Denise is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Experimental Medicine where her research focuses on how air pollution modulates the immune response in the lungs. Specifically, she is investigating whether inhaled air pollution changes the behavior of neutrophils, our immune system’s first-responders. She hopes that elucidating these mechanisms will help us find new therapeutic targets for people who are at-risk, and strengthen the body of evidence needed to encourage policy-driven air quality improvement worldwide.

Denise obtained a Bachelor of Kinesiology in 2016 from the University of Toronto where she fell in love with biology and the human body. She then joined APEL to pursue her true passion of helping people with disease. She competed for U of T’s varsity volleyball team and represented Canada at the U23 beach volleyball world championships. If the sun is shining, you can be sure to find her at the courts on Kits beach!