by Jason Lo Hog Tian, Stacey J Butler, Kyla Trkulja & Iciar Iturmendi Sabater

As the new academic year begins, we welcome back all returning students and hope all incoming IMS students are excited for a new adventure. With the changing seasons comes change at IMS Magazine. We are saying goodbye to our Editors-in-Chief Jason Lo Hog Tian and Stacey Butler as they go on to defend their PhD dissertations in the coming year. 

Jason has contributed to every IMS Magazine issue since he began his journey at IMS in September 2018. He primarily contributed as a journalist writing insightful and thought-provoking Viewpoint articles on current controversial topics and has served for the past two years as Editor-in-Chief. He left us with a few parting words: 

“It is surreal to be writing this letter as a departing Editor-in-Chief of IMS Magazine. I still remember listening to the recruitment presentation at my IMS orientation and thinking this was something I wanted to be a part of. I knew I wanted to dedicate my extracurricular activities to science communication and I fell in love with writing Viewpoint articles for IMS Magazine. When I got the opportunity to become Editor-in-Chief I jumped at the chance. It has been a great privilege to lead a team of inspirational journalists, editors, and designers whose dedication and hard work made my job easy. I am also thankful for my co-Editor-in-Chief Stacey Butler who made for a great partner throughout this year. This was truly an unforgettable experience – I am still proud after holding each magazine issue in my hands and I am incredibly grateful to have had the opportunity to contribute to the IMS community in this way.”     

Stacey has also contributed to the magazine since the beginning of her PhD in September 2019. She contributed as a journalist writing features, spotlights, and viewpoints before taking on the role of Executive Editor (Features) where she managed the section and coordinated all our beautiful infographics and then going on to serve as Editor-in-Chief for the past year. She also had a few final words to say:

“Being part of IMS Magazine has truly been the highlight of my graduate training at UofT. Our team’s shared passion for science communication provided a much-needed sense of comradery throughout graduate school. I found myself continually inspired by the incredible artwork created by our graphic designers and the impactful stories told by our talented writers. Each issue of IMS Magazine is a collaborative effort and involves a great deal of coordination behind the scenes. I am grateful for the support of my Co-Editor in Chief, Jason Lo Hog Tian and our executive team. It was also a pleasure to work more closely with our design teams and learn about how art can be used to visually communicate our stories. When I joined the magazine, I expected to leave with improved writing and editing skills but over the past four years I have gained new skills in teamwork, project management, leadership, and most importantly, I have learned how to be an effective science communicator. My time with IMS Magazine will always be one of my most cherished memories of my PhD and I look forward to seeing what our team has in store for future issues.”   

IMS Magazine is certainly being left in good hands as we introduce our new Editors-in-Chief – Kyla Trkulja and Iciar Iturmendi. They have both written countless articles and contributed over the past year as Executive Editors. They had a few welcome words to say:    

 “It is my honour to be continuing my journey with the IMS Magazine as Editor-in-Chief. I have been inspired by the Magazine and its mission since I began my studies at IMS in 2021, and since then, I have written a variety of different articles, enjoying the freedom to write about controversial topics and the opportunities to share research outside of my main field. I echo Stacey and Jason’s statement that being a part of such a wonderful initiative has been the highlight of my graduate school experience, and I look forward to continuing my involvement and playing an instrumental role in the Magazine’s mission in the coming years!” – Kyla Trkulja

“Learning how to communicate complex scientific ideas to the public was one of my learning goals from the beginning of my graduate experience in 2021. The IMS Magazine has been the ideal context to build on my confidence as a writer with the support of such an enthusiastic team. I only hope that as an Editor-in-Chief, alongside Kyla, we can keep encouraging new students to write and express themselves in the collaborative and nurturing learning space that the IMS Magazine provides us with.” – Iciar Iturmendi

On behalf of both the outgoing and incoming Editors-in-Chief, we would like to thank all our journalists, editors, and designers who have been part of the team who make this production possible. We are looking forward to the upcoming year of magazine issues and we hope you all have a great year! 

Jason Lo Hog Tian

Jason is a PhD candidate examining the mechanisms linking HIV stigma and health under the supervision of Dr. Sean Rourke

Twitter: @JasonLoHogTian

Stacey Butler

Stacey is a PhD candidate. Under the supervision of Dr. Andrea Gershon, she is evaluating the quality of care for patients with respiratory disease using a population-based approach.  

Twitter: @StaceyJButler

Kyla Trkulja

Kyla is a PhD student studying the mechanism of action of novel therapies for lymphoma under the supervision of Dr. Armand Keating, Dr. John Kuruvilla, and Dr. Rob Laister. 

Twitter: @kylatrkulja_

Iciar Iturmendi Sabater

Iciar is a PhD student under the supervision of Dr. Meng-Chuan Lai and Dr.Hsiang-Yuan Lin. She investigates social adaptive behaviors in children and adolescents with neurodevelopmental conditions such as autism, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Twitter: @iciar_itur