Some of Western’s brightest minds showcase their research projects

400 young people took part in London Health Research Day to showcase their projects which are working towards solving health issues, CTV's Reta Ismail has more.

Nearly 400 graduate students from across Western and Schulich gathered inside Mustang Lounge Tuesday to present their research as part of London Health Research Day (LHRD).

“This is really the largest networking event, poster presentation event and conference really on campus,” said Jack Webb, LHRD student organizer and PhD candidate at Schulich Medicine & Dentistry.

“It’s a great opportunity for students to come out, showcase their research, communicate with one another, and make those connections. And really part of our workshop for today is learning about what opportunities are available for graduate students once they’re done with their education.”

The rare event, described as a sort of science fair for emerging researchers, all working to solve a vast array of human health diseases and conditions, allowed the students an opportunity to explain their research in audience-accessible language.

“I love the idea of sharing my research to people who aren’t necessarily in the realm of exercise science or within public. I think population health is so important to get a broader idea of things that impact on the health care system, rather than just looking at patient level,” explained Nishfa Rizwan, master of public health candidate.

According to Western, the work is diverse: including concussion treatment for children, large-language models to evaluate cancer, brain imaging in people with dementia, and health system change to reduce surgical wait times.

“This is our future here…these are the future faculty, the future MDs, these are the people that are going to break new ground and find new, new cures,” said Tom Drysdale, associate dean, graduate and postdoctoral studies

London Health Research Day is a shared project of Western’s Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, the Faculty of Health Sciences, Lawson Research Institute of St. Joseph’s Health Care London, and London Health Sciences Centre Research Institute.