Joyce Lam, BKin 2017, discovered her passion for neuroscience in her undergraduate years at the School of Kinesiology, where her involvement in on-campus labs as a student broadened her knowledge and experience within the field of research.
In 2015, Joyce began working as a Work Learn student in the Frontotemporal Dementia Research Program at UBC Hospital. This experience served as a jumpstart into her career in academic research – not only did she gain valuable insight into working and conducting research in a clinical setting, but she learned much about neurodegenerative diseases, and was able to expand her network in the field of neurology. In 2016, Joyce continued on her path in neurology and went on to volunteer as a research assistant in Dr. Doris Doudet’s laboratory, at UBC Hospital’s Brain Research Centre. This position eventually led her to pursue her Master of Science in Neuroscience under the supervision of Dr. Doudet, of which she is now in her final year. Her Master’s project aims to assess and to further characterize a novel progressive preclinical model of Parkinson’s disease.
Joyce was also a recipient of the 2017 Faculty of Medicine Summer Student Research Program Award. Working with Dr. Ian Scott and Dr. Kevin Eva at the Centre of Health Education Scholarship, she helped develop and carry out an experiment that investigated the effects of test-enhanced learning in first-year Medical students.
Outside academics, Joyce has been highly involved in her community. She is a part of the Vancouver Investors Group Wealth Management Walk for Alzheimer’s planning committee since 2017. She is also a regular volunteer at several local organizations and serves on numerous committees at UBC, including the President’s UBC Vancouver Non-Academic Misconduct Committee. Because of her long and varied record of volunteering and community service, she is one of three students across all years and programs selected to receive the 2019 Edward JC Hossie Leadership Award. It is UBC’s highest award given annually to three students who have demonstrated exceptional leadership through volunteerism, community service and/or campus activities.
Joyce is extremely passionate about neuroscience, particularly when it intersects with the study of neurodegenerative diseases. After defending her Master’s thesis in August 2019, she continues her academic journey at UBC to pursue a PhD in Neuroscience, with a research focus on identifying gut microbial shifts in Parkinson’s disease. She aims to apply to medical programs after obtaining her PhD. Joyce’s ultimate professional goal is to combine her academic, clinical and volunteer experiences and become a physician-scientist in the field of neurodegeneration.
Joyce’s Advice: “The journey to graduation is not always smooth and predictable. It is perfectly fine to take some time off or change your academic path no matter how far along you are in your studies.”
