Baycrest

Ziming (Zi) Cheng is a PhD student working with Drs. Donna Rose Addis and Jennifer Ryan. Using tools like eye tracking and artificial intelligence-based natural language processing, he studies how our eye movements and verbal narratives reflect the organization and reconstruction of our memory. He is currently working on a project examining people's eye movements as they describe an image they have previously seen; the results will increase our understanding of how we construct our memories. "Training at the RRI means that I get to work with some of the best memory researchers in the field, who inspire me every day with their passion, dedication, and creativity," says Zi. "It also means that I get to contribute to the field by discovering new ways to characterize, understand, and improve memory." As a medical student participating in Baycrest's Summer Older Adult Research Program, Pooja Sankar worked under the supervision of Dr. Thirumagal Yogaparan (Executive Medical Director, Baycrest Hospital) and Dr. Samantha Yau (Director, Interprofessional Practice & Pharmacy) to investigate ways to optimize the prescription of medications, to help minimize side effects, and improve quality of life for patients. She also shadowed Dr. Yogaparan during several comprehensive geriatric assessments with older adults, which showed her the importance of an interdisciplinary and collaborative approach to maintaining the well-being of geriatric patients. "I really enjoyed the opportunity to work and learn more about geriatric medicine through my research, while simultaneously immersing myself in the clinical side of the field to learn about best practices, effective patient communication, and skills needed to provide holistic healthcare that is tailored to meet the unique needs of the geriatric community," says Pooja. Michelle Sosa always knew she wanted to work in healthcare. After obtaining her psychology degree, she enrolled in the Occupational Therapist Assistant & Physiotherapist Assistant (OTA & PTA) program at Centennial College and completed a placement at Baycrest through the Centre for Education. During her time here, she worked with an allied health team and had the chance to learn about different ways to meaningfully help clients, from exercise therapy to palliative care. "My time at Baycrest has been the greatest placement experience I ever had," says Michelle. "I believe every student who gets to go to Baycrest is lucky to be able to experience a placement here." As a research assistant in the Grenier Lab on Aging and Inequality, undergraduate student Nicole Velev is currently supporting Alzheimer Society-funded research aiming to achieve inclusion and meaningful research participation for people living with dementia. Through her involvement, her goal is to help open a discourse about the challenges, harmful presumptions, and exclusionary barriers in dementia research. "To me, training with Dr. Grenier at the RRI means learning from the diverse perspectives, meaningful lived experience, and expertise of fellow students on the team and Canadian researchers in the field of dementia," says Nicole. Student Profiles 16 BAYCREST ACADEMY FOR RESEARCH AND EDUCATION

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