by Kyla Trkulja

Graphic design by Geneviève Groulx 

In September 2023, the Institute of Medical Science (IMS) welcomed its youngest-ever graduate student. Entering her Master’s degree at just 12-years-old, Anthaea-Grace Patricia Dennis has been featured by numerous Canadian news platforms for her record-breaking intelligence. But since she began her graduate studies, she has also taken part in many student initiatives, maximizing her opportunities to participate in student life within the IMS community. 

Anthaea-Grace Patricia graduated with a Bachelor of Science from the Biomedical Science program at the University of Ottawa in 2023. Her fourth-year thesis project, as part of her Honour’s degree, focused on the cerebellum, the region of the brain involved in controlling movement. The project further fueled her pre-existing interest in movement disorders, and since September 2023 she has been studying under the supervision of Dr. Antonio Strafella at Toronto Western Hospital, researching machine learning techniques for predicting and diagnosing Parkinson’s Disease.

Like many of the students attracted to the graduate program, Anthaea-Grace Patricia chose IMS for her studies due to the collaboration between the University and its associated hospitals such as the University Health Network. “I think [this is] really important because of my interest in movement disorders, but also for all graduate students to be able to understand the impact that our research can have on clinical practice,” she explained. This consolidation between research and clinical practice has not only been reflected in her thesis work, but also in the courses she has taken so far. For example, in her course on neurodegenerative diseases, Anthaea-Grace Patricia appreciated the clinical guest lecturers, who shared their experiences treating these disorders in their patient encounters. “There was an integration between the research that we were learning about and reading about, and the actual case studies and clinical practice,” she highlighted. 

I enjoyed hearing how Anthaea-Grace Patricia’s academic journey at IMS has fulfilled the kind of experience she envisioned when she accepted her IMS offer in 2023. What was even more special was learning what her experiences with student life have been like at IMS since she joined: she had a very positive initial impression of IMS student life even before the September Orientation. When she first set up her UofT email, she received numerous blasts and invitations regarding events, orientations, and opportunities to meet new students, which made her feel a strong sense of support and belonging from the beginning. Throughout the next few weeks and months, she learned the ways in which she could get involved with the IMS community outside of her research, and joined numerous student-led initiatives, such as the Institute of Medical Science Students Association (IMSSA) and UofT Talks. 

Anthaea-Grace Patricia is currently part of the Academic and Wellness Subcommittees within IMSSA, where she has taken part in organizing several events, such as the annual “Are You Smarter than a Grad Student?” competition, amongst several others. She mentioned that she has enjoyed the opportunities these initiatives have given her and others to make meaningful connections among students at different points in their academic journeys, as well as the ability to practice skills outside of the lab. “[The initiatives] are not directly related to research,” she explains. “But [they’ve] helped my skills in planning events, corresponding between different people, and other [skills] that are really important for my career.” 

In addition to her work with IMSSA, Anthaea-Grace Patricia is also on the planning committee for this year’s UofT Talks event, an in-person multi-speaker event which will share numerous perspectives on end-of-life care. “It’s really been very inspiring to see how much planning really goes into one of these events,” she reflected. “Everyone has gone to conferences, but you never really understand all the different steps that it takes: the planning of the venue, getting different speakers, getting food for the guests, all those different things that go into it that really make a difference.” She is also currently a journalist and copyeditor for the IMS Magazine, which has helped her further develop her scientific communication skills. 

Anthaea-Grace Patricia feels that the diverse experiences in which she has been involved at IMS have given her unique opportunities to shape her growth as an academic, professional, and holistically as a person. One of the skills that she is most thrilled about developing is the ability to network with like-minded peers and faculty alike. She describes the ability to network as “one of the most important skills you can have.” 

“You always see people at conferences who can work the room and can give everyone their business card,” she expresses. “And you’re always like, ‘Well, how do I become like that?’ Well, you attend all these different events. So, I think that the events that I’ve gone to have contributed in all three aspects [of personal, professional, and academic growth], at least, in getting to know different people and fostering friendships, and in growing my different professional and academic skills.” 

In addition to skill development, Anthaea-Grace Patricia has appreciated the opportunities that student life involvement has given her in forging friendships from class. She mentioned that many times when you meet people in class, you don’t necessarily have an avenue to grow and continue the relationship with them. “But when you’re able to get to know people through different committees, and you work with them on planning events … it’s much easier to foster friendships and get into contact with people, and be part of a community,” she says. 

Anthaea-Grace Patricia looks forward to continuing her involvement with IMS student life as she continues with her Master’s (and eventual transfers into the PhD program!). She hopes to be the Director of one of the IMSSA Subcommittees she is currently involved in and expand her involvement with various extracurricular activities surrounding Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI). After completing her graduate training with IMS, she plans on using the array of research and interpersonal skills she will develop to continue her research in the area of Parkinson’s Disease. “I know that’s something that I could definitely be interested in for the rest of my life,” she says about her research field. But she feels strongly that the extracurricular opportunities at IMS are what will shape her into a truly successful researcher. “The experience has been wonderful,” she explained. “It really inspires me to continue to make a difference in research.” It was exciting to hear about how the various opportunities for growth within IMS have benefitted Anthaea-Grace Patricia as a rising star, and we look forward to seeing what she accomplishes next!