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PODCAST

Researchers Under the Scope

University of Saskatchewan, OVDR, College of Medicine

Medicine is so much more than lab coats and stethoscopes. The research community at the University of Saskatchewan College of Medicine is a diverse group of humans, all working with their own unique motivations — and not all of them work in a hospital setting. Get to know what gets these researchers amped about their jobs, what they"re doing, where they"re doing it, and why. Presented by the Office of Vice-Dean of Research, College of Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan.

science natural sciences

All Episodes

26:30

Dr. Andrew Freywald: Tumours Meet Their Match

Researchers Under the Scope ·

2026/09/30

How can oncologists predict which cancer treatment is most likely to work for a given patient? Dr. Andrew Freywald explores that question by growing tiny, living models of real-life patient tumours — organoids— then watching how each one responds to existing cancer drugs. Freywald, a longtime cancer researcher and professor in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan's College of Medicine, said establishing an organoid development protocol took a "lot

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34:24

Braaaaaaiiiiiinnnnnns, with Dr. Tyler Wenzel

Researchers Under the Scope ·

2026/05/31

Miniature human brains grown in a Saskatoon lab are upending the way researchers see neurology and immunology. Neuroscientist Dr. Tyler Wenzel is using brain organoids to challenge decades of rodent-based research, charting a new course for precision medicine. As a high school biology teacher, Wenzel's students learned how hearts pump blood and lungs move air. But apart from neurological electrical activity, neither Wenzel nor the textbooks had many clear answers about the brain. During his

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26:28

Inside the Next Chapter of Biomedical Science, with...

Researchers Under the Scope ·

2026/04/30

As Researchers Under the Scope marks its 100th episode, we hand the microphone to Dr. Linda Chelico, who recently accepted a five-year term as Vice-Dean Research, Biomedical Sciences, at the University of Saskatchewan's College of Medicine. Originally from Melfort, Saskatchewan, the virologist and biochemist outlines her two main priorities: upgrading research infrastructure and raising the public profile of her colleagues' work. Since the Covid-19 pandemic, Chelico said biomedical researchers

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25:12

'Health Really Is Wealth': Dr. Holly Graham

Researchers Under the Scope ·

2026/03/30

Dr. Holly Graham never planned on nursing. She wanted a police badge, then a law degree and a judge's bench. Instead, she followed her mother's wish and walked into nursing school as the only student from a reserve in a class of more than 200. The isolation was real. So were the health gaps she saw every shift. In this episode, Graham traces her path from being the only Cree nurse in her graduating class, to becoming a professor of psychiatry, registered doctoral psychologist, and Indigenous

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29:34

Inside a Drug Trial for a Rare Childhood Disease:...

Researchers Under the Scope ·

2026/02/28

Most childhoods don't involve sitting at the hospital for an infusion of medication, transfusions on weekends, or worrying that classmates will comment on the colour of your skin. For one Saskatoon teen with an ultra-rare blood disease, that's everyday life. She was diagnosed with a form of anemia so uncommon only a handful of cases have been identified globally. In this episode, Sarah Tehseen (MD) & Katie Felton (MD) share how they're working to change her "normal" by opening a phase 3

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20:01

This Is Your Brain on Anesthetic: Dr. Peter Hedlin

Researchers Under the Scope ·

2026/02/15

Peter Hedlin (PhD, MD) recalls being a 'young, naïve medical student' when he asked a mentor a question that's stuck with him for years. "I remember asking how anaesthetics work on the brain," said Hedlin. "And he said, 'we actually don't really know'. And I thought that was crazy." Today, Hedlin is an anesthesiologist and clinician scientist at the University of Saskatchewan's College of Medicine. He examines what surgery and sedation do to the human body — in particular, to aging brains. Trained

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13:51

Not Just Numbers: Vaidehee Lanke Tracks Opiate Use &...

