Alexandra Malinowski, Pharmacology and Toxicology

Alexandra is a PhD student who began investigating mental health during her undergraduate studies through various research projects. She is now working at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, using her creativity to curate more focused experiments and unravelling the mysteries surrounding mental health. While she has developed a deep passion for the sciences that she has nurtured for many years through various projects and academic initiatives, Alexandra has also had the opportunity to act as a liaison between students and the faculty in her department as the Vice President of the Pharmacology Graduate Students Association, Co-Team Lead of the Life Science Career Expo Team, and Co-Founder of the Mental health Internationally-Delivering Support (MINDS) Conference.

Alexandra believes that graduate school is more than just research. Through her role on the Pharmacology Graduate Students Association, she helps foster community among graduate students by spearheading new student initiatives, including the first orientation week in her department for incoming graduate students and the organisation of a multicultural event in collaboration with other students to celebrate the ethnic diversity within the department. In an attempt to bridge the gap between academia and industry, Alexandra co-led the organisation of a national, multi-day, virtual Life Science Career Expo that provided trainees with a forum to explore career paths within a variety of sectors. 

As a mental health researcher, Alexandra endeavours to uncover the underlying causes of mental illness. She believes promoting mental well-being, sharing mental health knowledge, and demystifying its relevance to society is essential. All these efforts are made to encourage a healthy lifestyle and positive professional development because working in academia can be stressful and challenging. Following a successful UofT Student Engagement project proposal, Alexandra and a group of three other graduate students were awarded a grant that allowed them to plan and hold the first international conference covering topics related to mental health in academia. The conference's success was marked by the positive response and genuine interest from over 500 registrants and over 60 speakers from around the globe. The conference also fundraised over $1200 for Dragonfly Mental Health. Alexandra is grateful to have been involved in these incredible opportunities that have allowed her to combine her hobbies and interests into leadership experiences. She looks forward to continuing to develop related skills in future exciting opportunities.