Research is transforming health care.

Victoria Lam understands the value of health research.  As a student at the University of Alberta, Lam has a foot in two camps - the lab and the clinic.

In the lab, Lam and her colleagues are looking at the heart's metabolic activities in newborns, particularly in babies with congenital heart defects.  Approximately one in 100 babies will have a heart defect; such as  a hole between two chambers of the heart.

Under the supervision of Dr. Gary Lopaschuk  and Dr. Ivan Rebeyka, Lam examines animal heart models to investigate how congenital heart defects affect surgical outcomes.   Lam draws on that knowledge when she examines babies in the doctor's office.  "I can understand the mechanisms behind the symptoms I see in the clinic", she says.

The Alberta Innovates - Health Solutions (AIHS) MD-PhD Studentship, one of several opportunities available under the new AIHS Training and Early Career Development Programs, helps Lam and others like her bridge the gap between the lab bench and the patient's bedside.

AIHS has a new suite of funding opportunities to support health research and innovation to improve the health and wellbeing of Albertans and people worldwide.
To learn more about these funding opportunities click here or go to our Newsroom for the Info Bulletin.