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From molecular science to mental health, and from data-driven diagnostics to community-based care, UNB’s third annual Integrated Health Initiative (IHI) Research Symposium showcased the breadth, depth and impact of health research taking place across the UNB community. The event’s keynote speaker, Dr. Keith Brunt, emphasized the role challenges play in shaping opportunity.

Held on the Saint John campus March 26-27, the University of New Brunswick’s two-day Integrated Health Initiative Research Symposium featured more than 40 research projects presented by undergraduate students, graduate students and postdoctoral fellows.

The event celebrated how diverse academic perspectives, from science, psychology, biology, computer science, statistics and more, are shaping the future of health and healthcare.

Students from different faculties took the stage throughout the symposium, underscoring the role of interdisciplinary training in preparing future health leaders. Bachelor of health students presented alongside peers from various disciplines, reflecting the growing integration of research methods and perspectives across programs.

Health challenges rarely exist in silos, and the student projects made that principle tangible. Projects explored topics ranging from biotechnology and pharmacological therapies to social determinants of health, professional grief in clinical workplaces and equitable access to care for marginalized populations.

Keynote highlights interdisciplinary pathways in health innovation

This year’s keynote lecture was given by Dr. Keith Brunt, associate professor of pharmacology at Dalhousie University, adjunct professor in business at UNB, translational scientist with the New Brunswick Heart Centre and faculty member with Dalhousie Medicine New Brunswick.

Drawing on his own academic path, Dr. Brunt emphasized that success in research and innovation is built on both technical expertise and personal resilience.

“There are mistakes, failures and life bumps along the way, and those challenges are important,” he said.

He shared candidly with students about failing his first undergraduate physiology exam, an experience he described as formative rather than defining. He then went on to get a doctorate in that subject.

“If students see me as successful now, I want them to understand that I was just like them at their stage of learning and life,” Brunt said. “Failing that exam didn’t stop me, it helped shape my path forward.”

Brunt encouraged students to think broadly about how foundational knowledge in natural sciences and engineering can be leveraged for health innovation through research, entrepreneurship or collaboration with existing organizations.

“We have incredible opportunities here in New Brunswick to create, collaborate and import great ideas that can improve society,” he said.

He also highlighted the importance of professional development beyond disciplinary expertise, urging students to value mentorship, critical feedback, and adaptability.

“Finding people who care enough to offer you honest criticism is an investment of their time and belief in your success,” Brunt said. “Knowing when to pivot matters too and when something isn’t working, take a step back, review the larger goal.”

Brunt concluded by inviting students to reframe challenges as opportunities to make an impact.

“When you look at the world as a series of small problems and frustrations, those become our research questions, and often, our commercial or job opportunities.”

The lecture concluded with an extended question-and-answer session, during which Brunt and attendees discussed active research projects and career strategies and pathways in health, innovation and translational science.

Audience choice award winners

As with previous years, audience members were invited to recognize standout presentations showcasing research excellence and impact.

Bachelor of health honours research awards

• Sheltering Health: Exploring the Barriers and Facilitators to Sexual and Reproductive Health of Women and Gender Diverse Persons in Transitional Housing - Ghazal Motamedi
  
  
• Access to Dental Care in New Brunswick for Children in Low - and Moderate-Income Families During a Time of Change with the Canadian Dental Care Plan - Gillian Buote
  
  
• Evaluating the Anti-Lymphoma Potential of Caffeic Acid Phenethyl Ester (CAPE): Small RNA Sequencing and Bioinformatic Analyses - Luke Boatang
  
  
• Between Care and Closure: Exploring Professional Grief and Education Needs Among Clinical and Non-Clinical Staff in Critical Care Settings - Raili Scott

Transformation through collaboration and innovation: Bachelor of health senior students award

• Pediatric Malnutrition in Sudan: Assessing the Crisis and Pathways to Recovery - Evin Ali, Jordyn Brown, Dahami Divyanjali Kottelege, Somma Onuorah and Reggie Siamen

Experiences in health practicum poster award

• Holistic Health in Practice at L’Arche - Simarpreet Kaur

Student research poster award

• Near-Infrared Spectroscopy for the Early Detection of Lower Limb Ischemia in Femoral Venoarterial Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation - Abdul Nasan

Student research oral presentation award

• Evaluating novel MST1 inhibitors as a potential therapeutic strategy for multiple myeloma - Will Roderick, MSc candidate

Building the future of integrated health

The 2026 symposium reinforces IHI’s vision of health research as a collaborative, interdisciplinary effort—one that values scientific rigour, lived experience and community partnership.

By creating space for students to share their work, connect across disciplines and engage with broader health systems, IHI continues to play a vital role in shaping the next generation of health researchers and practitioners. As health challenges grow in complexity, events like this underscore why integrated, collaborative approaches are essential to finding solutions that can lead to meaningful and lasting change.