Dr. Jennifer Grants Named 2018 Michael John Page Postdoctoral Fellow Award Recipient

Dr. Jennifer Grants has been named the recipient of the 2018 Michael John Page Postdoctoral Fellow Award, awarded annually by the Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology and the Centre for Blood Research. The Michael John Page Award was developed in memory of Dr. Michael John Page, who received his PhD from UBC in 2004. Dr. Page conducted postdoctoral work in St. Louis and went on to serve as a faculty member at the University of California, San Francisco, before his sudden passing in 2013 at the age of 36. Reflecting Dr. Page’s attitude to life, the Michael John Page Postdoctoral Fellow Award recognizes academic excellence as well as extracurricular activities.  The Award is funded through an endowment set up by the Page Family, in addition to contributions from the Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology and the Centre for Blood Research. 

Dr. Grants was presented with the Michael John Page Award in a seminar presentation on Wednesday, October 17, 2018, attended by guests including Mr. Roger Page (father of Dr. Michael Page), Dr. Leonard Foster (Head, Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology), Dr. Ed Pryzdial (Acting Director, Centre for Blood Research), Dr. Aly Karsan (Professor of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine). Also in attendance were Dr. Rachel Fernandez (Associate Dean, Postdoctoral Fellows Office & Student Professional Development) and Ms. Hourik Khanlian (Manager, Human Resources and Postdoctoral Affairs), representing the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. In her presentation, Dr. Grants detailed her journey from her undergraduate studies at the University of Victoria to her graduate degree under the supervision of Dr. Stefan Taubert at UBC’s Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics and her current postdoctoral work under Dr. Aly Karsan at the BC Cancer Agency. Dr. Grants not only presented her academic work, including the study of transcriptional regulation in various model systems including blood cells and the presentation evidence linking inflammation, ageing and myeloid malignancy using transgenic mouse models for specific blood cancers, but also explained the important role of music in her life, including her training in piano, violin and voice.  She capped off an entertaining seminar with a performance of Edward Elgar’s Salut d’Amour for violin.

Following her presentation, Mr. Roger Page presented Dr. Grants with the 2018 Michael John Page Award (a memorial plaque plus a $3,000 prize).