Opportunities and challenges of the 2SLGBTQIA+ Community in RNA Research

Join us for D2R’s Pride Month webinar: Opportunities and challenges of the 2SLGBTQIA+ Community in RNA Research on Thursday, June 19, from 12 to 1 pm EST.

Facilitated by Amirah-Iman Hicks (EDI Advisor of the Pan-Canadian Genome Library), this webinar will feature special guests, Raquel Cuella Martin (Human Genetics Assistant Professor) and Benjamin Kaufman (Human Genetics Doctoral Candidate). Through their lived experience, their observations over time and continuous engagement in their research projects, they will discuss the importance of RNA research that is equitable and inclusive towards the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.

Agenda:

Speakers:

Amirah-Iman Hicks, PhD (she/her/hers) is the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) advisor for the Pan-Canadian Genomic Library (PCGL) initiative. She obtained her PhD in Physiology, specialization in neurosciences, from McGill University in 2025. She has extensive experience in advocating for EDI through her work as the Secretary of Black in Neuro (https://blackinneuro.com), an international non-profit organization that aims to create a space for Black neuroscientists and neuro-professional. She also actively engages with her local community as a member of the Canadian Black Scientists Network (https://blackscientists.ca). She aims to utilize her research experience to champion for increased representation of historically excluded groups in scientific spaces.

Raquel Cuella Martin (she/her) joined the Department of Human Genetics at McGill and the Canada Excellence Research Chair in Genomic Medicine as an assistant professor in August 2022. She undertook her Ph.D. studies at Dr. JR. Chapman’s lab at the Wellcome Center for Human Genetics (University of Oxford). During this time, Raquel described the mechanistic role of the DNA repair protein 53BP1 in optimal p53 tumour suppressor responses. In her postdoctoral work as an EMBO long-term fellow at the Ciccia lab (Columbia University), she used CRISPR-dependent base editing to perform genetic screens at nucleotide resolution and functionalize DNA variants at scale. Such an approach allowed her to identify loss-, gain- and separation-of-function mutations, and new functional domains in DNA damage response proteins, and to functionalize variants of uncertain significance in cancer predisposition syndromes.

Benjamin Kaufman (he/him/his/il) is a first-year human genetics PhD student at McGill University, specializing in population genetics. He obtained his MA in Anthropology, focusing on Biological Anthropology, from the University of New Brunswick in 2024. His research involves using genetics to infer the demographic history and health disparities within Canada’s Jewish population. In addition to his academic pursuits, Benjamin has actively engaged in preserving archaeological remains and sites threatened by rising sea levels. By drawing from past experiences, he seeks to contribute to a better understanding of how historical contexts shape contemporary health disparities among marginalized groups. Benjamin’s multifaceted background enriches his studies and enhances his engagement with pressing public health issues.

Mariloue Daudier (she/her) is D2R’s Senior EDI Advisor. She earned a Bachelor’s degree of Social Work from McGill University in 2013 and a Master’s degree of Social Innovation Management from HEC Montréal in 2016. She has over nine years of experience in coordinating equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) projects in many settings, including the social economy sector, community organizations, the private sector, the Government of Canada (Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada) and universities (the Office of Community Engagement at Concordia University, the IVADO initiative at Université de Montréal and the General Secretariat at HEC Montréal). Involved in her community, she volunteers as the President of the Intercultural Council of the City of Longueuil and as a Board Member of Coalition Longueuil - Équipe Catherine Fournier, the elected party in her city. She is regularly invited as a speaker, facilitator, evaluator or trainer to share her expertise in EDI in different contexts.