Juliana Podobnik wins MHSc Award for her literature review on type 1 diabetes
Congratulations to Juliana and her mentor, Dr. Kacey Prentice
Each year, the Department of Physiology issues the MHSc in Medical Physiology Award to honour the accomplishments of a student in the program who has achieved excellence not only in PSL4010Y (Mentored Literature Review in Physiology) but also across their entire MHSc program (excluding the practicum). The award supports the costs of publishing their mentored literature review in an appropriate journal.
We are excited to share that one of last year's winners, Kevin Lee, recently had his literature review, "When to intubate in acute hypoxaemic respiratory failure? Options and opportunities for evidence-informed decision making in the intensive care unit", published in The Lancet. Congratulations to Kevin, his mentor Dr. Ewan Goligher, and colleagues on this top-tier publication.
This year's winner, Juliana Podobnik, is currently in the process of submitting her review to top journals as well. "Although type 1 diabetes is typically recognized as an autoimmune disease, recent research highlights how it significantly disrupts the body’s metabolism, warranting its classification as both an autoimmune and metabolic disorder," Podobnik explained over email. "Under Dr. Kacey Prentice’s mentorship, my literature review examines innovative type 1 diabetes treatment strategies that target these metabolic disruptions. We found that metabolic interventions show great potential for overcoming the limitations of traditional type 1 diabetes treatments, improving long-term outcomes, and for delaying disease progression in newly diagnosed patients. We hope that our findings will inspire future research to advance metabolic treatment options, to ultimately improve the quality of life for those with type 1 diabetes.
"I am truly honoured to receive this award and so grateful to Dr. Kacey Prentice, Dr. Helen Miliotis, Dr. Jesse Gillis and the whole Physiology Department for their invaluable support and guidance throughout the program. To me, this award represents the culmination of a truly unique master’s program, characterized by innovation, scientific excellence, collaboration, mentorship, and professionalism."
Dr. Prentice was equally enthusiastic about her experience mentoring Podobnik. "Juliana's enthusiasm for exploring novel treatment strategies for Type 1 Diabetes was evident early on," she said. "Her proactive approach and independent execution of literature searches, combined with her ability to discuss findings at a high level, showcased her exceptional understanding of the topic. Mentoring her through the drafting process and seeing her responsiveness to feedback was incredibly fulfilling. We're now preparing her manuscript for submission to top journals."
Congratulations Juliana! We hope to soon share the review in published form.