UCalgary researchers receive Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships to advance health research

Three postdoctoral health-research scholars at the University of Calgary are being propelled forward by the Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships.  

Drs. Isabelle Poitras, Sara Hassanpour Tamrin and Marissa Nivison, all PhD, have received one of Canada’s most prestigious research honours for postdoctoral scholars. 

Funded by the Government of Canada, the fellowship provides $70,000 per year for two years to support scholars conducting research with high potential for real-world impact.

The UCalgary recipients are tackling critical issues in stroke rehabilitation, cancer diagnostics and adult attachment; research that could transform approaches to medical treatment, early detection and mental well-being. 

Advancing stroke rehabilitation through vision and motor research 

Having worked for five years as an occupational therapist in Quebec, Poitras saw first-hand how vision problems often go unnoticed in stroke rehabilitation, despite affecting more than 60 per cent of survivors. 

Now at the Department of Clinical Neurosciences in the Cumming School of Medicine, she works with Dr. Sean Dukelow, MD, PhD, a leading expert in stroke rehabilitation, to address this gap, improving the assessment of visual and motor deficits in stroke survivors.  

"I think this project can significantly improve patient care in the long run. Knowing that you can make a difference, change practices and move the field forward is exciting,” says Poitras. 

Her ongoing research focuses on understanding how visual impairments impact arm movements in stroke survivors, using robotic assessments and non-invasive brain stimulation to do so. 

By combining vision and movement data, Poitras aims to develop more accurate evaluations and targeted therapies to improve recovery and the quality of life for stroke patients. 

“Receiving the Banting Fellowship is an incredible honour. It’s both exciting and humbling to have my research recognized at this level,” she says. 

In addition to receiving the Banting Fellowship, Poitras has also received a prestigious Killam Fellowship, recognizing her innovative work in stroke rehabilitation. 

Designing diagnostics with real-world impact 

From the beginning, Tamrin has always viewed biomedical engineering as a way to help people. 

“That was always my motivation,” she says. “If I’m going to call myself a biomedical engineer, am I really engineering something that helps the community?”  

At UCalgary’s Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, Tamrin is developing a portable, low-cost device to detect cancer in its earliest stages.  

Her work focuses on exosomes, tiny particles in bodily fluids that carry molecular messages between cells. Cancer cells release more exosomes with distinct molecular signatures, making them a promising early marker. 

Her device uses microfluidics and biosensing to isolate and analyze these signals, translating them into electrical data that could support faster, more affordable diagnoses. 

Initiatives like Evolve to Innovate (e2i) and Lab2Market have provided Tamrin with the tools to move her technology beyond the lab. 

Tamrin says she’s grateful for the support she’s received at UCalgary, highlighting the guidance of her longtime mentor, Dr. Arindom Sen, PhD, as important to her growth as a researcher. 

“I’m deeply grateful to the Banting Committee, Dr. Sen, and all my mentors for believing in this vision and supporting my journey,” she says. 

Understanding the impact of early childhood experiences 

Nivison has always been fascinated by psychology.  

"Since high school, I knew I wanted to pursue psychology. It really made the world make sense," she says. 

In the Department of Psychology within the Faculty of Arts, Nivison's research focuses on how early childhood caregiving experiences shape adult attachment and influence various aspects of life, such as mental health, relationships and overall well-being. 

With her Banting Fellowship, Nivison will research and compile existing studies that have used the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI), a structured interview that assesses how people reflect on their early relationships with caregivers, to create the world’s first comprehensive data repository of AAI studies. 

By doing this, Nivison aims to provide scholars and researchers with a valuable resource, making it easier to access key findings and apply them in real-world settings to bridge the gap between research and practical applications. 

Working alongside Dr. Sheri Madigan, PhD, a leading expert in clinical and developmental psychology, has greatly influenced Nivison’s approach to her work. 

Receiving the Fellowship is, “a significant validation of the work I’ve done so far, and it’s a tremendous motivation to continue studying the legacy of early childhood experiences,” Nivison says.