HUMAN BIOLOGY / PSYCHOLOGY

CAREER PANEL DISCUSSION

Event Briefing Package
Date:
Time:

Tuesday, February 24th, 2015

6:00 p.m.8:00 p.m.

Location:

Sidney Smith Hall

100 St. George Street
Room 560A (Map)

Dear Student/Recent Graduate,

Were glad that youll be joining us at our Backpack to Briefcase discussion with alumni from the
Human Biology Program and Department of Psychology. Our alumni speakers have gone on to
pursue exciting careers in a variety of fields and they are ready to share their advice and stories
with you!
These briefing notes will help you prepare for the session and provide you with full bios of the
speakers in attendance. Please read them over and formulate some questions for our guest
speakers prior to the event.
If for any reason you are unable to attend, please contact Carlo Siochi:
carlo.siochi@utoronto.ca, (416) 978-7251.
Were looking forward to seeing you there!
Sincerely,
Carlo Siochi
416-978-7251
carlo.siochi@utoronto.ca

Advancement, 100 St George Street, Suite 2032, Toronto, ON M5S 3G3 Canada
Tel: +1 416-978-2722, Fax: +1 416-946-7057 www.artsci.utoronto.ca

Session Description
Do you have questions about career options as you near graduation?
Who better to answer those questions than alumni that graduated with your degree!
A panel of alumni from the Human Biology Program and Department of Psychology will discuss their
U of T education, the value of their degree, and their pursuit of successful careers. Following the
panel discussion, enjoy the opportunity to network with fellow students and alumni from your
department.
Background Information
This Backpack to Briefcase (b2B) event is designed to connect you with alumni who have
successfully transitioned out of university and are navigating diverse career paths. This event aims
to support you as you consider your personal next steps.
We will lead a ~1 hour panel discussion designed to provide you with a sense of the career stories
of each of the alumni speakers. Questions will focus on the ways in which their degrees support
them in their current roles; how they made the decisions that have guided their career paths; the
challenges they faced throughout their career and how they overcame them. Following the panel
discussion, there will be an opportunity for mingling and answering questions from students and
recent graduates in a more informal fashion, while enjoying some light refreshments.
Purpose
To tell the career stories of alumni who have successfully transitioned into the world of work.
To provide upper-year students and recent graduates with an opportunity to network with
successful alumni and learn tips for career success.
To provide our alumni speakers and guests with a chance to interact with students, faculty and
fellow alumni, revisit their alma mater, and share stories of navigating through the professional
world.

Potential Questions for Alumni:

Below are some sample questions which may be asked at the event, if students are not asking
questions, it is a good idea to have these handy so that you can ask some of your own questions.

When did you decide what you wanted to do after graduation? Once you knew, what steps
did you take to get there?

What avenues did you explore to find job openings in your field?

In what ways does your education contribute to your career?

What academic courses do you find most relevant to your day-to-day work?

How important is it to know someone in the industry?

What should I be doing right now to prepare me for this career path (part-time jobs,
journals and websites, associations, professional training, volunteering, terminology, etc.)?

What are the things you find personally rewarding in your career?

What do you do in a typical day?

What was the most surprising part of your transition from university to work?

What are the biggest challenges new graduates face when they enter your industry?

If you were able to give yourself advice as a graduating student, what would that advice be?
2

Agenda:
6:00pm Arrival / Registration of students, recent grads and guests
6:10pm Welcome remarks by Suzanne Wood (Dept. of Psychology)
6:15pm Panellist introductions + Career discussion
Q&A session
7:15pm Panel discussion concludes with closing remarks + thank you.
Students and alumni are encouraged to use the remainder of the evening to
network.
Food and beverages served.
8:00pm Evening Concludes

Alumni Panellist Bios

Henry Raffles Cowan
Research Analyst (Interventionist) Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH)
HBSc 2010
Raffles enrolled at the University of Toronto as a Criminology
major, but he was captivated by his first-year Psychology class
and completed his Bachelor's degree in 2010 with a double
major in Psychology and Criminology. While at U of T, he
worked in Dr. Susanne Ferber's Cognitive Neuroscience Lab
and served as a peer mentor in the First-Year Learning
Communities program.
After graduating, Raffles taught English in Per and
coordinated an international forensic psychiatry conference
out of the Universit de Montral. Since returning to Toronto
in 2012, he has focused on clinical research by taking a lead
role in studies at U of T and the Hospital for Sick Children (Sick
Kids) while pursuing non-degree courses at U of T. He works at
the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), where he spent a year in the Nicotine
Dependence Clinic concentrating on province-wide smoking cessation research and assisting
with U of T's undergraduate addictions course (PSY 407), before he moved on to his current
position as an interventionist in CAMH's Geriatric Research program. In this role, he is
responsible for delivering electrical brain stimulation (tDCS) and cognitive remediation therapy
to older adults with depression and/or mild cognitive impairment, as well as completing and
scoring assessments, following up with research participants, and coordinating with other study
sites around Toronto. His research interests centre around integrating qualitative and
quantitative models of mental illness.

