Healthy Aging Summer Student Research Award
The UBC Healthy Aging Summer Student Research Awards are intended to support highly qualified undergraduate students across all disciplines and faculties who are interested in completing a research project that is relevant to the field of healthy aging. The award supports the student’s salary while they complete the research project over the summer (May to August) under the supervision of an Investigator of the Edwin S.H. Leong Centre for Healthy Aging.
The duration of the award is 8 to 16 consecutive weeks of full-time work (35 hours/week) to be completed between May 1 to August 31. The award amount is consistent with the BC minimum wage ($17.40/hour) for a total of $609.00/week. This award is open to undergraduate students from all disciplines, including those enrolled in undergraduate health professional degree programs (e.g. MD, DMD, BScN, etc.). Students can be enrolled in any university to apply, but must be based in B.C for the duration of the award.
The 2024/2025 competition is now closed. See the four winners and their projects below!
Winners of the 2024/2025 Competition
Susan Zhang, Faculty of Science (Supervisor: Dr. Emilia Lim)
Air pollution can drive accelerated biological aging, where an individual’s biological age is greater than their chronological age. This phenomenon increases the risk of developing a host of chronic, age-related conditions such as cancer, heart disease, and neurodegenerative diseases. Epidemiological studies have identified a relationship between air pollution exposure and accelerated biological aging, yet whether these two variables have additive contributions to disease development is unknown. I will analyze data from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging to explore how air pollution and accelerated biological aging can interact to drive age-related diseases.
Sahel Mirrazavi, Faculty of Science (Supervisor: Dr. Melanie Murray)
HIV is a lifelong condition that accelerates aging even when treated. Chronic stress heightens inflammation and accelerates aging, but its impact on women with HIV remains understudied. Women living with HIV are disproportionately affected by intersecting factors including poor housing, food insecurity, stigma, discrimination, and violence. This project utilizes data from the British Columbia CARMA-CHIWOS Collaboration (BCC3) study to examine the relationships between chronic stress, inflammation, immune aging, and social determinants of health in women living with and without HIV. We aim to highlight how social stressors contribute to aging and health disparities, informing future interventions to improve women’s well-being.
Corey Yan, Faculty of Science (Supervisor: Dr. Stefan Taubert)
Nuclear Hormone Receptor 49 (NHR-49) regulates aging in the animal model C. elegans, a simple worm. Our lab showed that Homeodomain-interacting Protein Kinase (HPK-1) contributes to NHR-49 activity, but we don’t know if this affects aging. In my research, I will conduct life span assays, microscopy, and protein analysis to test if loss of hpk-1 reduces NHR-49 levels, and if this affects worm life and health span. Notably, NHR-49 and HPK-1 have human ‘relatives’, so my research may reveal how these proteins, which control metabolism and inflammation in humans, can influence healthy aging.
Ellika Greaves, McMaster University (Supervisor: Dr. James McKendry)
My proposed research project, titled “The Influence of the Food Matrix and Lifelong Physical Activity on the Metabolome and Microbiome,” investigates how different dairy foods affect the appearance of amino acids in circulation, as well as the role of gut health in individuals of various ages and activity backgrounds. By focusing on the relationship between diet, metabolism, and gut microbiota, this research aims to enhance understanding of how age and physical activity impact protein handling. The findings of this work will shed light on how dietary interventions influence metabolic health in aging populations.