Last week 4th year Health Sciences Honours thesis student Sebastian Srugo presented his research titled The Impact of Maternal Malnutrition on Gut Barrier Defence. Implications for Pregnancy Health and Fetal Development at the annual Canadian National Perinatal Research Meeting in Banff, Alberta.
Srugo’s work is the culmination of multiple research experiences with Dr. Kristin Connor, where he has investigated how development and disease risk are shaped by the gut-brain axis, and learnt effective science communication – a skill emphasised in the Connor Lab.
All his efforts paid off, as Srugo beat out graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and clinical residents and fellows to win the Canadian Institutes of Health Research best oral presentation at the conference!
On reflecting about his experience, Srugo said it was amazing to present, learn, and network at the conference, and that he wouldn’t have been as successful without support from the Connor Lab, friends and family.
Dr. Connor added “This is an incredible achievement for Sebastian, and evidence of how successful an undergraduate research student can be with persistent hard work and good mentorship. In Health Sciences, we are grateful for the support that Carleton University and its benefactors show towards our trainees. This support allows students to catch the research bug early in their careers and develop inquiring minds that will stay with them long after they leave Carleton.”
To learn more about Dr. Connor’s research and join her team, visit her Developmental Origins of Health and Disease website.
Image credit: Flaticon