Yerin (Rina) Lee is a medical student at the University of Toronto. She received an Honours Bachelor of Science degree with High Distinction from the University of Toronto and is a previous Fulbright Canada Killam Fellow. Her research interests include the optimization of diagnostic and antimicrobial resistance testing methods in the clinical laboratory, as well as the role of artificial intelligence and machine learning in improving testing accuracy, turnaround times, and data management and analysis practices in the laboratory.
AMMI Canada - CFID Medical Student Research Award
The goal of this award is to provide support for medical students who are interested in research in infectious diseases and microbiology. This award is funded for $5,000 for a 10-12 week research term, performed consecutively over the summer or intermittently over the course of one academic year. Adjudication is by a selection committee and will be competitive based on academic achievement, research potential or experience, and mentor acceptance. The awardee is required to submit a summary report within 4 weeks of the termination of their project, which will be published on the AMMI Canada and the CFID websites. The student is also encouraged to submit a poster or oral presentation on their work at the subsequent annual AMMI Canada/CACMID meeting.
Eligibility requirements:
- Students must be a Canadian citizen or resident enrolled in an undergraduate medical program at a Canadian University and must be in good standing
- Commitment to 10-12 weeks of research either as a summer research project, or carried out over the course of one year
- The student's research supervisor must be a member in good standing of AMMI Canada
- Research area must be relevant to the diagnosis, treatment or prevention of infectious diseases
- Priority is given to current focused research areas identified by CFID (e.g. water safety, antimicrobial resistance, rapid diagnostics, infection prevention strategies, antimicrobial stewardship, etc.)
Application:
Applications are due no later than January 31, 2025.
2023 – AMMI Canada – CFID Medical Student Research Award – no applicants
2022 – AMMI Canada – CFID Medical Student Research Award – Julia Cahill
Trainee: Julia Cahill, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Supervisor: Dr. Justin Chen
Project: “Evaluating the effectiveness of the script concordance test as an educational tool and method of assessment in antimicrobial stewardship”
2021 AMMI CFID Medical Student Research Project
- Student – Vinyas Harish
2020 AMMI CFID Medical Student Research Project
“Impact on gut bacterial composition in Cambodian women receiving daily iron supplementation with either ferrous sulfate or ferrous bisglycinate: a 12-week randomized controlled trial”
- Student – Emma Finlayson-Trick
- Supervisor – Dr. David Goldfarb and Crystal Karakochuk
Read research proposal
2019 AMMI Canada Medical Student Research Projects
1. “Screening and comprehensive infection prevention for antimicrobial-resistant organisms in high risk patients in long-term care facilities: A cost-effective analysis”
- Student: Dalton Budhram (University Health Network, University of Toronto)
- Supervisors: Dr. Beate Sander, Dr. Samir Patel
Read research proposal
2. “Intermittent carriage of antibiotic resistant organisms and enteric pathogens among healthy fecal microbiota transplant stool donors”
- Student: Kathleen Simms (Mount Sinai Hospital, University of Toronto)
- Supervisor: Dr. Susan Poutanen
Read research proposal
2018 AMMI Canada Medical Student Research Projects
“Corynebacterium diphtheriae infections in an impoverished, inner-city patient population: epidemiology and mechanisms of antibiotic resistance”
- Student – Jason Zou, Med II, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB
- Co-Supervisors – Dr. Christopher Lowe MD, FRCPC and Dr. Marc Romney MD, FRCPC, Clinical Associate Professors, Division of Medical Microbiology, Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, University of British Columbia and St. Paul’s Hospital, Vancouver, BC
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“Diagnostic and Prognostic Biomarkers of Host Response to Respiratory Syncytial Virus Respiratory Tract Infection in Ugandan Infants and Children”.
- Student – Julia Sawatzky, Med I, University of Alberta School of Medicine, Edmonton, AB
- Supervisor – Dr. Michael Hawkes MD PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Paediatrics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB
Read research proposal
2017 AMMI Canada Medical Student Research Projects
Molecular Epidemiology of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Newfoundland and Labrador
- Student – Lucy Smith, Med II, Memorial University School of Medicine, St. John’s, NF
- Supervisor – Dr. Peter Daley MD, Assistant Professor, Infectious Diseases & Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University, St. John’s, NF
Exploring the Live Birth Rates of Women Living with HIV in British Columbia and the CARMA (CIHR Emerging Team Grant on HIV Therapy and Aging) Cohort
- Student – Clara van Ommen, Med II, University of British Columbia School of Medicine, Vancouver, BC
- Supervisor – Dr. Melanie Murray MD/PhD, Assistant Professor, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of British Columbia, BC Women’s Hospital and St. Paul’s Hospital, Vancouver, BC
2016 AMMI Canada Medical Student Research Projects
Tan C, Vermeulen M, Wang X et al. Variability in antibiotic use across Ontario acute care hospitals. J Antimicrob Chemother. 2017;72(2):554-563
- Student – Charlie Tan, Med III, Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine, McMaster University
- Supervisor – Dr. Nick Daneman MD, MSc, FRCPC, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, University of Toronto
Biomarkers of inflammation and endothelial activation in vertically HIV-1 infected children
- Student – Jeremy Soo, Med I, University of Alberta School of Medicine
- Supervisor – Dr. Michael Hawkes MD, PhD, FRCPC, Department of Pediatrics, University of Alberta
2015 AMMI Canada Medical Student Research Project
Community-acquired Clostridium difficile infections
- Student – Christina Thornton, Med 2, MD/PhD Program, University of Calgary
- Supervisor – Dr. Dylan R. Pillai, Medical Microbiologist, Calgary Lab Services, Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Microbiology & Infectious Diseases, University of Calgary