2022 Career Development Symposium

Career Development Alumni Symposium 2022 took place in-person in the Great Hall at Hart House on Monday, June 6th, 12:30-7:00 pm!

We invited all current and former members of our MoGen community to participate and explore potential careers, including those they have prioritized and might never have imagined! The career areas of our alumni included Science and Business, Academic/Clinical Research, Biotechnology, Pharmaceutical and Health Industry, Medical Professional Programs, Policy, Government, Law and Science Education. 

Mentees found out how the experiences of our alumni have influenced their career trajectories. The afternoon included round-table discussions (where mentors from various backgrounds meet with small groups of trainees), keynote sessions and a panel discussion on building career skills and other topics of interest. Participants learned about career trajectories accessible to our trainees, and it will shape how our faculty mentor their students and advise them on career paths. The symposium builds a community of colleagues, friends, and associates that will continue to grow throughout your career. Panellists included:

• Farah Qaiser: Director Of Research and Policy, Evidence For Democracy (M.Sc., science policy, science communication and genomic analysis)

• Calvin Mok: Data Science Educator and Bioinformatician at UofT (Ph.D., postdoc, teaching, bioinformatics)

• Joby McKenzie: Managing Director at Babylon Health Canada (Ph.D., MBA, healthcare technology, consulting)

• Jeff Wintersinger: Computational Scientist at Deep Genomics (Ph.D., biotechnology, bioinformatics)

• Phil Goldbach: Director, Technology & Venture Development at TIAP (Ph.D., law school, intellectual property)

Here was the agenda:

Program

• 12:30-1pm Registration

• Opening remarks: Dr. Tim Hughes

• Roundtable 1

• Keynote: Dr. Elena Kuzmin (PI at Concordia University): How to secure a postdoctoral position which will set you up for a successful career in academia?

• Roundtable 2

• Keynote: Dr. Barbara Funnell in conversation with Dr. Jessica Hill: Insights from a career in service of science and students

• Coffee break

• Roundtable 3

• Panel discussion: Transitions

• Closing Remarks

• 5:15-7 pm Wine and cheese

Our event is supported by OICR (platinum-level sponsor) and other sponsors.

The event was organized by Dr. Martina Steiner, Afnan Munshi, Ashley Campbell, Bushra Haque, Celia Pennimpede, Chen Chen, Gabriela Tanumihardja, Iosifina Fotiadou, Krisha Shenoy, Kasargod Pattanshetty, Samuel Salamun, Shaghayegh Farhangmehr, Shanza Ayub, YiQing Lü, Jiazhen Jin, Swathi Jeedigunta, Yuan Tian and Soha Usmani.

Thank you to all the student volunteers for your help with organizing the event!