Division of Occupational Medicine awards aerospace medicine travel bursary to three U of T students
The Division of Occupational Medicine in the Department of Medicine has awarded three aerospace medicine travel bursaries to support University of Toronto (U of T) medical students and residents attending a conference or other educational or research experience relevant to the field of Aerospace Medicine. Congratulations to the successful recipients: Chad Turner, a medical student in the Medical Officer Training Program with the Canadian Forces, Katie Harris, a PGY2 in Diagnostic Radiology, and Nima Nezhadi, a Doctor of Medicine student.
The Colonel Carl & Christina Walker Aerospace Medicine Travel Bursary was made possible by a generous donation from Christina Walker in 2021 in memory of Colonel Walker. Colonel Carl Walker’s interest in health and medicine solidified while completing his Master’s in Biomedical Engineering at U of T. After a year of working at what would become Defence Research and Development Canada, he applied and was accepted into U of T’s medical school.
Due to the practical needs of Carl and Christina’s growing family, Carl chose to enlist through the Military Officer Training Program as the Canadian Armed Forces would pay for his medical school tuition and provide some living costs, and in return, he had to promise to serve for three years.
Over the course of the next 24 years with the Air Force, Carl developed into one of Canada’s top aerospace medicine specialists – working with NATO, the United States Navy and Russian forces, as well as serving in Afghanistan. A particular highlight was his time with NASA working on three space shuttle missions, including efforts recovering the Space Shuttle Columbia, for which he received a special letter of commendation from the agency. Colonel Walker was ultimately named Chief of the Air Force Surgeon while continuing to work as an emergency physician at Lakeridge Hospital in Oshawa on evenings and weekends.
At the age of 50, Carl was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and died after a short, three-month battle with the disease on February 1, 2010. Recognizing his impact, he was posthumously awarded the Sacrifice Medal and Silver Cross by the Canadian Armed Forces, as well as the Ontario Medical Association’s Emergency Medicine Career Service Award and the Award of Distinction from the University of Guelph’s Faculty of Engineering for lifetime achievement. Shortly before his death, he was also named Lakeridge Hospital’s ER Doctor of the Year.
A decade later, Christina began exploring ways to honour Carl and his legacy of leadership in Canadian aerospace medicine. U of T – where he had first trained, and which is expanding its aerospace medicine curriculum – seemed like a perfect place.
Bursary recipient Chad Turner completed his undergraduate degree in chemistry at the University of Prince Edward Island and later completed his master’s in medical physics at McMaster University where his research centred around radiation treatment for lung cancer. He was then accepted to medical school at U of T. Shortly after his acceptance, he began the application process to the Medical Officer Training Program with the Canadian Forces, fulfilling a goal of his that was founded on a strong family history in the military and a desire to practice medicine in challenging environments.
During his first year of medical school, Chad discovered that aerospace medicine intersected with many of his interests in space, medicine and the physical sciences. During his first summer break, he began a research project on the potential uses of genetics in flight safety. This travel bursary helped Chad to attend and present a poster at the Canadian Space Health Research Symposium (CSHRN) in November 2024 – an opportunity that allowed him to share his work with others, learn from experts across multiple disciplines within aerospace medicine and make connections that he hopes to carry forward into his future career as a military physician.
Katie Harris’ education in space started at U of T where she completed an Honours Bachelor of Science in Astronomy and Astrophysics, working primarily on space imaging of near infrared spectrographs for large ground-based telescopes. During her degree, she became more interested in human spaceflight and decided to apply to the interdisciplinary Master of Space Studies program at the International Space University to bridge her skills before pursuing her MD at the Memorial University of Newfoundland. Katie is now a second-year Radiology resident at U of T, actively pursuing research in the field of Space Radiology. She is also a fellow of the Center for Space Medicine Research at Harvard University, working on systems design to support automation in Point of Care Ultrasound diagnostics in remote (spaceflight and ground-based) settings.
In 2023, Katie and a small group of space radiology experts in the United States founded the Society for Space Radiology (SSR), with the mission of advancing the field of space radiology by promoting research, developing best practices and fostering collaboration. She feels it’s critical to continue building a research network in Canada that supports this work. The Colonel Carl & Christina Walker Aerospace Medicine Travel Bursary was immensely helpful in allowing Katie to also attend the CSHRN symposium this past November to present her efforts to establish the SSR. She is also eager to attend other applicable conferences during this academic year, such as the Care in the Air Symposium in April 2025.
Nima Nezhadi completed his undergraduate degree in Health Sciences at Queen’s University and then returned to his home of Toronto to complete medical school at U of T. Throughout his academic journey, he has always reached for the stars – both figuratively and literally. During his undergrad, he participated in NASA’s Student Spaceflight Experiment Program (SSEP), where he contributed to space research. This experience sparked his enduring interest in space medicine – a field that he hopes to explore further during his career. Nima aspires to advance aerospace research and improve health outcomes not only for individuals on Earth, but also for astronauts venturing beyond our planet.
