Dr. Harold B. Stewart Memorial Lecture and Research Showcase

This event includes the Dr. Harold B. Stewart Memorial Lecture and Research Showcase of Biochemistry students. The Stewart Lecture honours Dr. Stewart, a former Biochemistry Chair and Dean of Graduate Studies at Western, and is made possible by the Stewart Family Donation (via Dr. Ann Stewart, daughter of Dr. Harold Stewart). The Lecturer, a Biochemistry alumnus/alumna, is chosen by current Biochemistry graduate students. The Research Showcase features poster sessions A and B highlighting the research progress at Western University of i) first-year Biochemistry graduate students, and ii) undergraduate students in the fourth-year Biochemistry research project course 4999. The event is open to everyone from Western.

The event will benefit Western's students in the following ways:

1. Students can attend the Stewart Lecture given by a Biochemistry alumnus/alumna who will share career experiences and perspectives.   
2. Important skills in preparing and communicating research posters, as well as answering questions, will be acquired by those students presenting their work. For many students, this event will be their first formal poster session.
3. Students will learn about research in the Dept. of Biochemistry and interact with other researchers at the posters, allowing excellent opportunities for collaboration and exchange of ideas.

This event will expand the scientific horizons of students in Western's biomedical and science programs. It represents a critical starting point for future research lectures and poster sessions that these students will experience; such sessions are universal communication tools at scientific conferences.

Dr. Kelly Weedmark (BSc Biology, Hons Genetics, 2001; PhD Biochemistry, 2008; both from Western University) is the Genomics Lead at the Bureau of Microbial Hazards in Health Canada’s Food and Nutrition Directorate.

After her doctoral research on chromatin modification and DNA Repair under Dr. Greg Gloor, Dr. Weedmark’s career in Applied Microbiology began when she joined the Public Health Agency of Canada’s National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg (2009-2014). She worked on Microbial Forensics projects targeting priority biothreat bacterial pathogens, including Bacillus anthracis (Anthrax), Yersinia pestis (Plague), and Clostridium botulinum (Botulism). While serving on the Microbiological Emergency Response Team, she performed field diagnostics in a mobile CL3 lab and was an instructor for Canada’s Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and Explosives (CBRNE) National Team, led by the RCMP.

After focusing on Bacterial Genomics projects with the Bioinformatics Unit at the National Microbiology Lab (2014-2016), Dr. Weedmark accepted a clinical diagnostics position at the Botulism Reference Service for Canada (Health Canada, Ottawa) before establishing the Genomics facility in 2018. Her current research focuses on microbial identification and characterization using “OMICS” approaches to understand microbial risks in food, as well as development of tools and methods to support Health Canada regulations and policy. Her passion for advancing public health plays a critical role in shaping the food-safety landscape for Canadians.

Dr. Harold B. Stewart was born in Chatham, Ontario in 1921 where he attended primary and secondary school before studying Medicine at the University of Toronto. Following graduation with Honours in 1944, Dr. Stewart was enlisted as the ship’s doctor on the HMCS Puncher, a troop carrier in the Canadian Navy. ​

After the war, Dr. Stewart returned to Canada and obtained a PhD in Biochemistry at the University of Toronto for studies on “The action of chloramine-T on alpha-amino acids and the purification and analysis of cytochrome C”. During his PhD training, Dr. Stewart met Pauline Blake, who was seeking a Master’s degree in biochemistry, an uncommon qualification for a woman at that time. They married in 1950 and immediately left Canada to pursue further studies at Cambridge University (UK) where Dr. Stewart had obtained a scholarship. Dr. Stewart was awarded a second PhD at Cambridge for “Studies in ketosis”. ​

In 1955, he accepted a faculty position in the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Western Ontario. He became Head of Biochemistry in 1965 at a time of great growth at Western and was responsible for the recruitment of many new faculty. In 1971, Dr. Stewart returned to Cambridge for a sabbatical year before assuming the position of Dean of Graduate Studies at Western, a position he held until he retired and became professor emeritus in 1986. Dr. Stewart passed away in 2009. ​

In his distinguished career, Dr. Stewart was committed to higher education. Through his efforts, many young people have entered academia and gone on to develop new knowledge and to support others in their own learning.

