Dr. Pingzhao Hu and Dr. Meaghan Jones have been named as the recipients of the MMSF Allen Rouse Basic Science Career Development Award. The award, which was created to promote basic science research at the University of Manitoba, has been equally split between the two recipients. The Clinical Professorship Award provides $25,000 annually for three years for each awardee. Up to $10,000 is also available toward a grant-in-aid during the first year of the appointment, for a total value of $85,000 for each awardee. Dr. Hu and Dr. Jones’ terms begin July 1, 2020, with a guaranteed 75 per cent time commitment toward basic science health research. Dr. Pingzhao Hu was awarded for his project, “Artificial Intelligence and Genomics-Driven Precision Oncology for Breast Cancer.”As an Associate Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Medical Genetics at the University of Manitoba, Dr. Hu’s work focuses on identifying novel genes and imaging biomarkers for precision oncology in breast cancer using innovative artificial intelligence approaches.
Dr. Meaghan Jones was awarded for her project, “Breaking the Link Between Early Life Environment Exposures and Health.” As an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Medical Genetics at the University of Manitoba, Dr. Jones’ work focuses on epigenetics, which functions as a kind of cellular memory. It has been proposed as a possible way that early life environments leave behind biological fingerprints in our DNA that affect our health.
For further details on MMSF awards, please refer to the Award Recipients pages on mmsf.ca.