Each individual’s contribution is important to the growth and success of Centre for Blood Research (CBR). There are those among us who go a step farther, over and above what is expected of them, to build a supportive learning environment for others.
Dr. Neil Mackenzie, a late Postdoctoral Fellow in Dr. Brömme’s lab, was one such individual. He was a dedicated and caring mentor whose enthusiasm and positive attitude exemplified his ability to motivate and support his colleagues.
In Neil’s memory, each year CBR recognizes an individual who has demonstrated outstanding commitment to mentorship and the development of others through the Neil Mackenzie Mentorship Excellence Award. CBR members have the opportunity to nominate their mentors for the award, and the recipient is announced at CBR Research Day in August.
How can I submit a nomination?
Nominations for the 2024 Neil Mackenzie Mentorship Excellence Award are closed.
Who do I contact with questions?
Please contact Kaitlyn Chuong (kaitlyn.chuong@ubc.ca).
Dr. Neil Mackenzie
About Dr. Neil Mackenzie
Neil Mackenzie was a Postdoctoral Fellow at UBC’s Centre for Blood Research (CBR) who tragically passed away in a climbing accident at Joffre Peak on Sunday, January 11, 2015. Neil was a wonderfully unique person. He passionately embraced life through his explorations in science and the outdoors, infecting others with his enthusiasm, anxious to learn and always happy to teach and encourage others. At the time of the tragic accident, Neil was well on his way to making major strides in the lab toward understanding some of the mechanisms underlying cardiovascular disease.
Neil’s passion for science was only matched by his love of the mountains and all his friends. One of the most active members of the Varsity Outdoor Club (VOC), Neil could be found climbing practically every weekend. He was known to support any beginner and was happy to show them the ropes. He had a unique talent to connect with people thanks to his disarming and self-deprecating sense of humour that put people at ease in any kind of situation.
To honour his legacy, you can make an impact by donating to the Neil Mackenzie in Memoriam Fund.
Below are just a few stories of the many incredible mentors at the CBR. We were delighted to speak with them about the importance of mentorship, what “good mentorship” means to them, and mentors in their own lives.
Q&A with Dr. Gary Cole, recipient of the 2023 Neil Mackenzie Mentorship Excellence Award
“For me the most rewarding part of mentorship is seeing growth in the people you are working with. Seeing students gaining confidence and applying the knowledge that they have acquired during their time with us makes me feel like I have really contributed to their development.”
– Dr. Gary Cole, 2023 Award Recipient
Read the full story >
Neil Mackenzie Mentorship Excellence Award Recipient 2022: Dr. Samantha Grist
“Mentorship is such an important part of my work, because we can do so much more by working together. Working with and learning from students is my favourite part of the job… Hearing that my team feels like I’ve inspired and helped them in their research makes me want to live up to the award.”
– Dr. Samantha Grist, 2022 Award Recipient
Read the full story >
Dr. Marine Theret recognized for mentorship excellence at the CBR
“[Mentorship in science] shows a mentee that, in order to do science, you need to be able to communicate and collaborate… We don’t do science for ourselves – we do it for common knowledge, with other people and for other people. I think that’s something that every mentor-mentee relationship should emphasize.”
– Dr. Marine Theret, 2021 Award Recipient
Read the full story >
Q&A with Dr. Stefanie Mak, recipient of the 2020 Neil Mackenzie Mentorship Excellence Award
“I think mentorship is an important part of an individual’s professional development, and for me, having great mentors has certainly helped shape my career. I enjoy sharing my knowledge and expertise with others, and I want to pay it forward to help others succeed.”
– Dr. Stefanie Mak, 2020 Award Recipient
Read the full story >
* Underlined names indicate recipients of the Neil Mackenzie Mentorship Excellence Award
Read our Q&A with the 2023 Neil Mackenzie Mentorship Excellence Award Recipient, Dr. Gary Cole.
