The purpose of this internship with the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse is to compare the effectiveness of two instruments that assess risky/problematic cannabis use (i.e. the ASSIST and the CUDIT), for predicting cannabis‐related harms in the new national survey of drug and alcohol use, and to recommend which of the two instruments be retained […]

The project with Dynacon Inc., a company applying automation and robotic technology to microbiology industry, aims to design control software that drives an automated specimen processing robotic system. This robotic system automates the processes of handling and labelling biological specimen containers. It is used to increase the productivity of microbiology laboratories and quality of their […]

Arthritis affecting the hip and knee is a common problem causing pain and disability for many Manitobans. Joint replacement surgery is a common treatment for this condition. Although many patients improve after the surgery, there are some who do not. It is in the patient’s, and health system’s best interest to try to learn which […]

Many workers in the Sarnia region have had past occupational exposure to asbestos. Currently, a study is under way at the Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto to attempt to detect early stage lung disease in these workers using low dose computed tomography imaging of the chest. The internship will evaluate the relationship between asbestos and […]

The research to be conducted involves the development of new technology that can detect breast cancer tumours using microwave technology. The necessary mathematical research to perform microwave imaging of the breast will be pursued together with the hardware design needed for such a system. The expertise and academic goals of the two interns offer a […]

This Mitacs-Accelerate internship has to do with studying the Emergency Department (ED) operations at the Grand River Hospital. In May of 2008, the provincial government announced funding for a number of hospitals to help them reduce ED wait times. The focus of the internship is an in‐depth study of the ED, and a detailed analysis […]

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is new optical imaging technique similar to ultrasound imaging. It has ten to 100 times higher resolution than ultrasound and a penetration depth of 4-6 millimeters. The use of light is safer to most biological samples than X-rays or gamma rays, and it also allows for chemical characterization of tumours in […]

Microbiology analysis is an essential tool for diagnosing infectious diseases in health and medical services. The subfield of Bacteriology receives the largest volume in human specimens (i.e. urine and swab samples). For an average sized clinical lab, 1,000 to 5,000 samples would need to be processed daily. Such high demand in conjunction with the labour‐intensive […]

Father engagement in addictions services with substance‐using mothers may be neglected, resulting in mothers’ poorer engagement and retention in addictions services, and subsequent compromised family health. To determine the extent and nature of father exclusion in ante‐partum, partum and post‐partum addictions services, and whether father exclusion affects mothers’ engagement and retention in services, a mixed […]

Corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) is a chemical found naturally in the brain that plays a key role in the stress response. CRF is also known to be involved in anxiety and mood disorders, as well as various aspects of drug dependence, including long-term relapse to drug use. Pathological symptoms in the form of mood disorders and […]

Cognitive function changes as people age, and for the most part, these changes are not for the good. Not everybody declines with the same rate; however, even people with cognitive impairment can experience different degree of decline. It is also known that a significant proportion of people can remain stable for a time or even […]

High dose chemotherapy treatment for lymphoma is followed by the infusion of patients’ own bloodforming stem cells to restore the function of the bone marrow. Canada Blood Services provides critical support in processing and storing these essential stem cell products at very low temperatures. On occasion, the recovery of blood cells after the transplant is […]