recently become a Recruitment Team Lead. Laura's PhD research studied the contribution of different immune cell signaling pathways to the body's response to implanted biomedical materials. During graduate school Laura developed a keen interest in helping graduate students transition from academia into industry careers, and gained experience organizing and leading a variety of professional development seminars and workshops. Now, Laura uses her skills from this experience and her passion for science to help STEMCELL hire talented scientists.
Tiffany Dinh, BSc
Tiffany Dinh graduated from the University of British Columbia with a BSc in Food, Nutrition & Health and a Minor in Commerce. Shortly after graduating, she began her human resources career across a number of industries but her "aha" moment came when managing the co-op program at a local biotech company prior to joining STEMCELL. As Program Associate, Campus Recruitment, Tiffany is passionate about supporting young, emerging talent as they develop their own career journey at STEMCELL.