At the virtual 126th National Annual Meeting on 29 May 2026, IODE Canada announced the recipients of three IODE War Memorial Scholarships for doctoral study for the 2026–2027 academic year.
IODE Canada established the IODE War Memorial Scholarship program in 1918 to commemorate Canadians who sacrificed their lives or were permanently disabled while serving their country. Today, applicants must be Canadian citizens in at least the second year of a doctoral program at a Canadian or Commonwealth university and are selected based on academic achievement and potential.
IODE Canada established the IODE War Memorial Scholarship program in 1918 to commemorate Canadians who sacrificed their lives or were permanently disabled while serving their country. Today, applicants must be Canadian citizens in at least the second year of a doctoral program at a Canadian or Commonwealth university and are selected based on academic achievement and potential.
Monica Luo, University of British Columbia
MD/PhD Interdisciplinary Oncology
Monica Luo is a fourth-year MD/PhD candidate at the University of British Columbia. She completed her undergraduate studies at UBC, earning an Honours degree in Physics. During this time, Monica conducted research on advanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques, including luminal water imaging for prostate cancer and inhomogeneous magnetization transfer (ihMT). Her honours thesis examined the angular dependence of the ihMT ratio in normal and injured rat spinal cords.
Monica currently conducts research in the Quantitative Radiomolecular Imaging and Therapy (Qurit) Laboratory at the BC Cancer Research Centre under the supervision of Dr. Arman Rahmim. Her work focuses on physician-in-the-loop artificial intelligence for PET/CT imaging, with an emphasis on predicting outcomes across a range of cancers, including lymphoma, lung cancer, and melanoma.
She has contributed to numerous peer-reviewed publications and has presented her research at both institutional and international conferences. Monica is currently supported by a CIHR Canada Graduate Scholarship.
Following completion of her MD/PhD studies, Monica hopes to pursue a career as a clinician-scientist at a Canadian academic health centre, combining patient care with innovative research to advance cancer diagnosis and treatment.
Monica currently conducts research in the Quantitative Radiomolecular Imaging and Therapy (Qurit) Laboratory at the BC Cancer Research Centre under the supervision of Dr. Arman Rahmim. Her work focuses on physician-in-the-loop artificial intelligence for PET/CT imaging, with an emphasis on predicting outcomes across a range of cancers, including lymphoma, lung cancer, and melanoma.
She has contributed to numerous peer-reviewed publications and has presented her research at both institutional and international conferences. Monica is currently supported by a CIHR Canada Graduate Scholarship.
Following completion of her MD/PhD studies, Monica hopes to pursue a career as a clinician-scientist at a Canadian academic health centre, combining patient care with innovative research to advance cancer diagnosis and treatment.
Tiffany Price, University of British Columbia
PhD - Pharmacoepidemiology
Tiffany Price completed her MSc in Epidemiology at the University of Calgary under the supervision of Dr. Christine Friedenreich and Dr. Darren Brenner. Her graduate research focused on population-based cancer prevention, examining biological and metabolic factors associated with breast cancer risk and reinforcing her conviction that research has its greatest value when it meaningfully improves people’s lives.
Tiffany is currently pursuing a PhD at the University of British Columbia under the supervision of Dr. Jacquelyn Cragg. Her doctoral research investigates the safety of medications used by people living with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), drawing on Canadian health data to better understand how treatment decisions influence disease progression and survival. While methodologically rigorous, her work remains grounded in a human-centred perspective: behind every dataset are individuals, families, and futures shaped by the quality of evidence that guides care.
Her research has been supported by nationally competitive funding, including a CIHR Doctoral Award, and she has contributed to the field through peer-reviewed publications and presentations at scientific conferences. Beyond her doctoral research, Tiffany has helped translate evidence into real-world impact. She played a key role in implementing province-wide newborn screening for spinal muscular atrophy in Alberta, supporting earlier diagnosis and access to life-saving treatment for affected infants.
