Katie Sattler
BSc Neuroscience student
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The Votum Lab has given me so many opportunities to contribute to meaningful research in the space of psychedelic-assisted therapy. Through the lab, I have been able to collaborate with leading researchers in the field and study novel treatment approaches being spearheaded at the Roots to Thrive Clinic on Vancouver Island. What makes the Votum Lab unique, however, is the immense support provided to students in the lab. Vivian is a dedicated mentor and clearly cares deeply about helping every member develop as a researcher. In the two years that I have worked with her, she has helped me grow in my abilities and take on new challenges by investing time to meet with me frequently, despite her busy schedule. She has made sure to involve me in work that is aligned with my career goals and has given me the autonomy to lead projects. I was able to lead an independent study for my capstone project and conduct focus groups with patients with disordered eating in the pilot ketamine assisted therapy program. I feel lucky to be working in the Votum Lab with such an incredible mentor while researching such important issues.
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Erika Gacayan and Chloe Siu
UBC Undergraduate Students
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Our first research project with the Votum Lab has been a great learning experience. As undergraduate students, although we were familiar with the steps to the research process, our experience was limited. We were new to conducting literature reviews, and the prospect of working with such bright minds was so exciting. The people we were able to interact with allowed us to see research through a different lens. As students in the fields of immunology, physiology, and neuroscience, we had never extensively delved into the social sciences.
Through working on the attributional style project investigating its relationship with Asian demographic groups in comparison to other ethnic groups, we learned about how culture affects the way we perceive the world around us. In the beginning stages, we realized that there was not a lot of work done in this specific field. As such, finding sources posed a challenge. Thankfully, we were able to navigate this potential roadblock by modifying our research strategy and expanding the scope of our research question through the endless support of our team. Seeing our research project come together and how effectively our team worked together was such a rewarding experience. With our attributional styles project nearing its end, we are saddened but eager to get started on the new and exciting project we have been assigned.
This has been an unforgettable experience that has equipped us with various skills and knowledge that will prove to be invaluable in our future careers. Our experience has sparked a newfound appreciation for research centered in the social sciences, and we are so grateful for the opportunity to work on a project such as this. This experience has truly reignited our love for science and we would like to thank Dr. Tsang and the Votum Lab for this amazing opportunity.
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Megan Komori Kennedy
UBC Medicine, Class of 2026
"I feel very fortunate to have had to opportunity to work with Dr. Vivian Tsang as my FLEX project supervisor during my undergraduate medical degree. I initially reached out to inquire about completing a project with Votum lab as I had an interest in the field of psychedelic therapies, however I know now that regardless of the topic of interest working with Dr. Tsang is an amazing opportunity. Throughout the process of designing and carrying out my project I felt supported and was given helpful guidance when I needed it. As someone without a research background, I appreciated the extra time that was taken to share helpful resources which helped me to gain more insight into different research methodologies relevant to my project. As medical school can be demanding at times, I was also grateful that Dr. Tsang was flexible and accommodating to my schedule, making it feel easy to communicate throughout. After this experience I am not only inspired by the work that Dr. Tsang is contributing to the scientific community but also by her ability to create a collaborative and positive environment to work within!"
Michelle Lin
First year undergraduate student
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My work at the lab culminated at a conference at which we were selected to present a poster, From Research to Reality: Global Summit on Psychedelic-Assisted Therapies and Medicine, in Toronto this past May. After being with the lab for almost a year, seeing our work go from the screening process to the analysis, to the writing, and finally being able to present our project to an audience of experts felt incredible. Being able to attend a conference filled with some of the brightest minds of current psychedelic research was daunting, quite frankly, and I cannot imagine how terrifying it would have been if not for the unending support I felt from my team.
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