We are in the enviable position of being a popular lab and have received a large number of applications for a very small number of positions. We thank you for your interest but I’m afraid that we are no longer accepting applications but wish all the undergraduates searching for summer/thesis positions the very best of luck in their search.
Bowdish Lab attended Queen’s Park Lobby Day with the Ontario Lung Association!
On Monday November 30th, the last day of Lung Month, members of the Bowdish Lab joined the Ontario Lung Association to lobby for the Lung Health Act at Queen´s Park. PI Dawn Bowdish and four lab members, Andrea Kellner (visiting PhD candidate), Dessi Loukov (PhD candidate), Kyle Novakowski (PhD candidate) and Justin Boyle (undergraduate), advocated for increased funding for lung research through support of Bill 41: The Lung Health Act. It was a great honour to meet the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, David Levac and talk to him about the importance of lung health. This aim was well received and he encouraged the junior researchers to never stop pursuing their scientific goals. Afterwards the team had the opportunity to explore the stunning architecture and history of Queen´s Park, which first opened in 1860. Later the reception afforded the Bowdish lab the privilege to meet MPPs and organizing members of the Lung Association. One exceptional guest and supporter of the Lung Association is Walter Gretzky, who welcomed people warmly and never tired of giving autographs. Especially inspiring was the prospect of meeting people affected by lung diseases as well as people engaged to directly help them as respiratory educators. This emphasized the importance of research performed in the Bowdish Lab and for whom it is done for. In summary, the day highlighted how research and politics can work together to improve the lives of Ontarians and how democracy works in the context of health.
George Habib from the Ontario Lung Association discusses the importance of the Lung Health Act.
Tammy Villeneuve (OLA), Andrea Kellner, Justin Boyle, MPP Dave Levac, Kyle Novakowski, Dessi Loukov and Dr. Dawn Bowdish meet to discuss the Lung Health Act.
The Bowdish lab will be accepting one summer student through the MacWorks (Work-Study) program, providing that they have previous experience with mouse models. This summer position would ideally transition into a 4th year thesis position and/or a part-time job (5-10 hr/wk) during the 2015/16 school year as our animal care coordinator. If interested, please send a c.v. and coverletter to Dr. Bowdish at bowdish@mcmaster.ca.
Thank you for your interest in our lab but unfortunately all undergraduate positions for the 2014/2015 school year have been filled. We do not take volunteers (see our FAQ page for a detailed explanation as to why). In general we fill positions about 6-12 mo in advance. Thank you for your interest and best of luck in your search.
This past month has been very productive in the Bowdish laboratory, with many triumphs achieved by it’s industrious members.
Firstly, a big congratulation goes to Kyle Novakowski, the Bowdish 
lab’s newest PhD student. Following a lot of hard work, determination and great dedication to his Masters project, Kyle successfully passed his transfer exam on July 7 and has officially begun his seemingly endless exciting pursuit for a PhD. Good luck to Kyle in continuing his interesting investigation on the regulation and function of MARCO!
Dessi Loukov presents her undergraduate work in the Bowdish lab at the 1st annual Perey Symposium, convinces everyone she’s a senior PhD student and brings home the Faculty choice award for best speed poster presentation.
Next up is Dessi Loukov, who is currently an undergraduate but come September will be the Bowdish lab’s 4th PhD student. At the 1st annual MIRC Perey Symposium held on June 19, Dessi impressed faculty and trainees with her educational and enthusiastic speed poster presentation on modulating the immune system to potentially reverse age-associated inflammation. Dessi was awarded a travel award as a result of her superb presentation skills. Kudos also to Fan Fei (PhD candidate) and Avee Naidoo (MSc candidate) who gave excellent speed poster talks and Dr. Chris Verschoor who gave an excellent oral presentation. Who knew that research in inflammation could be so exciting? The Bowdish lab, that’s who!
One PhD candidate who deserves great recognition for his recent successes is Mike Dorrington. Not only was Mike awarded with a prestigious and well-deserved Canadian Lung Association & Canadian Thoracic Studentship, but he additionally achieved received The Ruth and Wilson Tafts Prize for Immunology for having the best paper published in a peer-reviewed journal in 2013. Geez Mike, save some awards for the rest of us. These awards will be used to further fund his fascinating work on the role of macrophages – clearly, the best cell around – in recognition and clearance of Streptococcus pneumoniae in the upper respiratory tract. Congratulations Mike!