2024
Dr. Stephanie Dorman
Field Medical Advisor (Hematology)
Pfizer, Inc.

2023
Dr. Elnaz Atabakhsh
Executive Director
Type I Diabetes Consortium
Critical Path Institute
Boston, MA

2022
Dr. Ventzi Hristova
Senior Scientist Clinical Omics
Team Leader
AstraZeneca

2021
Dr. Lazar Bozic
Senior Director, Corporate Development
enGene

2020
Dr. Brent Stead, MBA
Founder and CEO, Specific Biologics, Inc.
Toronto, ON

2019
Dr. Ben Kleinstiver
Research Fellow, Massachusetts General Hospital
Instructor, Harvard Medical School
Boston, MA

2018
Dr. Sara Hamilton
Associate Editor, Cell Reports (Cell Press)
Cambridge, MA 

2017
Dr. Helen Petropoulos
Director of Business Development & Research
Ontario Genomics
Toronto, ON

2016
Dr. James Duncan
Assistant Professor
Cancer Biology, Fox Chase Cancer Centre
Philadelphia, PA

2015
Dr. Timothy Haystead
Professor, Dept. of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology
Duke University, Durham, NC
Co-founder of Serenex

2014
Dr. Donald Nicholson
President & CEO, Drumbeat Consulting LLC
(Former VP at Merck)

2013
Dr. Alan Rigby
VP-Research (Computational Discoveries)
ImClone Systems, NY

2012
Dr. Michael Surette
Canada Research Chair in Interdisciplinary Microbiome Research
Farncombe Family Digestive Health Research Institute
Dept. of Biochemistry & Biomedical Sciences, and Dept. of Medicine 
McMaster University
Hamilton, ON

12:45-1 pm	Set-up for poster session A
1-2 pm	Dr. Harold B. Stewart Memorial Lecture
2-2:15 pm	Break
2:15-3:15 pm	Poster session A
3:15-3:30 pm	Set-up for poster session B
3:30-4:30 pm	Poster session B

Sections of a poster
1. Poster banner showing the title, author(s), and institution
2. Introduction
3. Hypothesis and Objective(s)
4. Methods
5. Results (text, tables, figures)
6. Discussion
7. Conclusion
8. References
9. Acknowledgments

Poster instructions
- Poster dimensions are your choice, but each poster must fit within 4 feet x 8 feet of the poster board (vertical x horizontal)
- Minimize text
- Use images: a picture is worth a thousand words
- Use lots of blank space
- Use a large, easy-to-read font (Arial): must see text from 1-2 metres away
- Label figures and diagrams clearly
- Highlight specific problems you are having or alternative directions you might go
- Remember your audience: non-experts and experts in your research field, so explain terminology

Attachment of posters to poster boards using velcoins
- Do not use staples, tape, or pins to attach posters
- Use the circular attachments called "velcoins" found on each poster board
- Peel them off the plastic backing: the sticky side goes on the poster, and the velcro side goes on the poster board
- Use 6 velcoins: 1 at each corner (=4), 1 at the middle of the top edge, and 1 at the middle of the bottom edge
- Keep the velcoins on the poster - peeling them off will tear the poster
- Extra velcoins will be available on poster board #1

Dr. Lynn Weir (she/her)
Research Co-ordinator
Dept. of Biochemistry
Medical Sciences Bldg. - Room 336
Western University
London, ON, Canada N6A 5C1
519-661-2111, ext. 84561
Lynn.Weir@schulich.uwo.ca

This event was made possible by the Stewart Family Donation; Biochemistry Graduate Incentive Fund; and joint funding from Research Western, SOGS, and SGPS.