IMS Connects: Working in Academia

Dr. Nana Lee holds a PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Toronto, a Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Michigan and was a Visiting Scholar at Whitehead (Broad) Institute for Biomedical Research, MIT with the world’s leading group of the International Human Genome Project. Her roles in the biotechnology industry include Senior Research Scientist for Ellipsis Biotherapeutics and Senior Research Scientist, Product Manager and Director of Application Science for DNA Software Inc.

She currently holds the position of Associate Professor, Teaching Stream and Director of Graduate Professional Development (GPD) for the Departments of Biochemistry and Immunology. She has presented to over 4000 audience members from high school, undergraduates, graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, faculty and professionals throughout the USA, Canada and Asia.

Amin M. Ektesabi, Ph.D., is a scientist with a strong interest in cell biology and RNA-based therapeutics, focusing on developing treatments for conditions like sepsis and ARDS. Currently a Postdoctoral Research Fellow, he works on projects that aim to bridge laboratory research and clinical applications. Amin enjoys collaborating with clinicians and regulatory experts to advance therapeutic innovations. He has had the opportunity to contribute to COVID-19 diagnostic testing and holds a provisional patent on miRNA delivery technologies.

Dr. Neil Goldenberg is a Staff Anesthetist at Sick Kids, and a Scientist in the Program in Cell Biology. He is an Associate Professor in Anesthesia and Pain Medicine at U of T, with cross appointment in Physiology and the IMS.

Neil completed his undergraduate training at UBC before starting an MD/PhD at U of T, training under Dr. Mel Silverman. Upon graduation in 2011, he started an Anesthesia residency at U of T in the clinician-investigator program, completing a post-doctoral fellowship with Dr. Wolfgang Kuebler. In 2017 he did a 1 year fellowship in pediatric anesthesia at Sick Kids, and has been on staff there since.

Dr. Jenny Rabin is a registered neuropsychologist, Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine (Neurology) at the University of Toronto, and Scientist at Sunnybrook Research Institute. She completed her PhD in Clinical Psychology, specializing in neuropsychology, at York University in Toronto, followed by a three-year joint research and clinical postdoctoral fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School.

Dr. Rabin’s research program centers on two main themes. As the Neuropsychology Lead at the Harquail Centre for Neuromodulation, she investigates the cognitive, behavioral, and psychosocial changes associated with novel neuromodulation therapies, including deep brain stimulation, focused ultrasound, and rTMS for challenging-to-treat neurological and psychiatric disorders. Another major focus of her research combines multimodal neuroimaging techniques, such as MRI and PET, with sensitive neuropsychological tests to identify factors that may slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. She is also actively engaged in investigating why women are at a higher risk for Alzheimer’s disease compared to men.

Susana Wu completed her Master of Science in Medical Science at IMS and graduated in 2023. She is now the coordinator at Scarborough Health Network's Scarborough Kids Development Clinic, where she guides families of children with developmental disabilities through the assessment process and assists with connecting them to appropriate services post-diagnosis. With a growing curiosity for healthcare systems, Susana aims to further explore clinic and hospital management in her future career, striving to enhance the quality and accessibility of care for the community.