LMP students and their 3-minute thesis success!

The Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology held its second 3-Minute Thesis (3MT) competition this year, led by Dr. Laurent Bozec. First year MSc student, Melissa Suma won the competition and went on to win third place in the University of Toronto 3MT finals!

The 3MT (or 3-Minute Thesis) is an academic research communication competition developed by The University of Queensland, Australia in 2008. A graduate student has one slide and 3 minutes to communicate their major research project. Dr. Bozec, a Professor cross-appointed in LMP from the Faculty of Dentistry, has been running 3MT competitions for over a decade.

“The 3MT is a unique academic competition in that it’s not really about the research – it’s about communication and engagement. It’s amazing to coach students who, in some cases, have been immersed in their topic for years, and must learn how to communicate to someone who knows absolutely nothing about their field. It’s a very valuable skill to learn,” said Dr. Bozec.

The LMP 3MT finals took place in February, hosted by Dr. Bozec and Department Chair, Dr. Rita Kandel. The judges were a mixture of scientists and communication professionals, none of whom were based in LMP. The judges were Dr. Justin Nodwell, Vice Dean, Research & Health Science Education, Professor, Department of Biochemistry, Dr. Nicola Jones, Senior Scientist and Staff Physician, Department of Paediatrics, SickKids; Director, Integrated Physician Scientist Training Program at the University of Toronto and Jim Oldfield, Associate Director, Strategic Communications, Temerty Faculty of Medicine.

The finalists were from across LMP graduate programs:

• Shiyuan Bian, "A Breath for Hope: Could Ventilation Be the Workout Lungs Need for Regeneration?", PhD candidate in the lab of Dr. Golnaz Karoubi at Toronto General Hospital, UHN
• Kamalben Prajapati, "Your blood speaks a better word", MSc student in the lab of Dr. Kathryn Howe at Toronto General Hospital, UHN
• Dr. Pardaman Setia, "Helping Our Heroes: A Simple Solution for Veterans in Need", MHSc student in the Translational Research Program
• Melissa Suma, "On the beat: A safety mechanism for heart cell therapies", MSc student in the lab of Dr. Michael Laflamme at Toronto General Hospital, UHN
• Anna Tymofyeyeva, "The Tipping Point: When Gliomas Shift from Slow to Explosive Growth", MSc student in the lab of Dr. Peter Dirks at SickKids

Melissa Suma was voted winner by the judging panel and Kamalben Prajapati won the People’s Choice award.

Melissa said of the experience, "The LMP 3MT was a great experience. There was a lot of support and feedback throughout, which helped me to refine my 3MT and become confident with this kind of public speaking. It was also fun to get to know my peers and the diverse research going on at U of T through the other presentations". 

Melissa went on to win 3rd place at the recent University-wide competition, beating 80 entries to be one the 12 finalists in a live event held by the School of Graduate Studies in the William Doo Auditorium. The event was hosted by Rawtalk Podcast hosts, Atefeh Mohammadi (LMP PhD candidate and former 3MT winner) and Noor Al Kaabi (MD student). 

Dr. Rita Kandel commented, “It never ceases to amaze me what our students can achieve. It’s no small feat to translate what you’re researching into something that is so accessible. I think all the students in our LMP competition did a fantastic job. I was pleased to be able to see Melissa then do so well in the broader university competition as she represented LMP and the investigation of disease”.

Melissa added, "Preparing for this competition was an excellent lesson on how to make science engaging and accessible, and it helped me connect with my project in a new way. As graduate students, we're so deep in the details of our work, and what we hope to achieve is often a small incremental step in a much larger field. It is both motivating and humbling to take a step back and find creative ways to communicate what you do and why it matters". 

Melissa will next present her winning 3MT at the LMP Research Conference on April 17.

Keep an eye out next Fall for more on the LMP 3MT!

Thank you to everyone who helped support the LMP 3MT 2025, including our heats judges: 

• Sophie Aicher – Sunnybrook Research Institute
• Mirette Hanna - SickKids
• Seojin Lee – Postdoc, Tanz Centre
• Wilder Scott - Sunnybrook Health Science Centre
• Rosemarie Tremblay-LeMay - UHN
• Naomi Visanji - UHN
• Stephen White - Ontario Forensic Pathology Service

This story showcases the following pillars of the LMP strategic plan: Impactful Research (pillar 3) and Agile Education (pillar 5).