Three endowed scholarships from alumni of the Faculty
The Centre for Healthcare Engineering is grateful for three scholarships made possible by alumni. Applications for these scholarships are open at the end of the autumn semester. Please keep eyes open for announcements on this website, communications circulated by the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, and email notifications from Faculty Affiliates.
- 6T6 Industrial Engineering 50th Anniversary Award in Healthcare Engineering
- The 1966 graduates in industrial engineering (IndE 6T6) are proud to support this scholarship to contribute to the development of industrial engineering expertise for the healthcare sector.
- Peri Family Graduate Scholarship in Healthcare Engineering
- John Peri (IndE 8T4) and his family provided generous donations to the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering to establish two awards, one of which is to support graduate students conducting research in healthcare engineering.
- Stan Gasner Graduate Scholarship in Healthcare
- Stan Gasner (IndE 6T4) and his wife, Diane, have long supported the Faculty and aspiring engineers through volunteerism, mentorship, event participation and generous contributions. Established in 2018, this scholarship recognizes and assists graduate students pursuing projects in healthcare engineering.
Thank you to our generous supporters for encouraging advanced learning, discovery and innovation!
Recipients
6T6 Industrial Engineering 50th Anniversary Award in Healthcare Engineering
Tosin Akintunde
PhD candidate
Award: 2025
Thesis topic: understanding challenges and envisioning solutions to address racial disparities in black women and birthing persons’ maternal care within clinical systems
Myesha Senior
PhD candidate
Award: 2025
Thesis topic: equitable design of mental healthcare systems and technology for marginalized groups
Tselot Tessema
PhD candidate
Award: 2024
Thesis topic: design of automation for digital self-care interventions for patients with chronic heart failure
Faraz Khoshbakhtian
PhD candidate
Award: 2023
Thesis topic: graph-based machine learning for critical node detection to mitigate pandemic disease spread
Jangwon Park
PhD candidate
Award: 2023, 2022
Thesis topic: optimizing interfacility patient transfers to improve load imbalances in a network of hospitals
Erik Fredin
PhD candidate
Award: 2022
Thesis topic: tracking methods for a minimally-invasive surgical microrobot using endoscopic computer vision and magnetic hall sensors
Benjamin Kwan Hon Leung
PhD 2024
Award: 2021
Thesis: Geospatial analytics and mathematical optimization in prehospital resuscitation
Current position:
Fellow, Duke University
Benjamin Zhen Hong Tham
PhD 2024
Award: 2021
Thesis: Optimisation methods for advanced Gamma Knife radiosurgery treatment
Current position:
Senior Data Scientist, Canadian Tire Corp.
Hamed Shourabizadeh
PhD 2024
Award: 2020
Thesis: Advanced machine learning techniques for survival analysis in medical data
Current position:
Data Scientist, Manulife
Pooja Bhalerao
PhD 2023
Award: 2019
Thesis: Modeling supply and demand of general internists in Ontario
Current position:
Data Scientist, Sanofi
Bahram Mirani
PhD 2024
Award: 2019
Thesis: Recapitulating native tissue biaxial mechanical properties in tissue-engineered pulmonary valves to improve their hemodynamic function and tissue homeostasis
Current position:
Banting Postdoctoral Fellow, Harvard Medical School
Justin Boutilier
PhD 2018
Award: 2018
Thesis: Emergency medical services response optimization
Current position:
Assistant Professor, University of Ottawa
Christopher Sun
PhD 2019
Award: 2017
Thesis: Improving out-of-hospital cardiac arrest outcomes and automated external defibrillator placement guidelines through optimization and predictive modeling
Current position:
Assistant Professor, University of Ottawa
Peri Family Graduate Scholarship in Healthcare Engineering
Kimberly Seaman
PhD candidate
Award: 2024
Thesis topic: role of bone cell mechanical loading on prostate cancer bone metastasis progression and dormancy
Myesha Senior
PhD candidate
Award: 2024
Thesis topic: equitable design of mental healthcare systems and technology for marginalized groups
Rob Hongbo Chen
PhD candidate
Award: 2023
Thesis topic: machine learning tools to prevent adverse surgical events
Benjamin Kwan Hon Leung
PhD 2024
Award: 2023
Thesis: Geospatial analytics and mathematical optimization in prehospital resuscitation
Current position:
Fellow, Duke University
Rejuana Alam
MASc 2023
Award: 2022
Thesis: Trauma bay re-design: A user-centred approach
Current position:
Innovation Consultant, Accenture
Haley Mayer
PhD candidate
Award: 2022
Thesis topic: designing and building minimally invasive magnetically actuated surgical tools for endoscopic procedures
Lizeth Carolina Riascos Alvarez
PhD 2023
Award: 2021
Thesis: Optimization models for kidney paired donation
Current position:
Research Engineer, BlockScience
Pengfei Xu
PhD 2024
Award: 2021
Thesis: Conductive and stretchable elastomers with tissue-matched softness for ultrasoft electronics
Current position:
Process Engineer, VueReal Inc.
Pooja Bhalerao
PhD 2023
Award: 2020
Thesis: Modeling supply and demand of general internists in Ontario
Current position:
Data Scientist, Sanofi
Minha Lee
MASc candidate
Award: 2020
Thesis topic: coupling machine learning and optimization algorithms to improve radiation treatment planning for cancer
Nasrin Yousefi
PhD 2023
Award: 2019
Thesis: Inverse optimization and its applications in measuring clinical pathway concordance
Current position:
Assistant Professor, Queen's University
Stan Gasner Graduate Scholarship in Healthcare
Susana Su
MASc candidate
Award: 2025
Project topic: developing predictive and prescriptive analytics to forecast ICU bed occupancy and improve critical care resource planning
Kyle Juliao
MEng candidate
Award: 2024
Project topic: identify bottlenecks and improve the time to treatment for lung cancer
Benjamin Zhen Hong Tham
PhD 2024
Award: 2023
Thesis: Optimisation methods for advanced Gamma Knife radiosurgery treatment
Current position:
Senior Data Scientist, Canadian Tire Corp.
Fatemeh Shomal Zadeh
PhD candidate
Award: 2022
Thesis topic: improve the understanding of central sensitization effects on motor neurons by assessing corticospinal and motoneuron excitability in chronic patients
Abdalrahman Alfakir
MHSc 2021
Award: 2021
Thesis: Development of a system to measure adherence to lower back pain rehabilitation with wearable sensors and artificial intelligence
Current position:
Biomedical Support Engineer, King Abdulaziz Hospital, Saudi Arabia
Jason Leung
MASc 2021
Award: 2020
Thesis: Evaluation of an electroencephalography source imaging based brain-computer interface for youth with brain lesions
Current position:
BCI Designer, Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation
Xuechen Shen
MASc 2020
Award: 2020
Thesis: Towards integrated 3D printing as an industrial manufacturing process
Current position:
Research Technologist, SickKids
Firdous Hadj-Moussa
MHSc 2020
Award: 2019
Thesis: Investigating the impact of running-specific prostheses use for children and youth with lower limb absence
Current position:
Scientific Evaluator, Health Canada