CURRENT TEAM MEMBERS
Lama Iskandarani is an MSc student in Pharmacology and Therapeutics at McGill. Her current work focuses on the effects of bisphenols, particularly BPA and BPAF, on endochondral ossification in the forelimbs of mouse embryos. Before joining the Robaire and Hales labs, she completed an Honours Bachelor of Science with a specialisation in Biochemistry at the University of Ottawa. In her thesis, she hopes to test the toxicity of different bisphenol A replacements.
Aimee Katen is a Postdoctoral Fellow. Her research focuses on the reproductive toxicity and endocrine disruption associated with environmental toxicants. In particular, she is working on studying the adverse effects of exposure to an environmentally relevant mixture of Organophosphate ester flame retardants on the developing and developed male reproductive system. Aimee completed her PhD at the University of Newcastle in Australia. Her doctoral research focused on the DNA damage induced in the male germ line as a result of exposure to the environmental toxicant acrylamide, while investigating methods for ameliorating this damage. Aimee currently holds a postdoctoral fellowship from the Fonds de Recherche Santé Québec (FRQS).
Zixuan Li is an MSc student in Pharmacology and Therapeutics at McGill. She joined the Hales Lab as a PHAR599 student in 2018 and continued her study as a Master student. Her current work focuses on the effects of organophosphate esters on the adrenal.
Abi Rajkumar Abishankari Rajkumar is a Postdoctoral Fellow in Pharmacology and Therapeutics at McGill. She completed her PhD in biochemistry at the University of Ottawa. The overarching goal of her doctoral research was to study the effects of a genetic polymorphism rs2419621 on weight loss within women with obesity. The study utilized a holistic approach incorporating in vitro, ex vivo and human population statistics in order to understand how genetic factors can influence the ability of postmenopausal women with obesity to lose weight following a lifestyle intervention. Abishankari's current postdoctoral fellowship focuses on studying the effects of a mixture of organophosphate esters used as flame retardants on female reproductive health following gestational and lactational exposure. She is also interested in assessing the sensitivity and efficacy of using Benchmark Dose (BMD) analyses to determine the toxicological effects of BPA replacements in reproductive cell lines which may be a useful approach for prioritizing chemicals for human risk assessment purposes.
Xiatong (Vicky) Wang completed her BSc degree at the University of Macau, majoring in biomedical sciences. Her research project there focused on the attenuation of the activities of anti-cancer drugs by a natural compound-induced adaptive response. She joined the McGill University Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics graduate program in the fall of 2017, where she is now a PhD candidate. Her doctoral research project is currently focused on the effects of chemicals that are being used as replacements for brominated flame retardants on KGN cells, a human granulosa cell line. Vicky has assisted in the development of a high content screening method that uses fluorescent dye combinations to assess key cellular functions in cells that are exposed in vitro to chemicals that are now being used as replacements for legacy compounds that have been regulated in Canada and around the world.
Han (Aileen) Yan is a PhD student in Pharmacology and Therapeutics at McGill University. She previously completed her BSc in Anatomy and Cell Biology at McGill, and it was during this time that her fascination with development and toxicology was sparked. Since joining the Hales lab, she has been studying the effects of developmental exposure to a class of environmental contaminants called flame retardants on bone formation. Her time at the Hales lab and her interactions with the wider toxicology community have helped foster her keen interest in chemical risk assessment. Aileen has received several scholarships over the course of her graduate studies and currently holds a Doctoral Award from the Fonds de Recherche Santé Québec (FRQS).
Dongwei (Oscar) Yu is an MSc student in the department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics at McGill. Prior to joining McGill, he completed his undergrad training in the department of pharmacology and toxicology at University of Toronto. His current project focuses on the effects of organophosphate ester flame retardants on the liver using in vitro and in vivo approaches.