Tiffany is also a dedicated mentor, supervising multiple trainees and encouraging women to pursue and remain in STEM fields. Through her work, she seeks to make the impact of research visible not only in statistics, but in the lives and decisions shaped by the care it informs. As a future health researcher, she aims to generate evidence that supports treatment decisions and improves outcomes for people living with neurologic and rare diseases.
Tiffany is currently pursuing a PhD at the University of British Columbia under the supervision of Dr. Jacquelyn Cragg. Her doctoral research investigates the safety of medications used by people living with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), drawing on Canadian health data to better understand how treatment decisions influence disease progression and survival. While methodologically rigorous, her work remains grounded in a human-centred perspective: behind every dataset are individuals, families, and futures shaped by the quality of evidence that guides care.
Her research has been supported by nationally competitive funding, including a CIHR Doctoral Award, and she has contributed to the field through peer-reviewed publications and presentations at scientific conferences. Beyond her doctoral research, Tiffany has helped translate evidence into real-world impact. She played a key role in implementing province-wide newborn screening for spinal muscular atrophy in Alberta, supporting earlier diagnosis and access to life-saving treatment for affected infants.
Tiffany is also a dedicated mentor, supervising multiple trainees and encouraging women to pursue and remain in STEM fields. Through her work, she seeks to make the impact of research visible not only in statistics, but in the lives and decisions shaped by the care it informs. As a future health researcher, she aims to generate evidence that supports treatment decisions and improves outcomes for people living with neurologic and rare diseases.
Adam Sunavsky, University of British Columbia
MD/PhD Neuroscience
Adam Sunavsky is a fourth-year MD/PhD candidate in Neuroscience at the University of British Columbia, where he studies under the supervision of Dr. Fidel Vila-Rodriguez. Born in Sobrance, Slovakia, and raised in Hamilton, Ontario, Adam credits his parents’ decision to immigrate to Canada with instilling in him a strong sense of perseverance, gratitude, and responsibility.
Based at the Non-Invasive Neurostimulation Therapies (NINET) Laboratory and the Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, Adam's research bridges clinical neuroscience and computational modelling. His work focuses on developing personalized treatments for individuals with treatment-resistant depression by integrating neuroimaging, machine learning, and whole-brain simulations using “virtual” brains. He investigates how transcranial magnetic stimulation can influence large-scale neural dynamics and potentially mitigate the effects of brain aging in people living with depression.
Beyond his academic pursuits, Adam is committed to education, outreach, and community engagement. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he launched a YouTube channel dedicated to demystifying medical training and promoting financial literacy, attracting an audience of more than 3,000 subscribers. Outside the laboratory, he enjoys soccer, snowboarding, and hiking in British Columbia and pursues creative interests through acting and modelling.
Adam’s long-term goal is to integrate computational neuroscience with clinical practice to advance more precise, individualized healthcare. As a future Canadian clinician-scientist, he hopes to translate data-driven insights into interventions that improve patient outcomes while contributing to a deeper biological understanding of brain disorders and maintaining a strong commitment to patient-centred care.
Based at the Non-Invasive Neurostimulation Therapies (NINET) Laboratory and the Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, Adam's research bridges clinical neuroscience and computational modelling. His work focuses on developing personalized treatments for individuals with treatment-resistant depression by integrating neuroimaging, machine learning, and whole-brain simulations using “virtual” brains. He investigates how transcranial magnetic stimulation can influence large-scale neural dynamics and potentially mitigate the effects of brain aging in people living with depression.
Beyond his academic pursuits, Adam is committed to education, outreach, and community engagement. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he launched a YouTube channel dedicated to demystifying medical training and promoting financial literacy, attracting an audience of more than 3,000 subscribers. Outside the laboratory, he enjoys soccer, snowboarding, and hiking in British Columbia and pursues creative interests through acting and modelling.
Adam’s long-term goal is to integrate computational neuroscience with clinical practice to advance more precise, individualized healthcare. As a future Canadian clinician-scientist, he hopes to translate data-driven insights into interventions that improve patient outcomes while contributing to a deeper biological understanding of brain disorders and maintaining a strong commitment to patient-centred care.
