Award winner “fascinated” by how the body works, but prefers people

Jessica Nathan (nee Simpson) has always been fascinated by how the human body works. “When you think about it, it’s just amazing,” she says, enthusiasm ringing in her voice. The 26-year-old, who received her MSc in biology from UVic in 2011, will, at this year’s June convocation, be awarded the Lieutenant Governor’s Silver Medal on the basis of her overall academic excellence (she maintained a 9.0 grade point average in her graduate studies) and an outstanding thesis.

Nathan’s thesis focused on changes in the hippocampus caused by Huntington’s disease, a neurodegenerative disease with no known cure. The hippocampus is a part of the brain associated with learning and memory. In humans affected by Huntington’s disease, symptoms begin to appear in their mid-thirties. Nathan’s work sought to characterize the development of degenerative changes in the disease in this specific brain region.

She spent two years conducting research in Dr. Brian Christie’s lab in UVic’s Division of Medical Sciences. Nathan preferred working in the lab to being in a classroom. “I liked being on the cutting edge of things,” she admits. Nevertheless, when she began to do volunteer work with vulnerable populations through the Canadian Cancer Society, she realized she liked working with people even more. Initially, she volunteered in a program called Cancer Connections, which is designed to provide emotional support for people newly diagnosed with cancer.

Then she began to volunteer in a Canadian Cancer Society program for children with cancer called Camp Goodtimes. She will be volunteering at Camp Goodtimes again this August. Her experience as a volunteer at the summer camp solidified Nathan’s decision to go to medical school so she can continue working with people, especially children. Ultimately, she would like to combine clinical trials with a medical practice.

While Nathan’s work in Christie’s lab ended when she completed her graduate work last year, she hasn’t been idle. In July, she married her sweetheart, a software engineer she met while they were both working at a recreation centre—he as a lifeguard, she as a receptionist.

A good part of Nathan’s time during the past year was taken up studying for the MCAT and completing her application for medical school. She has been accepted to UBC’s Island Medical Program, based at UVic.