Last event of GrasPod's Welcome Month: join us in Rogue (602 W Broadway) on Friday, 27th September @ 5 pm to celebrate with drinks and food! 

Register here!

Come join us in the main floor lunch room of BCCRC on Tuesday, September 24th @ 4 PM for some video and board games!

Register at this link!

Come join us for an evening of climbing at The Hive bouldering gym! Whether you're new to climbing or can flash a V11 on-sight, we would love to see you there. No equipment is required, just bring your enthusiasm. Spots are limited, so sign up soon.

Register at this link! 

Registration deadline: September 13th
Time: Sunday September 22nd @ 4:00 PM
Location: The Hive Bouldering Gym, 520 Industrial Avenue

This year’s research day will take place on September 20th, in the Medical Student Alumni Centre (MSAC) located at 2750 Heather St. For more details and updates, check out this page

Come along to the main floor lunch room at the BCCRC for art night next Monday! Paint some potted succulents and enjoy some snacks and drinks!

Sign up here!

Time: Monday September 16th @ 4 PM
Location: Main floor lunchroom at BC Cancer Research Centre (675 W 10th Ave)

Join the Terry Fox Run this Sunday, September 15th! This run is a true Canadian tradition with a long history of raising funds for cancer research. The location is beautiful Stanley Park, and the options for distances are 3 km or 10 km.

GRASPODS will also be hosting a picnic after the run!
Register for the picnic here!

You can learn about the Terry Fox Run and register as an individual or form a group through this link.

If you are looking to run as part of a group and don't have one associated with your lab, you can register for this one:
https://run.terryfox.ca/team/stirlinglab

Join the GRASPODs strava group here!
Sign up for the Terry Fox Run via strava here!

Terry Fox Run information:
Time: Registration opens 8:00 AM, run begins at 10:00 AM
Location: Ceperley Park, 8701 Stanley Park Dr, Vancouver, BC, V6G 3E2

Picnic information:
Time: Begins at 10:30 AM
Location: Ceperley Park, 8701 Stanley Park Dr, Vancouver, BC, V6G 3E2

Do you have books, clothes, or other paraphernalia that you would like to pass on? Bring them along to the Swap & Share Fair for a thrifting-style trading event. Refresh your wardrobe and bookshelf while getting to know other students and their preferences in fashion and literature!

Location: 15th floor of the BC Cancer Research Centre (675 W 10th Avenue)

Join us for a night of trivia and Irish pub fare! Does your factual knowledge extend beyond lab procedures? Pit your wits and recall of useless information against other students!

Sign up here!

Location: The King’s Head Public House, 1618 Yew St.

To all incoming students who will be based out of BC Cancer or VPC, a warm welcome from your Graduate Student and Post Doctoral Society, GrasPods! Join us on September 3rd at 3:30 pm, BCCRI (ground floor, Diamond Lecture Theatre) to learn more about who we are, what we do and to ask questions to our panelists about the graduate school experience. Our panel will have MSc students and PhD candidates from multiple graduate programs. There will be free pizza and beverages too! 

Register here: https://forms.gle/1KaUzD7SZREufuuk6

This year's edition of the Bennett Distinguished Lecture will feature Dr. Olivera Finn from the University of Pittsburgh as she discusses her pivotal role in developing one of the first and most impactful cancer vaccines to date. All audiences welcome!

Olivera (Olja) J. Finn is the University of Pittsburgh Distinguished Professor of Immunology and Surgery and Founding Chair of the Department of Immunology, the position she held from 2001 to 2013. She was Program Leader of the Cancer Immunology Program at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute from 1991 to 2014.

After receiving her PhD in Immunology at Stanford University in 1980, and completing her postdoctoral training there in 1982, Dr. Finn moved to Duke University and in 1991 to the University of Pittsburgh. She gained prominence through her original focus on transplantation biology and later through her basic and applied research focused on tumor antigens and the development of cancer vaccines. She has an extensive track record of research accomplishments reported in over 200 peer-reviewed papers and numerous reviews and book chapters. She is the discoverer of the MUC1 tumor antigen and has published extensively and continuously for the last 25 years on her basic and preclinical work on the development and evaluation of MUC1 cancer vaccines. She has been a co-investigator on a dozen clinical trials of various MUC1 vaccines in pancreatic, colon, breast, prostate and lung cancer. Dr. Finn and her team also identified cyclin B1 as a tumor antigen and published several papers on its excellent potential as a cancer vaccine. Her current efforts are on the development of preventative cancer vaccines.

Dr. Finn is an active member of the American Association of Immunologists where she served seven years as Council member and one year as President. She also served two terms as Councilor of the International Union of Immunology Societies (IUIS) and is currently Chair of the IUIS Committee on Gender Equality and Career Development. She is also member of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) and Past Chair of the Steering Committee of the AACR Cancer Immunology (CIMM) Working Group. She is also a member of the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC). She has served on NCI study sections and was a member of the NCI Board of Councilors. She has trained 25 PhD and MD/PhD students in her laboratory and over 60 postdoctoral fellows, many of whom hold important positions in academic institutions or biomedical companies. She received twice the Mentor of the Year Award from the University of Pittsburgh. In 2016, Dr. Finn was the recipient of the AAI Life Time Achievement Award as well as NCI Outstanding Investigator Award. In 2017 she was honored with the AACR CIR Lloyd Old Cancer Immunology Prize. In 2019, Finn was awarded the SITC Richard V. Smalley Memorial Award, a prestigious award for clinicians and scientists who have an enormous impact on cancer immunotherapy research. Also in 2019, she was inducted into the inaugural class of AAI Distinguished Fellows and in 2022 into Fellows of the SITC Immuno-Oncology Academy.

A Graspods x North Vancouver Community Players event

Join us on Monday, May 29th, from 4:00 pm onwards for Art Night. This time we are painting canvases, but if you want to work on your tote bag from last month please feel free to bring it (or collect one with Leticia if you haven't done so). Register here!

Enjoy the nice weather while playing beach volleyball and meeting new friends

@ SPANISH BANKS (OR KITS IF WE'RE LUCKY)

For details&questions email tshyp@bccrc.ca

Join us on Monday, April 24th, from 4:00 pm onwards for Art Night. We are happy to announce that Asmae El-Bouhali and Alisha Lettman, from the Faculty of Medicine Wellness and Counselling team, will be joining us to introduce themselves and the mental health resources available. This month you will get your own tote bag to paint, so come ready to create something that goes with your grocery shopping looks! Register at: https://forms.gle/DyVfmCsq5ePGtH6B8

Thank you for joining us in February for our Wine & Art Night-Succulents Edition!

Let's meet on March 27th, 5:30pm, at the BCCRC main floor lunch room for the next monthly edition of Wine & Art Night. Sign-up here https://forms.gle/egrU8uvvPdSvidMX9 to secure a spot!

GrasPods is hosting the first Wine and Art night of the year. To celebrate, we are happy to bring back succulent pot painting! 

Register here (https://forms.gle/ueuqk13vZ9kZky3u5​) to join us on Monday, Feb 27th, at 5:30pm in the BCCRC main floor lunch room.

All painting supplies, snacks and wine will be provided. Spots are limited