- Dr. Gary Cole, Karsan Lab
- Kevin Gonzales, Conway Lab
- Dr. Kyung Bok (KB) Choi, Jefferies Lab
- Dr. Melina Messing, McNagny Lab
- Dr. Michael Sutherland, Pryzdial Lab
- Dr. Morten Ritso, Rossi Lab
- Dr. Nasim Kajabadi, Rossi Lab
- Dr. Nooshin Safikhan, Conway Lab
- Dr. Patricia de Oliveira Benedet, Conway Lab
- Peter Grin, Overall Lab
Read the announcement about the 2022 award nominees.
- Amy Wong Strilchuk, Kastrup Lab
- Dr. Anna Herrman, Kizhakkedathu Lab
- Colton Strong, Devine Lab & Kastrup Lab
- Dr. Evan Haney, Hancock Lab
- Dr. Farshad Babaeijandaghi, Rossi Lab
- Dr. Julyanne Brassard, McNagny Lab
- Haisle Moon, Kizhakkedathu Lab
- Dr. Hashem Etayash, Hancock Lab
- Dr. Kerryn Matthews, Multi-Scale Design Laboratory (led by Dr. Hongshen Ma)
- Kristen Li, McNagny Lab
- Lih Jiin Juang, Kastrup Lab
- Dr. Michael Sutherland, Pryzdial Lab
- Dr. Narges Hadjesfandiari, Devine Lab
- Nasim Kajabadi, Rossi Lab
- Dr. Samantha Grist, Bio-Medical Micro Devices (BioMEMS) Lab (led by Dr. Karen Cheung)
- Tetiana Povshedna, Côté Lab
Read the profile of the 2021 Neil Mackenzie Mentorship Excellence Award Recipient: Dr. Marine Theret recognized for mentorship excellence at the CBR.
- Dr. Anthony Hsieh, Côté Lab
- Dr. Evan Haney, Hancock Lab
- Haisle Moon, Kizhakkedathu Lab
- Dr. Hashem Etayash, Hancock Lab
- Joshua Bridgers, Karsan Lab
- Dr. Kerryn Matthews, Multi-Scale Design Laboratory (led by Dr. Hongshen Ma)
- Kristen Li, McNagny Lab
- Dr. Leili Rohani, Laksman Lab
- Dr. Marine Theret, Rossi Lab
- Dr. Michael Sutherland, Pryzdial Lab
- Dr. Narges Hadjesfandiari, Devine Lab
- Warren Meyers, Haas Lab
Read the profile of the 2020 Neil Mackenzie Mentorship Excellence Award Recipient: Q&A with Dr. Stefanie Mak, Recipient of the 2020 Neil Mackenzie Mentorship Excellence Award.
- Anthony Hsieh, Côté Lab
- Dr. Nestor Solis, Overall Lab
- Dr. Grace Choi, Hancock Lab
- Dr. Peter Schubert, Devine Lab
- Dr. Katherine Serrano, Devine Lab
- Dr. Michael Sutherland, Pryzdial Lab
- Dr. Marine Theret, Rossi Lab
- Dr. Martina Sundqvist, Brown Lab
- Dr. Scott Meixner, Pryzdial Lab
- Dr. Stefanie Mak, CBR Admin Team
- Dr. Yale Michaels, Zandstra Lab
Read the announcement about the 2019 award nominees.
- Dr. Amy Glenwright, Strynadka Lab
- Dr. Amy Lee, Hancock Lab
- Dr. Daniel Pletzer, Hancock Lab
- Dr. Georgina Butler, Overall Lab
- Dr. Hashem Etayash, Hancock Lab
- Marie-Soleil Smith, Côté Lab
- Dr. Michael Sutherland, Pryzdial Lab
- Dr. Narges Hadjesfandiari, Devine Lab
- Nathanael Caveney, Strynadka Lab
- Dr. Peter Bell, Overall Lab
- Scott Meixner, Pryzdial Lab
- Tanya Bennet, Bio-Medical Micro Devices (BioMEMS) Lab (led by Dr. Karen Cheung)
Read the announcement about the 2018 award nominees.
