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Keeping Our Members Informed and Connected
August 2021
Member Highlights and Successes
Letting us know about the accomplishments of you and your colleagues allows us to celebrate the great work being done in our region and further build collaborations. Here are just a few of your latest successes.

Funded Projects

Jalal Ahamed (PI/PA), Anthony Bain, Mitra Mirhassani, Simon Rondeau-Gagné, University of Windsor. ($18,000), WE-SPARK Igniting Discovery Grant, Development of a Microsystems-based Sensor Fusion Technology for Flexible, Self-healable and Wearable Patch for Breathing Pattern Recognitions; (2021-2022). 

Francesco Biondi (PI/PA), Balakumar Balasingam, University of Windsor. ($10,000), WE-SPARK Igniting Discovery Grant Funded by ORIS, Faculty of Human Kinetics and the Faculty of Engineering, University of Windsor. Developing a machine vision eye-blink detection application for the monitoring of zoom fatigue; (2021-2022). 

Dora Cavallo-Medved (PI/PA), Sarah Woodruff, University of Windsor, Monica Tighe, St. Clair College. ($50,000), Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) – Encouraging vaccine confidence in Canada Grant. Students Igniting Vaccine Confidence Program in Windsor-Essex; (2021-2022). 

Jessica Kichler, University of Windsor. ($4978), Research Grants for Women – University of Windsor, Supporting the Transition to Adulthood with Type 1 Diabetes in a University Setting; (2021-2022). 

Sahar Khan (PI/PA), Sindu Kanjeekal, Windsor Regional Hospital. ($20,000), WE-SPARK Igniting Discovery Grant funded by Windsor Cancer Research Group, Validating the Use of Mobile Technology to Identify Potential Neurocognitive Change in Cancer Patients Undergoing Chronic, Immune-Based Therapies; (2021-2022) 

Matthew Krause (PI/PA), Anthony Bain, University of Windsor. ($10,000), WE-SPARK Igniting Discovery Grant funded by ORIS and Faculty of Human Kinetics, University of Windsor. Role of sphingolipids in muscle repair and function in humans and mice; Role of Type 1 diabetes in sphingolipid levels; (2021-2022). 

Naomi Levitz (PI/PA), Elizabeth Strutt-Macleod, St. Clair College. ($18,000), WE-SPARK Igniting Discovery Grant, How did I get here?: Exploring the Lived Experiences of Windsor-Essex County’s Street Involved; (2021-2022). 

Drew Marquardt, University of Windsor. ($15,000). Breathing as One Young Investigators Research Award funded by the Lung Health Foundation, Vaping-Associated Lung Injury: Insight into Mechanisms of Action. 

Drew Marquardt (PI/PA), University of Windsor, Ming Pan, Windsor Regional Hospital. ($20,000), WE-SPARK Igniting Discovery Grant funded by the Windsor Cancer Centre Foundation Seeds4Hope Program. Realizing the Boron Neutron Capture Therapy at the University of Windsor; (2021-2022). 

Rosanne Menna (PI/PA), Lance Rappaport, Kimberly Babb, University of Windsor. ($17,000), WE-SPARK Igniting Discovery Grant, Children’s Technology and Media Use During the COVID-19 Pandemic; (2021-2022). 

Noeman Mirza (PI/PA), Paula van Wyk, University of Windsor, Jennifer Voth, Hôtel Dieu Grace Healthcare. ($18,000), WE-SPARK Igniting Discovery Grant, Role of Partners in Care (RoPiC); (2021-2022).  

Kathy Pfaff (PI/PA), Edward Cruz, Jamie Crawley, Shelley Evans, Jody Ralph, Michael Boroughs, Suzanne McMurphy, University of Windsor. ($30,000), WE-SPARK Igniting Discovery Grant funded by the Windsor Cancer Centre Foundation Seeds4Hope Program. Implementing and Evaluating a Compassionate Community Intervention to Improve the Holistic Health, Social Support, and Healthcare Utilization of the LGBTQ+ People Experiencing Cancer; (2021-2022). 

Munir Rahim (PI/PA), University of Windsor, Caroline Hamm, Brett Howe, Windsor Regional Hospital. ($40,000), WE-SPARK Igniting Discovery Grant funded by the Windsor Cancer Centre Foundation Seeds4Hope Program. NKR-P1A-mediated immunosurveillance in colorectal cancer; (2021-2022). 

Simon Rondeau-Gagné (PI/PA), Lisa Porter, University of Windsor, Matthew Hebb, Western University. ($40,000), WE-SPARK Incentive Grant, Evaluating Conjugated Polymer Nanoparticles as a New Molecular Platform for the Selective Treatment of Glioblastoma; (2021-2022). 

Hali Sitarz (PI/PA), Lizette Keenan, St. Clair College. ($18,000), WE-SPARK Igniting Discovery Grant. Breaking the Cycle: Empowering and Educating Nursing Students to Intervene in the Poverty Landscape; (2021-2022).  

