2024 FHS Undergraduate Awards

published on June 27, 2024 by SFU, in SFU

Megan Obermayer: FHS Award for Outstanding Service to the Faculty of Health Sciences

Throughout her undergraduate degree, Megan Obermayer was involved in various aspects of the health sciences community, including volunteering with the Health Sciences Undergraduate Journal and the FHS Peer Mentorship Program. One of her most memorable experiences was creating the SFU Lung Health Initiative; in this club, she collaborated with other like-minded SFU students, learned from influential community members, and raised awareness and research funds for lung diseases. Another highlight of her time at SFU was partaking in the Health Sciences Co-op Program where she helped manage clinical research studies investigating colorectal diseases at St. Paul’s Hospital.

Outside of SFU, Obermayer volunteers as the Program Coordinator for Girls to the Power of Math, a non-profit organization that focuses on improving math confidence in elementary school girls and gender-diverse individuals. Within this position, she works to enhance Girls to the Power of Math by helping bring the program to new schools and community centers throughout British Columbia.

Obermayer also volunteers in the Emergency Department at Chilliwack General Hospital where she helps ease patient concerns by providing comfort items and answering questions regarding the delivery of emergency care. Within this role, she enjoys speaking with patients and learning about their experiences accessing the Canadian healthcare system.

For FHS students who are still completing their studies, Obermayer’s advice is to be courageous and accept new opportunities, even those that initially appear daunting or challenging, as it is through these experiences that you will likely witness the most personal growth. She also recommends setting boundaries for yourself, recognizing your limits, and prioritizing self-care.

Evan Barad: FHS Award for Extraordinary Achievement

The most memorable part of Evan Barad’s undergraduate experience was completing and defending his honours thesis, and having opportunity to perform research with the British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS (BC-CfE). Barad has gained valuable skills in a clinical environment and his research contributions have led to co-authorship on five published peer-reviewed papers. After nine months of research on his own study topic, he successfully defended his honours thesis. Barad is extremely grateful for the mentorship and important relationships he has forged with FHS professors and staff during his undergrad.

After completing his honours thesis, Barad remained with the BC-CfE as a research assistant. He is helping generate and analyze data used for current HIV clinical study in addition to multiple research projects and publications. He is also passionate about cancer research. Having been close with multiple cancer survivors, Barad volunteers with the Terry Fox Run, with the hope to one day to find a cure. He values the importance of the work he is involved with and the opportunity to give back.

Barad recommends introducing yourself to professors and faculty. "The faculty members in FHS are very knowledgeable and genuinely care about their study topic and the students they teach," he says. "If you are ever having difficulties, do not hesitate to reach out. Fostering these relationships can lead to invaluable mentorship which can lead to other opportunities and guidance."

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BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS

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2024 FHS Undergraduate Awards

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