Topaza Yu

Topaza Yu
Home Institute: University of Saskatchewan 
Supervisor: Dr. Reina Bendayan 

Hi Everyone! My name is Topaza Yu, and my pronouns are she/her. I am from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, which is the treaty 6 territory and the homeland of the metis. I am a third-year kinesiology student at the University of Saskatchewan, and much of my work outside of academics revolves around youth empowerment, sexual rights, and reproductive health. Having experienced many social determinants of health and barriers as a woman in STEM, I am most interested in advocating for equity, diversity and inclusion in all aspects of my research work. 

Dr. Reina Bendayan is a Professor at the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and a career scientist at the Ontario HIV Treatment Network. Dr. Reina Bendayan’s research program focuses on the mechanisms that regulate drug transport at blood-tissue barriers, including the blood-brain barrier, blood-testicular, blood-intestinal and blood-placenta barriers. Bendayan also leads clinical studies that investigate drug disposition, drug-drug interactions and drug use. In particular, the Bendayan group focuses on the transport of antiretroviral drugs to treat human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. I am beyond excited to have been matched to Dr. Reina Bendayan's lab, where we will be studying and analyzing HIV and COVID-19 co-infection pharmacological treatments. 

Growing up in Saskatchewan where the representation of women of colour in STEM is limited, I was inspired by the multidisciplinary and cross-disciplinary health network that the Amgen Scholars Canada Program offers. I wanted to be a part of a learning experience where hands-on learning is highly encouraged and be in an environment where I can further develop my skills as an undergraduate student researcher.