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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

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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27:56

Cuts Like a NanoKnife: Dr. Mike Moser

Researchers Under the Scope ·

2024/07/07

"When I got into medical school, the last thing in the world I wanted to be was a surgeon because I couldn't stand the sight of blood," said Dr. Mike Moser. Fast-forward to the present day, where Moser is now one of Saskatchewan's top kidney transplant surgeons, winning last year's Golden Scalpel Award for Pre-clerkship Education, the 2022 Logan Boulet Humanitarian of the Year Award, and numerous teaching awards. In this episode, the professor of general surgery at the University of Saskatchewan's

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26:43

Walking the Talk: Dr. Daniel Fuller on Urban Health...

Researchers Under the Scope ·

2024/06/23

As an undergrad, Daniel Fuller didn’t have a car, nor was he keen on taking the bus. “I rode my bike to university every day in the fall and then just kept on going and never stopped,” said Fuller, a former national and international canoe/kayak athlete. As he pedaled, Fuller watched the way people used trails, sidewalks and roads. “I really started to get into active transportation, how people move around cities and how we can get people active -- outside of the sport environment,” said

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37:31

Anatomy of Success: Three Researchers, Three Grants,...

Researchers Under the Scope ·

2024/06/09

From the laboratory to saving lives, this episode brings together three outstanding researchers from the University of Saskatchewan’s Department of Anatomy, Physiology, and Pharmacology (APP) as they discuss their work and its implications for cardiac care. Dr. Michelle Collins, Dr. Scott Widenmaier, and Dr. Changting Xiao are all recent recipients of research grants from Heart & Stroke (formerly the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada). In Canada, one per cent of newborns have congenital

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29:01

Dr. Jacob Alhassan and the Politics of Expendability

Researchers Under the Scope ·

2024/05/26

"Pushing politicians to do what is good for the health of the people, there's no way around it," said Dr Jacob Alhassan. Born and raised in a rural Ghanian village, Alhassan grew up without electricty and paved roads. He watched women die in childbirth. He grew resentful of health systems that left the poorest people to fend for themselves, while the rich thrived. Alhassan decided to take action. At first, he thought he would study hard to become a local hospital administrator. Partway through his

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25:02

Dr. Sabira Valiani: Creating Connections in Critical...

Researchers Under the Scope ·

2024/03/24

Sabira Valiani was one of the frontline physicians working inside Saskatoon’s critical care units four years ago, during the initial lockdowns of the Covid-19 pandemic. “It was really weird,” said Dr. Sabira Valiani. Valiani said ‘a lot of light bulbs went off in my head’ amid the automated stillness of the unit, as she watched patients unconscious and mute, ventilators breathing for them. Covered in head-to-toe personal protective equipment, staff in the intensive care unit struggled to

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21:58

Dr. Daphne Yau on Blood Sugar & Brain Health

Researchers Under the Scope ·

2024/02/25

Daphne Yau can trace her interest in endocrinology back to a beta-cell physiology experiment during her master’s degree, working with laboratory mice with Type 2 Diabetes. “It was the part of the pancreas that makes insulin,” she said. “It was fascinating. It also made me realize that maybe pure laboratory research wasn't quite for me." From there, her interest in hormones and fluctuating blood sugar levels grew. Yau is no stranger to medicine. Her mother was a pharmacist, while her father and aunt

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22:55

Dr. Sam Haddad: At the Heart of Patient Care

Researchers Under the Scope ·

2024/02/11

Haissam Haddad inadvertently horrified his family when he signed up for engineering courses in his first year of university. The teenager returned the next day to change his major to medicine -- a move he's glad he made. Dr. Haddad practiced family medicine in Syria for three years, then arrived in Canada in 1986 to visit his wife's family, who urged him to stay. Haddad faced an uphill battle when he investigated the possibility of becoming a Canadian doctor. One colleague even told him he’d be

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24:45

Remote Rehabilitation: Dr. Stacey Lovo's Quest for...

Researchers Under the Scope ·

2024/01/28

In this episode, we meet Dr. Stacey Love, Director of Virtual Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation at Saskatchewan's Virtual Health Hub, and an Assistant Professor at the University of Saskatchewan's School of Rehabilitation. She's also involved with the Saskatchewan Centre for Patient Oriented Research. You can see more of her recent publications here, along with links to her labs: Musculoskeletal Health and Access to Care: https://cchsa-ccssma.usask.ca/mhac/ Virtual Care and Remote

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95 results

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