Work Learn students start the new term at ICORD

Dr. Harris going over the research project with Jessica during the orientation for her Work Learn position.

Welcome to Jessica McDougal, who starts her new job as a Clinical Research Assistant with Drs. Patricia Mills and Luke Harris today.

Jessica is one of 15 UBC Work Learn students hired to work in a variety of roles at ICORD during the Fall and Winter academic terms.

Jessica will be working with Drs. Mills and Harris on a project to use near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) to noninvasively measure muscle blood flow after injection of botulinum neurotoxin, which is a drug that is sometimes used to reduce muscle spasticity. Some of the responsibilities that she will have in her new job include recruiting research participants, taking measurements, and assisting with collecting and analyzing data.

Drs. Mills and Harris received a BICP-funded Seed Grant for this pilot project.

The UBC Work Learn program has been a very important resource for ICORD for many years. The program offers salary subsidies for positions that provide meaningful work experience for UBC students. We hired our first Work Learn student in 2000, and since then, we’ve been fortunate to have Work Learn students join our research labs, administration and communications teams, and community resource centre. We appreciate the talent, energy, and enthusiasm that the students bring to our research centre, and are very grateful to UBC for this continuing support.