The Institute of Applied Mathematics has awarded the inaugural Dr. Deepak Kaura Award in the Mathematics of Medicine to Maryam Tayyab, a graduate student in the UBC School of Biomedical Engineering, in recognition of her work on computational methods in brain imaging.

Maryam’s research aims to develop computational methods to predict clinical outcomes in multiple sclerosis (MS) using brain imaging, with a focus on deep grey matter (DGM) structures. The research examines cognitive impairment as the clinical outcome of interest. Cognitive deficits are an important component of MS disability in which DGM changes are known to play a key role, but more advanced modelling is required to elucidate the relationships between imaging and clinical features. The overarching clinical goal is to provide a computational framework that would allow clinicians to identify patients who are at a greater risk of cognitive decline, so that they can receive closer monitoring and/or early therapeutic intervention.

Maryam will receive a $1200 award to support her research, which she conducts under the supervision of UBC Professor Roger Tam.

This prize, awarded annually, is made possible by a generous endowment from Dr. Deepak Kaura, Chief Medical Officer at 1QBit and Chair of the Board of Joule. Dr. Kaura (MD, FRCPC, MBA) spent five years in Qatar with the Sidra Medical and Research Center, and most recently served as the Executive Chairman of the Foundational Clinical Services Management Group, where he helped to set new standards in patient care for women and children, and led ground-breaking work in the application of machine learning to health care. Dr. Kaura has also served the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada as Subspecialty Chair in Pediatric Radiology, and established a number of health-care startups. Dr. Kaura earned his medical degree at the University of Manitoba; he is a diplomat of the American Board of Radiology, a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Certification of Canada, and has a Master of Business Administration from HEC Paris. He has held faculty appointments as Associate Professor at Cornell University and at the University of Calgary.