Written by: Iryna Liubchak, Cheung Lab
Dr. Tanya Bennet
What can you tell us about your current research?
I’m working on the interdisciplinary collaborative project Mend the Gap (MtG), where we’re aiming to develop a novel biomaterial-based treatment for spinal cord injury. My focus is on translation from the in vitro to in vivo setting. This includes designing and conducting experiments to answer such questions as: ‘How will the biomaterial be injected into the spinal cord?’; ‘What light source provides sufficient illumination for crosslinking within the lesion site?’; ‘How do lesion size and depth influence crosslinking and biomaterial degradation over time?’; and ‘How does the material behave in common medical environments, for example when a person is undergoing an MRI procedure?’.
Through my involvement with the Engineers in Scrubs (EiS) program at UBC, I have gained a lot of experience working closely healthcare professionals to develop technology that addresses clinical needs. Applying the knowledge I have learned about Medical Technology Innovation to my research helps to ensure that the solutions developed by MtG researchers consider translation and are built for the final use environment, and not just the benchtop.
What inspired you to pursue a postdoctoral fellowship at UBC?
When I was working on my PhD thesis here at UBC, I had the opportunity to conduct preliminary research for MtG. Because I was involved in the initial stages, I was extremely interested in seeing how it develops, knowing that it was such a large, interdisciplinary collaborative project that would allow me to work with experts in so many fields. While completing my PhD, I also had the opportunity to become heavily involved with the EiS program, first as a student, then as part of the instructional team and I absolutely loved it! While helping with the program I developed many ideas for how to improve or expand the program and I was lucky enough to work with Dr. Roger Tam who really encouraged me to put some of my ideas into practice. This is how I became more involved with curriculum development and clinical engagement. So, when the opportunity arose to do a dual postdoctoral fellowship at SBME where I get to spend 50% of my time teaching and working with the EiS program, and 50% of my time doing research for MtG I jumped right at it. I really enjoy being involved in both sides of academia.
Another big reason I decided to pursue a postdoctoral fellowship at UBC was because it provided the opportunity to continue working with great mentors. I was very fortunate to be mentored by Dr. Karen Cheung and Dr. Roger Tam during my graduate studies. Both of them have had tremendous influence on my career and they have always encouraged me to take on fulfilling projects such as MtG and EiS. Dr. Tara Caffrey, MtG research facilitator, has also been a great mentor to me. Working alongside Dr. Caffrey has expanded my knowledge of biology and helped me develop a better understanding of factors that need to be considered in translational research. Overall, both MtG and EiS are very collaborative, and it’s been amazing working with an interdisciplinary team in which each day you learn something new. It feels a lot like a community, not just a workplace and things like that add a lot to the graduate and postgraduate journey.
What is Engineers in Scrubs, and how did you get involved?
EiS is a graduate program offered in SBME that teaches biomedical engineers to navigate the interfaces between engineering and medical research, clinical practice and product development. It consists of two courses: BMEG 500 takes place in Term 1 (September – December) and aims to introduce students to various clinical environments in which biomedical engineers are involved. BMEG 501 runs during the full year (September to May) and is a design course centered around medical technology innovation. In this course, students work closely with healthcare professionals to develop solutions for unmet clinical needs. We host MedTech CAFÉs (Clinical Advances From Engineering) where we invite healthcare professionals to present to the students a variety of clinical problems that they encounter in their practice and daily activities. Then students conduct background research on the problem to filter needs and select a problem to carry through development. The students also get to interact with our advisory committee consisting of experts in medical technology innovation, entrepreneurs, clinicians and EiS alumni who advise on the project’s selection and the innovation process. We have had several projects that have successfully continued beyond the EiS courses. For example, one of last year’s projects was STITCH: Surgical Trainer for InTerventions to Control Postpartum Hemorrhage. This portable, reusable, low-cost intermediate fidelity simulator has gained a lot of interest from many surgical training programs, and the team continues to develop and deploy their technologies globally. Arbutus Medical, a well-known local MedTech company, also started as an EiS project!
I started my EiS journey as a student in 2018/2019 and then became a TA the following year. During the COVID-19 pandemic I got the opportunity to become more involved with curriculum development and clinical engagement and transitioned into the EiS instructor role. This year I’ve been able to be extremely involved in curriculum development as I’m also teaching a summer directed studies course on medical technology innovation. The course is an extension of EiS and similar to BMEG 501 but in a condensed format providing the opportunity for more students to learn about medical technology innovation.
What has been the most rewarding aspect of your career so far?
Seeing your research contributing to a grant or a publication is very rewarding! For example, it is very rewarding to know that some of my work on the MtG project was included in a grant proposal that was ultimately successful.
Also, as a member of the EiS instructional team, I have enjoyed mentoring many students and it’s very rewarding to have students come back and tell you how much the program and your mentorship influenced their career trajectories. This past year we hosted a seminar in which a panel of EiS alumni spoke to the current cohort and it was so great to hear about their positive experiences with the program, and the mentorship they received. Mentorship means a lot to me, it has had such a huge influence on my academic journey, and I enjoy passing along what I’ve learned to those new to the field – and to also learn from them in return. A couple of years ago, I was nominated for the CBR mentorship award by one of our undergraduate co-op students and it was rewarding to know that people had enjoyed working in our lab and learning from me.
How do you balance research, mentorship, and other professional commitments?
For me it’s an organization and priority game. As the work I do has so many different components (meetings, teaching, lab work), it’s essential that I organize my time efficiently and this takes planning and communication. It also helps having support from supervisors, mentors and colleagues.
For me personally, I also find that I’m at my best when I have a good work-life balance. I became very aware of how important this is while I was writing my PhD thesis. I started to notice I was becoming less and less productive when I didn’t prioritize things like sleep or exercise. When you spend time outside of work connecting with people and recharging by doing the things you love it helps you be more productive and stick to your work schedule and tasks.
As an experienced scientist, what advice do you have for early career scientists?
In graduate school it’s common to focus only on the end goal of finishing your thesis-based research but often there are amazing opportunities that come up outside of it. My advice would therefore be to focus on the journey and be open to opportunities that arise. If I hadn’t taken this approach, I would have never had the opportunity to be involved with EiS or MtG and I’ve learned so much and became a much better scientist because of this. I would also recommend to establish good communication with your supervisors, mentors and colleagues. Sometimes life can throw some curve balls at you and having the support of these individuals can really help.
Dr. Tanya Bennet
When you’re not working, what other activities do you enjoy?
I love the outdoors and anything sports-related. When I’m not working you can sometimes find me in the ocean, on a snow-covered hill or camping in the forest but most often I’m either in the gym or on a rugby pitch. I’ve been playing competitive rugby for 17 years and for the last 9 I’ve been playing for a local club called the Meraloma Rugby club. Rugby has brought so much joy to my life and allowed me to travel the world and meet some of the most amazing people. It’s extremely interesting that women’s rugby attracts a lot of individuals in STEM; my teammates include academics, engineers, nurses and doctors. It’s extremely empowering to play a sport that really pushes you to your limits alongside individuals that inspire you both on and off the pitch. Eating is another one of my activities outside of work. I am a massive foodie and my partner and I love exploring the amazing restaurants and cuisines that Vancouver has to offer.