AllerGen HQP receive Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships

AllerGen HQP Drs Christopher Pascoe and Sarah Svenningsen are among a select group of researchers to be named 2018 Banting Postdoctoral Fellows.

Dr. Pascoe (Children’s Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba) researches the role of early life environmental exposures, including gestational diabetes and prenatal diet, on asthma risk. This Fellowship will support his investigation of the association between artificial sweetener consumption during pregnancy and the increased risk of asthma in offspring.

Dr. Svenningsen (McMaster University) will use the Postdoctoral Banting Fellowship to continue her research into the use of pulmonary magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to investigate airway inflammation, which will help to improve asthma patient outcomes. She was previously awarded the 2017 John Charles Polanyi Prize in Physiology and Medicine in recognition of her innovative, potentially life-altering approach.

The federally funded Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships program awards 70 fellowships annually to applicants who positively contribute to the country’s economic, social, and research-based growth, and who demonstrate research excellence and leadership in their fields of study. Valued at $70,000 per year for two years, it is Canada’s most prestigious award for postdoctoral research.