OTTAWA, ON, August 10, 2026 – The Canadian Venous Thromboembolism Research Network (CanVECTOR) is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2026 CanVECTOR Studentship Awards. These awards provide salary support to exceptional trainees across Canada, empowering the next generation of researchers to lead innovative projects in venous thromboembolism (VTE) and broader vascular health.
Following a highly competitive peer-review process, five outstanding trainees have been selected to receive $5,000 in funding for their respective research projects:
- Angela Bilic (McMaster University; Supervisor: Dr. Patricia Liaw)
- Project title: Investigating the Impact of Secondary Sepsis Infection on Venous Thromboembolism
- Christabel Agbor (University of Ottawa; Supervisor: Dr. Yan Xu)
- Project title: Maternal Mental Health Impacts of Diagnostic Delay in Pregnancy-Associated Venous Thromboembolism: A Racial Disparity Analysis
- Emily-Joan McKibbon (University of Calgary; Supervisors: Dr. Leslie Skeith & Dr. Glen Hazelwood)
- Project title: Patient Preferences for Postpartum Thromboprophylaxis: A Mixed-Methods Study
- Jessica Blais (Université de Montréal; Supervisor: Dr. Marie Lordkipanidzé)
- Project title: Assessing Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics of Daily Enteric-coated Aspirin in Patients with StablE Diabetes: APPEASED II Trial
- Sara Darvishi (University of Calgary; Supervisor: Dr. Ejaife O. Agbani)
- Project title: Procoagulant Membrane Dynamics in Vaso-occlusive Crisis of Sickle Cell Disease
These awards reflect CanVECTOR’s continued commitment to fostering early-career talent, promoting health equity, and advancing basic and translational research that drives improvements in patient care in Canada and internationally.
We congratulate all five recipients on their achievements and look forward to following their progress and contributions to the field.
Maha Othman & Paul Kim – Co-Leads, Basic Science and Translation Research platform
The CanVECTOR Team