Researchers Under the Scope ·

2025/12/21

In this episode, medical student and researcher Vaidehee Lanke shares what large provincial datasets reveal about opioid use disorder, maternal mental health, and pregnancy. Armed with data, she hopes better support —before, during, and after birth—can change outcomes for mothers and babies. Lanke spent her summer working with epidemiologist Dr. Nadeem Muhajarine and the Saskatchewan Population Health and Evaluation Research Unit on a pan-Canadian project tracking opioid use in perinatal

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14:36

Cross-Linked Clues: Jack Walther on Depression and...

Researchers Under the Scope ·

2025/12/01

As an undergraduate student, Jack Walther's friends often come to him when they need a listening ear, or help with with relationship struggles. This summer, Walther took his fascination with the brain and mood disorders to Dr. Darrell Mousseau's psychiatry laboratory, learning to untangle some of the tiny molecular threads that might explain why depression so often shows up alongside dementia. Walther and the research team dug into the physical interactions between serotonin and the beta amyloid

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18:29

Summer EEEV-olution: Eve Simpson Decodes a Deadly...

Researchers Under the Scope ·

2025/11/16

Eve Simpson knows from experience scientific research doesn't always follow a linear path. In the first of three student research episodes, the fourth-year biochemistry, microbiology and immunology student looks back at a summer spent decoding Eastern Equine Encephalitis Virus (EEEV) in Dr. Anil Kumar's lab. Simpson said she loved doing bench research, but felt frustrated in the moments where she hit setbacks and moments of doubt. "I felt like I was letting everyone down," she said. "But everyone I

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18:36

That’s So Metal: Dr. Jessica Sheldon Targets...

Researchers Under the Scope ·

2025/09/28

Jessica Sheldon (PhD) is on a mission to starve out Acinetobacter baumannii —one of the world’s most virulent hospital-borne pathogens. Notorious for its speedy evolution and multi-drug resistance, the hospital-borne bacteria lingers on dry surfaces and infects critically-ill patients, leading to sepsis, pneumonia and high mortality rates. In this episode, Sheldon delves into the real-life events that drove her to investigate histamine, and its role in bacterial survival and immune response. In

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25:38

Fluid Endeavour: Kirk Haan's Medical Balancing Act

Researchers Under the Scope ·

2025/08/29

Kirk Haan graduated from high school, thinking he’d study pharmacy at the University of Saskatchewan, and walk out five years later. After one summer at a pharmacy, Haan realized he was after a more ‘hands-on’ career in medicine. “I’ve kind of worked with my hands my whole life, just between rummaging around on a farm and always kind of building things,” he said. “Now it’s using them to help people in a direct way.” Then, Haan found his passion — inside the laboratory. In 2018, Haan landed a

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25:49

Sébastien Gauvrit: Fishing for Answers in Vascular...

Researchers Under the Scope ·

2025/07/30

Sébastien Gauvrit was only ten when his family let him have his first tank of guppies. Within weeks, he was hooked. “I actually had to understand genetics directly by mixing these different fish together to get the colour or fin shape I was interested in,” said the vascular biologist and genetic modelling pioneer. From his home in France, to post-doctoral work pioneering new models for vascular disease in Germany, to his current position as an assistant professor of Anatomy, Physiology and

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31:00

Dr. Stu Skinner & Mobile Medicine: Halting Syphilis &...

Researchers Under the Scope ·

2025/06/26

Stuart Skinner (MD) knew something was wrong three years ago, when patients started coming to him with vision loss, fever, rashes, and meningitis. Almost every case could be traced back to untreated syphilis — a sexually transmitted infection with caseloads exploding 1,200 per cent from 2017. Saskatchewan saw this spike just as Covid-19 entered the picture. “With the pandemic, testing dropped dramatically,” Skinner said, noting this wave of syphilis entered north-western Saskatchewan from Alberta,

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26:28

Peptide Puzzle: Yi-Chun Chen on Early Markers for...

