Science Communications panel featuring BRC alumni

Left to right: Tyler Wells, Dr. Diab, Dr. Hall, Pooyan Moradi, Diana Nichols Nelson.

On Thursday, Nov. 18, the Brain Repair Centre hosted a panel featuring BRC alumni to discuss the importance of communications in science.

Dr. Dylan Deska-Gauthier, Dr. Antonios Diab and Dr. Shannon Hall each spoke on their respective careers and how forming skills in science communications advanced their careers and broadened their job prospects. The panel was moderated by Tyler Wells, who organized the event alongside Pooyan Moradi.

Dr. Deska-Gauthier, who completed his PhD at Dalhousie University, is now a medical student at the University of Toronto. Throughout his science career, he’d taken several classes to develop and hone his skills in graphic design.

Dr. Diab, a postdoc in the College of Pharmacology, gained skills through leadership roles in student societies and emphasized the importance of organization and scheduling. This practice has served him well, both academically and now in his career.

Dr. Hall stressed the importance of networking, digital and in-person. Dr. Hall, who works for BenchSci and previously as an illustrator for Designs That Cell, mentioned that science communications offers many career choices.

In summary, the key messages the panelists drove home were to encourage the audience to no longer fear failure, to keep options open, and not to be afraid of new opportunities but to always be be prepared.

The BRC hopes to host more alumni for panels and discussions with current trainees to give them an idea of what their futures will look like.