Shay Yakobov, a former student in Dr. Lorrie Kirshenbaum’s lab, has been awarded the U of M’s prestigious Dr. John Embil Publication Prize for his outstanding journal publication.
Beginning in the summer of 2016, Shay dedicated himself to this research endeavor here at St. Boniface Hospital Research, including the first two years of his medical school education. In 2019, he committed a full year to assisting with various research projects, solidifying his foundation in medical research.
The culmination of his hard work was the completion of his BSc(Med) Project in the summer of 2022. Titled “Ellagic acid inhibits mitochondrial fission protein Drp1 and cell proliferation in cancer,” Shay’s research project went on to be published at the beginning of 2023. The quality and significance of his work were immediately recognized, resulting in the receipt of the Philippe Yaffe award for the best research paper in a cancer-related topic and the prestigious Dr. John Embil Prize for outstanding publication.
Dr. Lorrie Kirshenbaum, Director of the Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Shay’s mentor, shared his pride and excitement, “This signifies a major milestone for Shay and reflects the research and training efforts within the Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences,” he said. Dr. Kirshenbaum emphasized that this award carries significant prestige, as it is bestowed upon a select few out of the entire UM BSc (Med) class.
Currently in his last year of medical school, Shay is in the process of applying to residencies across Canada, poised to take the next step in his promising career.