Program abstracts

Natasha Blanchet-Cohen, PhD
Professor, Applied Human Sciences, Concordia University

This presentation will share some resources created in the context of the Quebec Youth Research Chair on promoting Indigenous youth voices, perspectives and realities to support well-being. In recognizing that engagement is a dynamic process that needs to be rooted in understanding, connection and compassion, we will also reflect on the roles and responsibilities of researchers and practitioners in elevating Indigenous youth voices and experiences in ways that uphold institutions and other spaces to be responsive, flexible and accountable.

Jessica Bleuer, PhD, RDT, OPQ
Assistant Professor, Creative Arts Therapies, Concordia University

Climate change is a key geopolitical determinant of health. Often described as ‘the biggest threat to global health of the 21st century’ (Costello et al. 2009: 30), and a significant risk to mental health (Clayton et al. 2017) –people experiencing climate distress have reported feeling fear, anger, guilt, powerlessness, hopelessness and despair (Hickman et al. 2021; Gregerson et al. 2023; Moser 2007; Ojala et al. 2021) and others have gone one to develop anxiety disorders, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (Bleuer et al. 2025). Drama therapy is a form of psychotherapy that uses storytelling, role-play, and other creative processes and early research is showing promising results in its capacity to effectively work through climate-related distress. This talk will focus on some of the unique benefits of drama therapy as a climate-informed therapy.

Taylor Kann
PhD Candidate, Individualized Program in Humanities., Concordia University

This talk will explore issues of hype in science news coverage focused on synthetic biology. Hype and broader issues of misinformation/disinformation are ongoing issues in the fields of science communication and science journalism, particularly during times of public health crises such as pandemics. This research aims to better understand how hyped media coverage of science news impacts audience opinions and perceptions of the synthetic biology field. Finally, this talk will address how journalism simulations, or J-SIMS, can serve as useful pedagogical tools for improving future journalists’ level of preparedness to cover health-related emergencies.

Lynn Karam
PhD candidate, Department of Biology, Concordia University

Chromosome 4p loss is a frequent large deletion in basal breast cancer, a major subtype of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) associated with poor prognosis. To investigate vulnerabilities specific to this chromosomal deletion, differential gene expression analysis in models of TNBC was conducted in parallel with the DepMap pooled genome-wide CRISPR-Cas9 screens of TNBC cell lines. A range of functional assays, including metabolic profiling, were used for validation. Ultimately, the findings from this study suggest that aneuploidies can serve as exploitable biomarkers for targeted therapies in TNBC.

Rafik Naccache, PhD
Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Concordia University

In recent years, carbon dots, a relatively new class of nanomaterials, have gained significant attention owing to their small size (typically < 15 nm), high fluorescence quantum yields, blue to near-infrared tunable emissions, low cytotoxicity and excellent biocompatibility. The versatility of their optical properties, including the development of dual-fluorescent systems, facilitates the design of ratiometric optical sensing probes. These probes are valuable for biological applications, such as monitoring temperature and pH changes in live biological systems. Additionally, the low cytotoxicity of carbon dots makes them suitable for studying cellular uptake mechanisms and localization in both healthy and diseased cell lines. Finally, we leverage their electroconductive properties to elicit neurite outgrowth supporting potential advancements in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.

Arsenio Páez, DPhil (Oxons), PhD, DPT
Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Health, Kinesiology and Applied Physiology / School of Health, Concordia University

This presentation provides novel insights into the associations between sleep, brain-health, and cognition in persons with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). It presents new evidence demonstrating that brain oscillations during sleep (spindle and slow oscillations) constitute predictive and non-invasive biomarkers of neurodegeneration, cognition, and mental health in persons with AD. Sleep microarchitecture can, therefore, also provide novel therapeutic targets for preserving brain-heath and slowing AD progression, extending previous evidence that sleep may be one of the most important modifiable risk factors for functional and cognitive decline and dementia in older adults. Accessible intervention targeting sleep physiology, like exercise, can also be effective treatments for poor sleep in healthy older adults and persons with Mild Cognitive Impairment and AD.

