Shaghayegh Chavoshian will receive $20,000 in combined funding to support her research at KITE
It was a busy summer for KITE trainee Shaghayegh (Shay) Chavoshian whose research work was recognized with a pair of important awards.
In addition to receiving the 2022 University Health Network Women’s Health Program Summer Studentship Award Chavoshian was also awarded the 2022-23 Mount Sinai Hospital Graduate Scholarship in Science and Technology.
The UHN Women’s Health Program supports research aimed at measuring and improving healthcare for women, as well as initiatives aimed at improving education in women’s health and at supporting the success of women in medicine. Recipients receive $5,000 in funding.
Chavoshian received the summer studentship award for a project which investigated what factors lead to higher prevalence of asthma and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) overlap in women.
“I greatly appreciate UHN for supporting my research with this award,” said Chavoshian, who works with a team in SleepdB under the supervision of KITE Senior Scientist Dr. Azadeh Yadollahi and is also a first-year PhD student at the University of Toronto’s Institute of Biomedical Engineering.
“The prevalence of asthma and OSA in women is two times higher than men, but there is limited data on the factors that cause this,” said Chavoshian. “By identifying the contributing factors I can get a better understanding of why the prevalence is so much higher in women and ultimately move one step closer to accomplishing my goal of developing accessible technologies that can provide better treatment for patients with asthma and OSA.”
The Mount Sinai Hospital Graduate Scholarship in Science and Technology is awarded annually based on financial need and academic excellence. Recipients of this award receive $15,000 in funding over the course of an academic year.
“This award will help relieve some of the financial burden of post-secondary education and allow me to devote more time and energy to my research,” said Chavoshian.