- Abhinav Ajaykumar, Côté Lab
- Anthony Hsieh, Côté Lab
- Brankica Culibrk, Devine Lab
- Dr. Eric (Zhongming) Chen, Devine Lab
- Dr. Erika Siren, Kizhakkedathu Lab
- Dr. Fred Rosell, Strynadka Lab
- Dr. Heidi Wolfmeier, Hancock Lab
- Dr. Houra Loghmani, Conway Lab
- Dr. Liam Worrall, Strynadka
- Lonna Munro, Jefferies Lab
- Dr. Michael Sutherland, Pryzdial Lab
- Dr. Michael Trimble, Hancock Lab
- Dr. Peter Schubert, Devine Lab
- Scott Meixner, Pryzdial Lab
- Srinivas Abbina, Kizhakkedathu Lab
Read the announcement about the 2017 award nominees.
- Abhinav Ajaykumar, Côté Lab
- Anthony Hsieh, Côté Lab
- Brankica Culibrk, Devine Lab
- Dr. Chieh-Ju (Jay) Lu, Jefferies Lab
- Dr. Eric (Zhongming) Chen, Devine Lab
- Dr. Heidi Wolfmeier, Hancock Lab
- Dr. Jennifer Grants, Karsan Lab
- Dr. Kyung Bok (KB) Choi, Jefferies Lab
- Dr. Michael Sutherland, Pryzdial Lab
- Dr. Pierre-Marie Andrault, Brömme Lab
- Quinn Matthews, Devine Lab
- Srinivas Abbina, Kizhakkedathu Lab
- Dr. Umme Amara, Kim Lab
- Abhinav Ajaykumar, Côté Lab
- Anthony Hsieh, Côté Lab
- Diana Canals, McNagny Lab
- Erika Siren, Kizhakkedathu Lab
- Dr. Evan Haney, Hancock Lab
- Dr. Georgina Butler, Overall Lab
- Iren Constantinescu, Kizhakkedathu Lab
- Dr. Jenny Chik, Foster Lab
- Dr. Katherine Serrano, Devine Lab
- Dr. Michael Sutherland, Pryzdial Lab
- Sarah Mansour, Hancock Lab
- Scott Meixner, Pryzdial Lab
- Sean Workman, Strynadka Lab
- Srinivas Abbina, Kizhakkedathu Lab
- Valerie Smith, MacGillivray Lab
- William Kennedy, Rossi Lab
- Anna Sinova, CBR Admin Team
- Brankica Culibrk, Devine Lab
- Dr. César de la Fuente-Núñez, Hancock Lab
- Chanson Brumme, Harrigan Lab
- Christa Klein-Bosgoed, Devine Lab
- Emilie Lameignere, Conway Lab
- Dr. Fred Rosell, Strynadka Lab
- Dr. Katherine Serrano, Devine Lab
- Kelli Wuerth, Hancock Lab
- Dr. Kieran O’Neill, Karsan Lab
- Dr. Michael Hughes, McNagny Lab
- Nik Fortelny, Overall Lab
- Dr. Peter Schubert, Devine Lab
- Preety Panwar, Brömme Lab
- Rolinda Carter, Pryzdial Lab
- Simi Karwal, Devine Lab
- Srinivas Abbina, Kizhakkedathu Lab
- Steve Hur, Kastrup Lab
- Sue Curtis, MacGillivray Lab
- Victor Lei, Conway Lab
- Woosuk Steve Hur, Kastrup Lab
To honour Neil's legacy and mentorship at the CBR, you can make an impact by donating to the Neil Mackenzie in Memoriam Fund.
Dr. Neil Mackenzie
Your gift will go towards:
- Supporting the CBR Summer Studentship Program. One of the largest and most progressive of its kind at UBC, the Program’s success relies entirely on the mentorship talents of postdoctoral fellows, research assistants and research associates. Your gift will support the creation of a gratifying and successful experience for summer students, one that sparks excitement and a quest for more knowledge.
- Sustaining the Neil Mackenzie Mentorship Excellence Award. Your gift will foster mentorship at the CBR and recognize an individual who continues Neil’s legacy through outstanding commitment to mentorship and the development of others.
Give today >