Yufeng Tong (PI/PA), Robert McKay, Lisa Porter, Kendall Soucie, University of Windsor. ($500,000), Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR) Operating Grant – COVID-19 Rapid Research Funding Opportunity. Optimizing a Cost-efficient and Scalable COVID-19 Early Warning System at a Strategic Canadian Land Entry Point; (2021-2022). 

Jennifer Voth (PI/PA), Hôtel Dieu Grace Healthcare, Kendal Soucie, Jessica Kichler, University of Windsor. ($18,000), WE-SPARK Igniting Discovery Grant. Exploring the Implementation of a Family Navigation Service in Windsor-Essex; (2021-2022). 

Paula van Wyk (PI/PA), Patricia Weir, Deborah Kane, Ziad Kobti, University of Windsor. ($50,000), Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) – Encouraging vaccine confidence in Canada Grant. Increasing education and vaccine literacy among adults in southwestern Ontario; (2021-2022).  

Pooya Moradian Zadeh (PI/PA), Ziad Kobti, Kathy Pfaff, Saeed Samet, University of Windsor. ($10,000), WE-SPARK Igniting Discovery Grant with funding from ORIS, University of Windsor. AI-based platform to address social isolation and improve health in community dwelling seniors and other vulnerable groups; (2021-2022).  


Publications / Articles / Presentations

Colley P, Miller L, Seabrook J, Woodruff SJ, Gilliland J. (2021). Children’s perceptions of a centrally procured school food program in southwestern Ontario, Canada. Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention in Canada: Research, Policy and Practice. 

Dziura M, Mansour B, DiPasquale M, Chandrasekera P, Gauld J, Marquardt D. (2021). Simulated Breathing: Application of Molecular Dynamics Simulations to Pulmonary Lung Surfactant. Symmetry. 

Freer, JRR. (2021). Students' attitude toward disability: a systematic literature review. International Journal of Inclusive Education.  

Freer JRR. (2021). The Tripartite Intervention: Breaking Down Attitudinal Barriers in Education. Journal of Disability Studies in Education. 

Freer, JRR. (2021). The effects of the Tripartite Intervention on students' attitudes towards disability. Journal of Research in Special Education Needs.  



Kalami H, Urbanic J. (2021). Exploration of hardness variations for additive manufactured thin-walled components built by multi-axis tool paths. The International Journal of Manufacturing Technology. 


Levy BB, Luong D, Bayley MT, Sweet SN, Voth J, Kastner M, Nelson MLA, Jaglal SB, Salbach NM, Wilcock R, Thoms C, Shepherd J, Munce S. (2021). A Pilot Feasibility Randomized Controlled Trial on the Ontario Brain Injury Association Peer Support Program. J. Clin. Med.  

Mactavish A, Mastronardi C, Menna R, Babb K, Battaglia M, Amstadter A, Rappaport L. (2021). Children's Mental Health in Southwestern Ontario during Summer 2020 of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Journal of the Canadian Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. 

MacKinnon K, Guta A, Voronka J, Pilling M, Williams C, Strike C, Ross L. (2021). The Political Economy of Peer Research: Mapping the Possibilities and Precarities of Paying People for Lived Experience. The British Journal of Social Work 

Maxwell A, Yayah Jones N, Taylor S, Corathers S, Rasnick E, Brokamp C, Kichler J, Riley C, Beck A. (In Press). Socioeconomic and racial disparities in diabetic ketoacidosis admissions in youth with type 1 diabetes. Journal of Hospital Medicine. 

Mitchell FR, van Wyk PM, Santarossa S. (2021). Curating a culture: the portrayal of disability stereotypes by Paralympians on Instagram. International Journal of Sport Communication. 




Scott H, Kennison K, Enoki T, Doktorova M, Kinnun J, Wang H, Vu S, Pignanelli J, Abdel T, Trant JF, Mahshid S, Rondeau-Gagne S, Ahamed MJ. (2021). Fabrication and Characterization of Autonomously Self-Healable and Stretchable Soft Microfluidics. Advanced Sustainable Systems. 

Wen X, Wen G, Li W, Zhao Z, Duan X, Yan W, Trant JF, Li Y. (2021). Carbon dots for specific “off-on” sensing of Co2+ and EDTA for in vivo bioimaging. Materials Science and Engineering. 
 

Congratulations everyone!
Be sure to submit any news items as they happen and we will include them.
Pictures and links to details are welcome.
Researcher Toolkit
Navigating Research can be a time consuming task at any institution. When conducting research across organizations, the complexity seems that much more overwhelming. WE-SPARK Health Institute is always looking for ways to support our researchers. Here are a few of the tools that you may find useful.
WE-SPARK can provide you with the forum you need to move your ideas forward. Register to participate or contact us to be a presenter wesparkhealth@uwindsor.ca.
WE-SPARK is active on social media and youtube. Following us is an easy way to stay up to date on the health research activities in our region.
Submit a request on our new Volunteer Request Platform to have students matched with your projects to provide support in a variety of areas.
We want to hear about your grants, publications, awards, conferences!
Send your great news to wesparkhealth@uwindsor.ca.
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wesparkhealth@uwindsor.ca

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