Nhat Pham
PhD candidate, Department of Biology, Concordia University

Cytokinesis — the final step of mitosis — physically separates a dividing cell through the constriction of the actomyosin contractile ring. After ingression, the daughter cells remain connected by an intercellular bridge, which is ultimately severed during abscission. Interestingly, several contractile proteins localize to the nucleus before and after mitosis, hinting that nuclear localization may play a functional role in cytokinesis. To explore this, we mutated the nuclear localization sequence (NLS) of Ect2, an essential regulator of cytokinesis. Cells expressing the mutant Ect2 failed to divide properly, resulting in multinucleation. These findings suggest that nuclear localization may help regulate the transition between protein complexes driving ingression and those required for abscission — not merely as a holding zone, but as an active mechanism of spatial coordination in cytokinesis.

Alexander Pizzo
Graduate Student, Department of Psychology, Concordia University

Fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) is defined as the “fear, worry, or concern that cancer will return or progress to other parts of the body” and is one of the most distressing problems experienced among survivors of adult-onset cancer. Despite this, relatively little is known about FCR among adult survivors of childhood cancer. The current study aimed to characterize the prevalence and risk factors for FCR in adult survivors of childhood cancer. Survivors (N = 229, mean age=39.6 years, mean time since diagnosis=31.7 years) from the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study completed measures of psychosocial functioning, and cancer and treatment-related variables were abstracted from medical records. Among survivors, 1 in 3 endorsed elevated levels of FCR. Sociodemographic, diagnostic, treatment-related, and psychological factors were associated with clinically significant FCR. Findings suggest that FCR is common among adult survivors of childhood cancer and should be routinely screened. Moreover, elevated FCR should be intervened upon as a part of survivorship care.

Andrea Sandstrom
Doctoral Candidate, Department of Psychology, Concordia University

Beliefs about losing control has been proposed as a novel cognitive mechanism in OCD, however few studies have examined the therapeutic benefits of targeting this domain. This study examined the impact of a brief cognitive intervention aimed at modifying beliefs about losing control in individuals with sub-clinical OCD symptoms. Compared to the control condition, participants in the intervention condition showed greater reductions in appraisals of losing control and OCD-relevant cognitions. However, there was no significant changes in self-reports OCD symptoms or beliefs about losing control. Findings will be discussed in terms of theoretical and clinical implications as well as future directions.

Nárlon C. Boa Sorte Silva, PhD
Assistant Professor, Department of Kinesiology, Health, and Applied Physiology, Concordia University

In this presentation, Dr. Nárlon C. Boa Sorte Silva will provide an overview of his research on exercise and brain health in aging individuals across the cognitive decline spectrum. Dr. Silva will further highlight existing knowledge gaps and outline future research directions in dementia prevention through physical activity and exercise interventions. He will also discuss the application of machine learning techniques to neuroimaging data for risk stratification and modeling of neurodegenerative diseases in older individuals, emphasizing the potential of lifestyle interventions targeted at high-risk populations.

Sarah Taylor
Graduate Student, Department of Chemistry, Concordia University

Cancer involves overexpression of cell-growth regulators, and cytokinesis, the final stage of mitosis, plays a key role in this process. Anillin (ANLN), an actin-binding protein critical for cytokinesis, is upregulated in cancer cells, making it a promising therapeutic target. Specific inhibitors against ANLN can be designed by targeting its RBD-RhoA and RBD-C2 interfaces, which expose key amino acid residues on alpha helices. A library of terphenyl-based compounds with functional groups mimicking the helical residues was synthesized using cross-coupling and functional group transformations. Structure-activity relationship studies following in vitro testing provided further insight into the key functional groups required to disrupt ANLN activity.

Stéfanie Tremblay, PhD
Postdoctoral Researcher, Laboratory of Motivational Neuromedicine, Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital, McGill University

Certain communities, including ethnic and cultural minorities, face higher dementia rates and worse outcomes, largely driven by structural and social determinants of health (SSDH). Despite their importance, SSDH are not consistently integrated into Canadian aging and dementia research. The project will develop a recommendation framework co-designed with community members and experts, based on a scoping review, a national survey, and a Delphi study. Preliminary findings show that while some SSDH domains are well captured in major Canadian cohorts, others like gender, literacy, and economic factors need better representation. The final framework will be shared as an online toolkit to guide and harmonize SSDH data collection in dementia research across Canada.