January 29, 2010

Queen Elizabeth II Scholarships awarded

Mong Dang (left) and Quinn Thomson work in the lab of Ross Mitchell.

Thomson studies medical image registration, which takes two sets of medical images and aligns them for easier and faster analysis. The goal is to have this type of image analysis available to doctors in a clinical setting, which would help for more accurate and faster diagnosis. While this type of technology is available to doctors now, it’s not practical in a clinical setting as the process is quite slow. Thomson is working to speed it up so doctors have all the information available to them virtually in real-time.

Dang’s research interests lie in tumour volume segmentation using a three-dimensional reconstruction of medical images and a study correlating molecular markers and volume indications in patient data with head and neck cancer. Staging has been an essential part in assessing the proper treatments for cancer patients. With tumour volume information and possible molecular marker associations, prognostic measures and staging may be improved upon. The intention is to have this technology and analysis readily available in our clinics.

The Queen Elizabeth II Scholarship is awarded to master’s and PhD students, with more than 500 awards given each year. Students are nominated for the award and must have a GPA of at least 3.3 to be included.

Both Thomson and Dang will use portions of their scholarships to pay for tuition and other expenses. Dang has also decided to donate a portion of her funding to the Red Cross to help the victims of the devastating earthquake in Haiti.