2023 MRM Talks: Dr. Nicole Li-Jessen and Patrick Coburn

The MRM Network presents: the MRM Talks. Join us to learn more about stem cells and regenerative medicine. Our webinar series will showcase prominent scientists in the field, including MRM Principal Investigators and external guest speakers.

During each seminar, we will also showcase the work of one MRM Trainee, who will present alongside our guest speaker.

In this edition of the MRM Talks:

Dr. Nicole Li-Jessen,
Associate Professor, School of Communication Sciences and Disorders, McGill University
Canada Research Chair (Tier 2) in Personalized Medicine of Upper Airway Health and Diseases

“Biology digitization? Lessons learnt from modeling multicellular systems of vocal fold injury and regeneration.”

 

Missed the presentation? You can catch up on our Youtube Channel. NOTE: This video is only available to MRM members. Please contact us at mrm@mcgill.ca to verify your status and request access to the recording.

About the speakers:

Nicole Li-Jessen, Ph.D., is a speech-language pathologist and a computer biologist by training. She obtained her clinical degree at the University of Hong Kong with extensive clinical experience in voice and swallowing disorders. She then pursued her Ph.D. training in computational biology at the University of Pittsburgh and post-doctoral training in tissue engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the United States. She is Canada Research Chair (tier 2) in personalized medicine of upper airway health and diseases. She received the Rosemary Wedderburn Brown Prize in 2017 and the Principal’s Prize for Excellence in Teaching in 2018.
Dr. Li-Jessen’s Voice and Upper Airway Research Laboratory focuses on advancing personalized medicine in voice and upper airway disorders through the development of high-performance computing, wearable devices, non-invasive diagnostics and biomaterials for tissue regeneration. In particular, her team integrates in vitro, in vivo and in silico (computational) approaches to study vocal fold biology and wound healing. The ultimate goal is to guide surgeons and speech pathologists in the best methods to repair voices that have been lost.
Dr. Li-Jessen is the National Coordinator (Canada) of World Voice Day. She and her students from the Speech Language Pathology Clinical Program organize year-round outreach activities to raise the public awareness of vocal care. They provide free voice consultation, research seminars and voice workshops for public and professional voice users such as teachers, singers and public speakers. They also provide free voice workshops to transgender populations in Montreal for their voice and communication transition. At present, Dr. Li-Jessen is the Chair of Widening Participation Committee (Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences) with the mission of enhancing the diversity of student body within health professional programs at McGill. She is dedicated to promote diversity, cultural competence and social accountability in health professions education.

Patrick Coburn graduated from the University of Manchester where he received his M.Eng. in biomedical materials science (2015). He is currently a Ph.D. candidate at McGill University in the laboratory of Dr. Li-Jessen. His current research interests focus on studying the interaction of the vocal folds with air pollution using in vitro microfluidic testing platforms

We want to hear from you, and we welcome your suggestions for speakers!
If you are interested in hosting an invited speaker, please get in touch with us.