Zahra Pakzad

Zahra Pakzad

Biography:
Zahra is a PhD student in the UBC Department of Microbiology and Immunology since January 2021, working with primary supervisor Dr. Deborah Money. She has been with the Reproductive Infectious Diseases team since June 2015, first as a Research Coordinator with VOGUE (Vaginal Microbiome Group Initiative), and then as the Research Manager for the Maternal Microbiome LEGACY Project. She is continuing her work as a PhD student on the LEGACY Project, a study examining the relationship between the vaginal microbiome and development of the infant gut microbiome in the context of vaginal vs. caesarean deliveries. Zahra’s biggest motivation is seeing the interest and willingness from the hundreds of participants she’s visited at home for postpartum follow-up, and how the results of the study could one day impact obstetric and infant care. Her background includes an MSc from the UBC Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, where her thesis involved validating a novel diagnostic assay for people living with the autoimmune condition myasthenia gravis.

Research interests: microbiome, reproductive infectious diseases, pregnancy, maternal and fetal health, newborn health

Research Themes:

Reproductive Infectious Diseases

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