Contributing to our Health -- A Series About StFX Research Making A Difference In Our Communities
StFX is a leader in health innovation and entrepreneurship in Nova Scotia. In this ongoing series, we proudly shine a spotlight on our health research leaders, research and community health partnerships and their impact. For more on the Contributing to our Health series, click the link below.
Contributing to our Health series
“I hope to make an impact by bringing more brain imaging technologies to a rural context. Almost all brain imaging research takes place at large urban centres, which excludes a lot of people!” ~ Dr. Erin Mazerolle
Dr. Erin Mazerolle joined StFX in 2020 and is an assistant professor (tenure-track) in the Department of Psychology (cross-appointed to Computer Science). Among the psychology courses she teaches is a new class this winter, Special Topics in Cognitive Neuroscience. Dr. Mazerolle’s research focuses on better understanding the healthy brain and differences in neurological diseases. She’s a co-principal applicant on a $2.4 million CIHR grant developing educational content related to vascular cognitive impairment.
Could you tell me about your research program?
I use imaging techniques to better understand the healthy brain and differences in neurological diseases such as essential tremor and multiple sclerosis. I'm especially interested in "neurovascular coupling" or the relationship between activation of brain cells and blood flow to meet the energy demands of those brain cells.
What drew you to health research?
This might sound strange, but I really like to break things! By that I mean, I like to find the limits of technologies and methods, and demonstrate the conditions that lead to failures. For example, I showed that functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI - a popular method to measure brain function non-invasively in humans) can't be trusted in patients with cerebrovascular disease.
What impact do you hope the research will have?
Here at StFX, I hope to make an impact by bringing more brain imaging technologies to a rural context. Almost all brain imaging research takes place at large urban centres, which excludes a lot of people!
Could you tell me about any awards/accomplishments?
With regards to recent health research-related accomplishments, I'm a co-principal applicant and executive committee member of the Vascular Cognitive Impairment Health Research Training Platform (VAST), a multi-provincial, multi-sectoral, multi-disciplinary Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) funded training platform which provides stipend support for student researchers. We're also developing new educational content related to vascular cognitive impairment. This six-year grant provides $2.4 million in funding and I'm excited about what we'll be able to accomplish.
How did you become a researcher?
I was fortunate to be encouraged by my professors to apply for summer research funding after my first year of undergrad. I got an NSERC undergraduate summer research award and spent the summer in a cognitive neuroscience lab. After that, I spent three summers at a National Research Council lab, where I was funded through their Women in Engineering and Science program, which unfortunately does not exist anymore. Without financial support for summer research throughout my undergraduate degree, I don't think I would have stayed in research.
What excites you about being a researcher at StFX?
I have a lot of freedom at StFX to try new things! I also have the freedom to slow down and make sure the research that I produce is high quality. At larger institutions, there can be a lot of pressure to publish research quickly, which can create challenges for maintaining quality.