At the celebration of Mike’s first first author publication. Although Dawn is mostly happy for Mike, she is also slightly nervous that she might be about to lose an eye when the champagne is opened.
Then, there’s Dr. Chris Verschoor, the lab’s most productive and well-rounded member. Chris’ paper entitled, “Alterations to the frequency and function of peripheral blood monocytes and associations with chronic disease in the advanced-age, frail elderly“, was recently accepted into the PLoS one. If you’re interested in changes in monocyte populations with age – I mean, who isn’t? – keep a look out for Chris’ article in the next issue of PLoS one . Way to go Chris on this well-deserved publication!
<- Manuscipt accepted = happy post-doc.
And last, but definitely not least, the lab takes great pleasure in congratulating our passionate leader, Dr. Dawn Bowdish, who has been awarded tenure and a promotion to Associate Professor effective as of July 1, 2014. This accomplishment is a fitting acknowledgement of Dawn’s exceptional work, devotion and academic contributions to research in the field of macrophage biology. In addition to her promotion and tenure, Dawn recently received a Best Teacher Award in the Department of Pathology for excellence in undergraduate teaching and graduate supervision. Well-done Dawn!
Dawn receives the Pathology & Molecular Medicine Department’s best teacher award for her undergraduate and graduate supervision. Dr. Murray Potter, the education co-ordinator and Dr. Fiona Smaill, the chair, present her with the award.
Congratulations Bowdish lab on our successes!
Way to kill it, like young macrophages on pneumo 😉
Jessica Wallace (Sept 2013-Apr 2014) was a Life Sciences student who took Dawn’s HTHSCI 4II3 (Advanced Immunology) class. She was such an engaged student that despite being full to the rafters, she became the Bowdish lab’s 7th undergraduate student in the 2013/14 school year. She worked with Dr. Chris Verschoor to study the role of circulating bacterial products in age-associated inflammation. She has been accepted to McMaster’s Medical Sciences Graduate Program and will be working with Dr. Deborah Sloboda (Biochemistry) as an MSc student in Sept 2014. Congratulations Jessica!
Prashant Bharadwaj (Summer 2013) was an undergraduate from the Indian Institute of Technology who won a MITACS summer studentship to work in the Bowdish lab discovering novel signalling motifs in macrophage scavenger receptors. He will be joining John Hopkins as a graduate student in September 2014. Way to go Prashant!
Sarah Chauvin, a Bowdish lab alumnus (Biochem Thesis student May 2010 – September 2011 and NSERC USRA winner) is finishing her MSc degree at U of T and has been accepted into medical school there! Congratulations to Sarah.
The winning team!
Well it was an impressive show even for our over achieving lab! Bowdish lab undergraduates (Netusha Thevaranjan, Dessi Loukov, James Han), graduate students (Kyle Novakowski, Mike Dorrington, Fan Fei), post-docs (Dr. Chris Verschoor) and associates (Fiona Whelan, Dr. Jennifer Stearns, Michelle Pinto) all got selected to present posters at the IIDR trainee day. James Han won the IIDR Award of Excellence for best poster by an undergraduate and Dr. Jennifer Stearns brought home the award for best poster by a post-doc. Avee Naidoo was selected to give a talk only 6 weeks into her graduate degree and Dr. Chris Verschoor won the Gulliver award ($1000!) for the best oral presentation by a post-doc. What a great day!
For a complete album of photos, click here.
Avee Naidoo gives her first talk on her project – 6 weeks into grad school!
Dessi Loukov presents her poster and gets lots of compliments on her story.
Dr. Chris Verschoor wins the Gulliver award for best presentation by a PDF.
Dr. Jennifer Stearns and James Han win IIDR awards of excellence for their poster presentations.
Keith Lee, who will be attending the University of Toronto for medical school starting August 2013 has received a very prestigious CIHR MSc graduate award. He has chosen to decline to pursue his medical studies and potentially re-apply as an MD/PhD student next year. Congratulations Keith!