Ameen Basha – Class of 2013

Ameen is entering his third year in the Bachelor of Health Sciences (BHSc.) program at the University of Calgary. When he left Toronto, he was considering a career as a physician. He believed that a career as a physician would be devoid of innovation and discovery. But after arriving in Calgary, and progressing through the BHSc program, he decided to strive towards a career as a physician-scientist. Physician-scientists carry both a medical qualification and a scientific doctorate; they focus on conducting translational research focused on bringing therapeutic techniques from the laboratory bench to the ward bedside. A career as a physician-scientist appealed to him as he could simultaneously treat patients and engage in medical research.

For the last two years, he has worked at a medical research laboratory in Calgary, AB. Currently, he is conducting his own clinical research project to investigate the brain blood flow and breathing responses to low-oxygen high-carbon dioxide breathing environments in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) patients. Apart from this OSA project, he is involved in projects focusing individually on the cerebrovascular effects of intermittent hypoxia and the neurophysiological impact of aerobic exercise in older adults. Also, he completed laboratory observership rotations in the areas of high-altitude physiology and cardiovascular physiology. His scientific knowledge is primarily in integrative human physiology, with additional expertise in sleep medicine, cardiovascular physiology, critical care medicine, neurological imaging, and exercise physiology. In the future, Ameen will aim to apply his existing knowledge to better elucidate the biological mechanisms governing cerebral circulation in humans. Through independent investigations of hemodynamics, respiratory physiology, and vascular biology, Ameen intends to identify the key regulatory pathways of cerebral blood flow. His work will hold strong implications for the prevention and treatment of cerebrovascular disease.

Ameen’s immediate goal is an acceptance to a combined MD-PhD program; the University of Calgary Leaders in Medicine program offers an excellent opportunity in this regard. Ideally, his career would consist of administering clinical care, conducting research in a laboratory, and teaching students at an academic institution.

TCPS is proud of Ameen’s incredible accomplishments in the years since he has graduated. We look forward to hearing more about how Ameen’s career continues to progress.