Two Ontario Tech University graduate students are gaining national and international recognition for their work in blood research, hematology and transfusion medicine.
Sonia Mirza and Nawal Elshamiy are conducting their graduate research in the red cell research lab at Ontario Tech under the supervision of Dr. Syed Qadri, Associate Professor, Faculty of Health Sciences, and Adjunct Scientist with Canadian Blood Services.
Mirza and Elshamiy attended the 2026 Norman Bethune Symposium in Vancouver. The annual symposium brings together scientists, clinicians and trainees working in blood and blood-related research.
Mirza represented Ontario Tech as a plenary speaker, presenting research on the association between anemia and dementia in adult populations. Elshamiy presented research on differential sphingolipid signalling in human and bovine red blood cells.
Elshamiy was also invited to present her research at the 2026 European Red Cell Society meeting in L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, France, an international forum for researchers, clinicians and experts in red cell biology.
Both students are members of the Canadian Blood Services Monthly Science Seminar organizing committee and have authored trainee blog posts highlighting their research, professional development and knowledge exchange experiences.