معرفی
Dr. Kaarina Kowalec is an Associate Professor at the College of Pharmacy, University of Manitoba, with an affiliated research position at Karolinska Institutet. Her research leverages genomic and epidemiological approaches to improve outcomes in psychiatric and neurological disorders.
Education:
- Postdoctoral Researcher, Psychiatric Genetics, Karolinska Institutet (2019)
- PhD in Genomics, University of British Columbia (2016)
- MSc in Viral Genetics, University of Manitoba (2011)
Research Interests: Dr. Kowalec leads two primary research themes: 1) Epidemiology and genomics of poor outcomes in schizophrenia, depression, and psychiatric disorders; 2) Epidemiology and genomics of poor outcomes in multiple sclerosis and chronic immunoinflammatory diseases. Her work integrates population-based data with genomic analyses to develop precision medicine approaches.
Publications: Her recent articles focus on genetic risk factors in psychiatric and neurological comorbidities, pharmacogenomics, and population health interventions, utilizing advanced statistical methods like Mendelian randomization and polygenic scoring.
Awards:
- Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellowship
- Banting Fellowship
- Sternfel's Prize (2019)
- Multiple international awards for pharmacological and genetic research
Leadership and Teams: Leads the Kowalec Lab focused on computational genomics, collaborating internationally. Secured >$3M in funding from DoD, NIH, CIHR, and Brain Canada. Mentors PhD students and oversees research on psychiatric genomics and pharmacoepidemiology.
