by Sipan Haikazian

Graphic design by Andrew Janeczek

Noor Al-Kaabi is a recent graduate of the Master’s thesis program at the IMS, and I had the privilege of interviewing her about her journey through the program. Noor completed secondary school in the United Arab Emirates and moved to Mississauga, Canada, in 2017 to start her new life here. She fell in love with biology and the social sciences throughout high school and enrolled at the University of Toronto, double majoring in biology and psychology. Here, she was involved in several research projects in both subject areas. She described one particularly impactful research project where she had the opportunity to investigate the mental health of refugees post-migration. She enjoyed interviewing people to gain insight into their health and lives, something she would continue to build through research and her extracurriculars in the future.

Highly motivated and eager to participate in more research, she finished her undergraduate degree in three years and enrolled at IMS in 2021. She explained that IMS is the only program she applied to due to the many highly qualified researchers and clinicians within the program and the vibrant student body that the program possesses. Interestingly, she gained this insight from connecting with IMS students as a volunteer show host of the Raw Talk Podcast, a podcast that highlights medical, scientific, and health stories at the Temerty Faculty of Medicine and beyond. She received positive feedback about the program and decided to pursue research here.

Noor joined Dr. Dmitry Rozenberg’s laboratory, who is a respirologist with expertise in skeletal muscle dysfunction as well as the physical functioning and quality of life of patients who have undergone lung transplantation. Dr. Rozenberg also provides consultation and conducts research with patients of the Good Hope Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome Clinic located at Toronto General Hospital. Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome is a group of genetic disorders affecting the connective tissue in several ways. These include joint hypermobility, skin hyperextensibility (or how far the skin can stretch), and tissue fragility (tissues being much more vulnerable to damage).

Noor’s thesis focused on the impact of respiratory conditions on quality of life in people with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and hypermobility spectrum disorders, a study conducted using both quantitative and qualitative methods. With several ongoing studies occurring in the lab involving patients of multiple disorders, Noor was a part of more than one project throughout her Master’s. She had extensive opportunities to help with some of the lab’s clinical trials in-person, including a randomized clinical trial using inspiratory muscle training to relieve dyspnea in people with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. 

Some of the best experiences that Noor has had as a graduate student were with patient research encounters. “I loved providing a space where patients felt valued and appreciated. Speaking to patients, learning about their stories, and seeing them improve with time is highly motivating for both me and the patients. One of the most notable patient encounters was during a palliative care-related project I was working on in my Master’s. A patient I was interviewing reached out and exclaimed gratitude for allowing me to create a space, as she’s not able to have conversations like that with everybody. It reaffirmed the power of words and conversation”. As somebody who also conducts clinical research, impactful patient encounters also top my list of memorable graduate school experiences. And I know first-hand the value this can have for patients.

Along with her research commitments, Noor was and will continue to be heavily involved in extracurriculars on campus. As mentioned earlier, Noor joined the Raw Talk Podcast as a show host but she quickly gained experience and became an executive producer. The podcast, which touches on topics related to graduate school, medical science, and the sociology of science and medicine, has over 100 episodes available on all podcasting platforms. The Raw Talk Podcast satisfied Noor’s curiosity about research, graduate life, and the art and science of providing medical care. “It’s so meaningful that we create content that displays our ideas, experiences, and safe spaces to a broader community of researchers and students. There’s an art to making somebody feel like they’re safe during an interview, and it’s something I’m always striving to improve”. 

Noor was involved in mentorship throughout her undergraduate years as well. “I benefited a lot from mentors throughout this journey, so I wanted to give back and create connections to those who come from marginalized backgrounds. I think it’s so important for somebody to know how to expand your background and connect with others, especially in the academic community”.  Noor became a functional strength training coach as part of the Nike x FitSquad program, where she found a new-found love for sports, fitness, and an outlet to build community and connect with people. As a Muslim woman, she empowers women in her community to focus on positive health practices. 

Noor will enter the medical program at the Temerty Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto in the 2023-2024 school year. In response to what she would like to accomplish in her career as a physician, Noor said, “It’s varied; you can put me in any corner on Earth, and I will create something out of it. So, I’m open to anything. However, there are certain values I want to develop throughout my career; this includes working with disadvantaged populations in her specialty and creating deep and meaningful conversations with patients and colleagues. From my research and extracurriculars, I’ve seen the healing power that conversation has, and that’s something that I want to explore.” Whatever specialty she plans on choosing, Noor will undoubtedly make a positive impact on every patient that she interacts with.