Lauren Della Mora

Research Trainee Public Health Ontario
HBSc 2012
Lauren was excited to pursue an Honours BSc at the
University of Toronto, specializing in Human Biology: Health
& Disease and minoring in Sociology. During her
undergraduate studies, she was actively involved in
intramural soccer, mentorship opportunities, various student
interest groups and social events. As she progressed toward
refining her career aspirations, the topics discussed in a
course on HIV/AIDS Social Policies and Programs sparked her
interest in public health.
After graduating in 2012, Lauren worked on research
projects in the departments of Anesthesia, Urology and
Trauma at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. Lauren is
now completing the final semester of her professional
Master of Public Health degree in Epidemiology at the Dalla
Lana School of Public Health. In a practicum placement at Toronto Western Hospital, she
performed statistical analyses to epidemiologically characterize the low back pain population in
Ontario, and is working toward publishing the results. Lauren is currently engaged in a project
at Public Health Ontario using novel data linkages and models to predict diabetes risk and the
benefits of preventive strategies in the population. She has been awarded two Ontario
Graduate Scholarships In recognition of her academic achievement and extracurricular
involvement.
Lauren looks forward to working as an epidemiologist at a local health unit or government
research organization after graduating in June.

Darrell Gonzales
Family Counselor Associated Youth Services of Peel
HBSc 2010 / MSW 2014
Darrell began his undergraduate education in Life Sciences at
UTM, later earning an HBSc with a double major in Biology and
Psychology. He worked with the Centre for Addiction and
Mental Health in the Borderline Personality Disorder Research
Lab. He went on to complete his Masters of Social Work with U
of T.
Darrell is currently a Family Counselor with the Family
Connections program of Associated Youth Services of Peel. He
works with families in various crises involving family conflict
and/or mental health. He engages directly with families in
their homes across Mississauga, Brampton, Caledon, and Bolton. Work is intensive and shortterm, ranging from 8-10 weeks. This work involves family counseling, parental coaching,
Cognitive-Behaviour Therapy, Multisystemic therapy, and external referrals.

Xin Hang
Associate Consulting & Analytics Foster Rosenblatt
HBSc 2011 / MBiotech 2013
Xin received his Honours BSc from the University of Toronto in
2011, where he completed a double-specialist in Genes, Genetics,
& Biotechnology and Cell & Molecular Biology. He also received
his Master of Biotechnology from the University of Toronto in
2013.
Xin is current employed at a life sciences management
consultancy (Foster Rosenblatt) as an Associate in the Consulting
and Analytics department; his areas of focus include asset
valuation, portfolio strategy and competitive intelligence. In the
past, he held various analytical and consulting roles at a large
pharmaceutical company (Sanofi Pasteur), a pharmaceutical
branding consultancy (Brand Institute) and a non-profit organization (Endeavour Consulting for
Non-Profits).

Andrew Manis
Project Control Officer, Enterprise Data Centre Program RBC
HBSc 2011
Andrew is currently a Project Control Officer
within the Enterprise Data Centre Program
Management Office at RBC where he mainly
focuses on addressing program risk and issues,
updating the program dashboard and metrics,
and critically reviewing project artifacts. This
position along with Andrews previous
experience in change management will help
Andrew be effective as a project manager in the
near future.
Prior to his current role, Andrew spent a year at TD Canada Trust within a retail branch advising
customers on products and services. This experience allowed Andrew to further develop his
active listening skills and influence and negotiation skills; fundamental skills that are required to
be successful in day-to-day activities in the workplace.
Andrew graduated with a MBA (Management and Change) from Sprott School of Business,
Carleton University in 2012 where he enhanced team work, leadership, and communication
skills. He graduated with an HBSc from the University of Toronto in 2011. His experience of a
rigorous life science program with expectations of high quality writing, critical thinking, and
problem solving have helped him excel in high performance organizations. These organizations
expect employees to be open to change and provide suggestions to improve processes; this is
vital for organizations to remain competitive.
Andrew is actively involved within the community; he currently sits on the reestablished St
Michaels College Young Alumni Committee, which aims to engage future St Michaels
graduates and recent graduates through networking, social events, and general advice. Andrew
frequently attends networking events, where he tries to offer advice and connect others to his
contacts. Furthermore, Andrew has been actively attending Toastmaster sessions, where he has
enhanced his ability to think on his feet and communicate effectively. On his free time, Andrew
invests in stocks and mutual funds as well as read books that are geared towards leadership,
change management, and strategy. For the purposes of personal wellness, Andrew also likes to
bike and lift weights three times a week.