Healthcare Engineering Scholarships

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.

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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

Tselot

Tselot Tessema
PhD candidate

Award: 2024
Thesis topic: design of automation for digital self-care interventions for patients with chronic heart failure

Khoshbakhtian

Faraz Khoshbakhtian
PhD candidate

Award: 2023
Thesis topic: graph-based machine learning for critical node detection to mitigate pandemic disease spread

Jangwon Park

Jangwon Park
PhD candidate

Award: 2023, 2022
Thesis topic: optimizing interfacility patient transfers to improve load imbalances in a network of hospitals

Erik Fredin

Erik Fredin
PhD candidate

Award: 2022
Thesis topic: tracking methods for a minimally-invasive surgical microrobot using endoscopic computer vision and magnetic hall sensors

Ben Leung

Benjamin Kwan Hon Leung
PhD 2024

Award: 2021
Thesis: Geospatial analytics and mathematical optimization in prehospital resuscitation

Current position:
Fellow, Duke University

Benjamin Tham

Benjamin Zhen Hong Tham
PhD 2024

Award: 2021
Thesis: Optimisation methods for advanced Gamma Knife radiosurgery treatment

Current position:
Senior Data Scientist, Canadian Tire Corporation

Hamed Shourabizadeh

Hamed Shourabizadeh
PhD 2024

Award: 2020
Thesis: Advanced machine learning techniques for survival analysis in medical data

Current position:
Data Scientist, Manulife

Pooja Bhalerao

Pooja Bhalerao
PhD 2023

Award: 2019
Thesis: Modeling supply and demand of general internists in Ontario

Current position:
Data Scientist, Sanofi

Bahram Mirani

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

Justin Boutilier
PhD 2018

Award: 2018
Thesis: Emergency medical services response optimization

Current position:
Assistant Professor, University of Ottawa

Christopher Sun

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

Kimberly Seaman
PhD candidate

Award: 2024
Thesis topic: role of bone cell mechanical loading on prostate cancer bone metastasis progression and dormancy

Myesha Senior

Myesha Senior
PhD candidate

Award: 2024
Thesis topic: equitable design of mental healthcare systems and technology for marginalized groups

Rob Chen

Rob Hongbo Chen
PhD candidate

Award: 2023
Thesis topic: machine learning tools to prevent adverse surgical events

Ben Leung

Benjamin Kwan Hon Leung
PhD 2024

Award: 2023

Thesis: Geospatial analytics and mathematical optimization in prehospital resuscitation

Current position:
Fellow, Duke University

Rejuana Alam

Rejuana Alam
MASc 2023

Award: 2022
Thesis: Trauma bay re-design: A user-centred approach

Current position:
Innovation Consultant, Accenture

Haley Mayer

Haley Mayer
PhD candidate

Award: 2022
Thesis topic: designing and building minimally invasive magnetically actuated surgical tools for endoscopic procedures

Carolina Riascos-Alvarez

Lizeth Carolina Riascos Alvarez
PhD 2023

Award: 2021
Thesis: Optimization models for kidney paired donation

Current position:
Research Engineer, BlockScience

Pengfei Xu

Pengfei Xu
PhD 2024

Award: 2021
Thesis: Conductive and stretchable elastomers with tissue-matched softness for ultrasoft electronics

Pooja Bhalerao

Pooja Bhalerao
PhD 2023

Award: 2020
Thesis: Modeling supply and demand of general internists in Ontario

Current position:
Data Scientist, Sanofi

Minha Lee

Minha Lee
MASc candidate

Award: 2020
Thesis topic: coupling machine learning and optimization algorithms to improve radiation treatment planning for cancer

Nasrin Yousefi

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

Kyle Juliao

Kyle Juliao
MEng candidate

Award: 2024
Project topic: identify bottlenecks and improve the time to treatment for lung cancer

Benjamin Tham

Benjamin Zhen Hong Tham
PhD 2024

Award: 2023
Thesis: Optimisation methods for advanced Gamma Knife radiosurgery treatment

Current position:
Senior Data Scientist, Canadian Tire Corporation

Fatemeh Shomal Zadech

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

Alfakir

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

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

Xuechen Shen
MASc 2020

Award: 2020
Thesis: Towards integrated 3D printing as an industrial manufacturing process

Current position:
Research Technologist, SickKids

Firdous Hadj-Moussa

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