2019 Friedman Award for Scholars in Health

Congratulations to Aalia Sachedina (OBGYN resident) and Maggie Woo Kinshella (PhD student, Reproductive and Developmental Sciences) for receiving the prestigious  Friedman Award for Scholars in Health. Friedman Scholars receive funding for six or more months of study outside western Canada.

Aalia Sachedina is a medical resident in Obstetrics & Gynaecology at BC Women’s and Children’s Hospital. Under the mentorship of Dr. Sonia Grover at The Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne, Dr. Sachedina will undertake specialized training in paediatric & adolescent gynaecology from world experts in the emerging field of oncofertility, dedicated to preserving the fertility of paediatric patients affected by cancer. Dr. Sachedina aims to bring this expertise back to BC Women’s and Children’s Hospital to help establish a comprehensive oncofertility program.

Maggie Woo Kinshella is a PhD student in Reproductive and Developmental Sciences. Under the mentorship of Dr. Sophie Moore at King’s College London, Maggie will undertake a literature review of maternal nutrition in sub-Saharan Africa and a focused ethnography of meals and motherhood in rural sub-Saharan Africa, conducted through focus groups, interviews, photovoice and participant observations in the Gambia, Kenya and Mozambique. The objective of the research is to further understand processes of entrenching poverty and malnutrition and add to understandings of maternal-fetal nutrition in sub-Saharan Africa.