Four FHS students secure scholarships for graduate research

published on June 20, 2024 by Sharon Mah, in SFU

The Faculty of Health Sciences is pleased to highlight the work of four students who received funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) in support of their graduate research.

Maggie Duncan
CIHR Canada Doctoral Graduate Scholarship 2023 competition

Doctoral candidate Maggie Duncan has always been fascinated by infectious diseases and considered pursuing a PhD even as an undergraduate. Research figured prominently early in her academic career: she completed two Undergraduate Studies Research Awards (USRAs) at the Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS) studying influenza with former assistant professor turned adjunct Ian Tietjen, and then focused her Honour’s thesis on Marek’s Disease under the supervision of professor Masahiro Niikura. During this time, she met professor Zabrina Brumme – her current graduate supervisor and leader of the Brumme Lab – and developed an interest in HIV research. Duncan began her Master’s studies in 2021 after working with the BC Centre of Excellence in HIV/AIDS for a period. She recently transferred into the PhD program to more comprehensively address her research interests.

Duncan’s PhD research involves studying the viral ‘reservoir’ in people with HIV – a collection of infected host cells that contain viral genetic material that is integrated with the host’s DNA. This HIV reservoir allows the disease to persist in people’s bodies for decades even when the person is taking antiretroviral therapy (ART) and their virus levels are undetectable. When ART is interrupted, the HIV virus emerges from the reservoir and circulates through the host’s body, meaning that in the absence of a cure, people with HIV must take ART for life.

Duncan’s doctoral research examines three aspects of the HIV reservoir. So far, she has studied the impact of COVID-19 mRNA vaccines on HIV reservoirs. Next, she will aim to identify sociodemographic, clinical and immunogenetic factors that influence reservoir size in people with HIV, which varies greatly from person to person. While doing this, she is also working to improve the assay used to quantify HIV reservoirs so that they can be used to detect a wider variety of HIV genetic variants, making this tool more applicable globally.

When she is not investigating infectious diseases or thinking about how to cure HIV, Duncan can be found crafting. She has recently taken up jewelry making and embroidery.

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BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS

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Four FHS students secure scholarships for graduate research

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