Researchers Under the Scope ·

2025/05/20

Yi-Chun Chen is taking a close-up look at some of the body’s hardest-working cells — the ones often processing an overabundance of modern-day food and nutrients. “From an evolutionary point of view, our cells are not designed to deal with that,” said Dr. Chen, who joined the department of Anatomy, Physiology, and Pharmacology at the University of Saskatchewan last year as an assistant professor. She said our bodies are pushed into churning out large amounts of insulin rapidly after snacks and meals,

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29:55

In the Trenches: Dr. James Stempien on Emergency...

Researchers Under the Scope ·

2025/04/29

James Stempien (MD) has navigated some of the most challenging corners of emergency medicine, from the frigid isolation of Inuvik to the bustling corridors of Saskatoon’s emergency departments. His experience in low-tech outposts has shaped his approach to modern emergency care. “When things aren’t going well you see it in the emergency department first,” Stempien said. “We’re the front door. We’re always open.” As provincial department head of emergency medicine, Stempien sees patients on

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30:28

All’s Not Lost: A Roadmap to Treating Hepatitis C on...

Researchers Under the Scope ·

2025/03/31

As the world aims to eradicate Hepatitis C (HCV) by 2030, Carrielynn Lund and Dr. Alexandra King’s team created Journeys to Wellness: Prairie Hepatitis C Roadmap — a step-by-step guide to tackling a spike of new infections across the prairies. Hepatitis C causes severe liver disease, and was notoriously difficult to treat until the introduction of direct-acting antivirals a decade ago — antivirals which boast a remarkable 95% success rate. Despite this advancement, Lund and Dr. King say

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18:45

Exercise Your Right to Breathe: Dr. Brianne...

Researchers Under the Scope ·

2024/12/30

Brianne Philipenko (MD) was midway through her respirology fellowship in Calgary when the Covid-19 pandemic shut down the city. She started interval workouts at home using Nike’s fitness app — when inspiration struck. “Coming up with a creative, innovative way to allow people to access an exercise program outside of the typical organized pulmonary rehabilitation in a gym setting was something that I became really interested in,” said Philipenko.. As a respirologist, Philipenko was already

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27:00

Dr. Sarah Forgie: Why the New Dean of Medicine Taught...

Researchers Under the Scope ·

2024/10/31

In this episode, we gain insight into Dr. Sarah Forgie, the new Dean of the College of Medicine. She discusses her innovative teaching methods, her career as a pediatric infectious disease specialist, and her vision for advancing Saskatchewan’s College of Medicine. Dr. Forgie also shares the story behind her decision to learn the ukulele. Born to family physicians, Dr. Forgie grew up in Lynn Lake, Manitoba, a remote fly-in mining community. Her family later relocated to Winnipeg, where Dr. Forgie

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24:33

Grey Area: Dr. John Howland on Cannabis & Budding Brains

Researchers Under the Scope ·

2024/09/30

A behavioural neuroscientist in Saskatoon is uncovering marijuana’s effects on fetal brain development. After recently winning a five-year CIHR grant of $960,076 in the spring of 2024, Dr. John Howland’s lab at the University of Saskatchewan is expanding its work examining prenatal exposure to cannabis smoke. Howland’s teams will assess the way cannabis exposure alters higher brain functions like memory and learning in both rats and mice. Compared to cannabis injections in the past, the professor

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24:36

Innovating and Bridging Gaps in IBD Care: Dr....

Researchers Under the Scope ·

2024/08/06

Growing up in Columbia had a profound impact on Dr. Juan-Nicolas Pẽna-Sànchez. In this episode, hear why the former family physician pivoted, becoming Saskatchewan's lead in finding the best ways to treat Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis in rural and Indigenous patients. Even as a teenager, Juan-Nicolás Peña-Sánchez could see stark differences in health for those who had medical coverage — and those without, thanks to his stepfather, an emergency department physician. “I used to go with

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103 results

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