Amanda Mac

Amanda Mac

Amanda Mac
Home Institute: University of Ottawa
Supervisor: Dr. Chung-Wai Chow

Hi! My name is Amanda, and I am a fourth-year student in the Health Sciences program at the University of Ottawa. I grew up in Markham, ON and have two little sisters. Having family members who live with chronic illness and disability, I've always been very passionate about transitional care and empowering individuals to play an active role in managing their health beyond the walls of the clinic/hospital. This led me to later volunteer a lot in long-term care and to participate in basic science research in ophthalmology, as well as qualitative health research focused on enhancing community resilience among marginalized populations. In my free time, I love painting, running, watching K-dramas, and attempting to cook and bake!

This summer, I am working with Dr. Chung-Wai Chow to apply machine learning to the interpretation of oscillometry, a novel pulmonary function test. Oscillometry assesses respiratory mechanics using multi-frequency sound waves which measure respiratory impedance and provides more comprehensive information on lung physiology compared to conventional pulmonary function tests. I am excited to collaborate with her research team on developing a machine learning algorithm that can classify oscillometry data into different categories of physiological defects – this will aid in improving lung disease diagnosis and increasing the use of this new testing modality in the clinic.

I have always been very grateful for the wonderful mentors and women in STEM whom I've met through participating in research. I was drawn to the emphasis that the Amgen Program places on promoting diversity and inclusion in research, and I hope that through this experience, I can continue to grow as a student researcher, connect with others and learn more about tackling the unique barriers that women and marginalized communities face in STEM and healthcare.