PhD students receive coveted Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships

Posted August 10, 2011

The Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship (Vanier CGS), named for the Right Honourable Georges Philias Vanier, who served as governor general of Canada from 1959 to 1967, was created to attract and retain world-class doctoral students and to establish Canada as a global centre of excellence in research and higher learning.

Requiring a nomination by the university at which they currently study or wish to study, three of the eight award recipients in 2011 represent the University of Calgary and are students in the Faculty of Medicine.

Trisha Finlay, receiving the scholarship for her investigation of a protective protein, alphaB-crystallin and how it may play a role in the regeneration of cells targeted for death in multiple sclerosis, is a PhD student in the Hotchkiss Brain Institute (HBI).

“I’m very excited to have been chosen to accept this fabulous award,” says Finlay. “It feels wonderful to be part of the elite group of individuals who are Vanier Scholars. Not only does this award allow for me to focus on my studies without worrying about finances but also to meet and collaborate with many top ranked graduate students across the country.”

Finlay has been heavily involved in the HBI since arriving here in 2009 to begin her PhD. She has participated in the HBI Trainee Organization and received funding for the last two years of her graduate work through the HBI’s T. Chen Fong Doctoral Scholarship in Neuroscience.

“Through the HBI I have had the opportunity to contribute to my community, fund my graduate work, and gain inspiration from HBI’s members and visiting speakers,” says Finlay. “I am very thankful to have this opportunity to study here and excel.”

The other scholarship winners from the faculty are Osama Harraz for investigating the role of newly identified “calcium channels” in the brain’s blood vessels to improve understanding of cerebral vessel dysfunction and Lisa Allen for her research which aims to develop a health impact assessment framework that will guide public health professionals and researchers when identifying and evaluating intervention-related unintended harms. Both students are also recipients of the Achievers in Medical Science Graduate Recruitment scholarship, worth $25,000 to each student.

The scholarship is worth $50,000 per year for three years and is available to both Canadian and international PhD students studying at Canadian universities.