Medical imaging program gets $1.6M boost

Lakehead University physics professor Alla Reznik is all smiles now that the grant application she helped spearhead has come to fruition. Josh Lyn/CBC

Lakehead University will receive about $1.6 million to help train students in medical imaging.

The $1,647,000 grant comes from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council and will be paid out over six years.

High-performing students in the medical imaging program will get the chance to complement their classroom learning with real world experience, through support and collaborative opportunities from several medical imaging companies and the Thunder Bay Regional Research Institute.

"I hope this grant will allow us to retain students — local, talented students here in Thunder Bay,” said physics professor Alla Reznik, who spearheaded the grant application.

The grant will train about 21 master’s degree students, 12 doctoral students, seven undergraduate summer students and five post-doctoral fellows.

"It means more opportunities and you can bring your ideas to life,” said PhD student Oleksii Semeniuk. “I think this is the best combination of theoretical and practical applications."

Reznik said trainees will also work with scientists from the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre to understand how new technology can positively affect human health.