Ainslie Forbes recalls sitting in company-wide meetings during her co-op at the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research (OICR) and hearing patients’ stories. Much of her role was spent behind a computer, supporting the data that underpin cancer research in the province. But those meetings brought the human impact of her contributions into focus.
The co-op proved eye-opening for the Master of Science in Bioinformatics student. It not only exposed her to the realities of cancer research but also helped her determine her own professional goals.
“I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to continue to a PhD or go straight into the workforce after my master’s,” says Forbes, who is the first Northeastern University student in Toronto to complete a co-op at the OICR. “This co-op helped me see the kinds of roles available and decide that I want to enter the field now. It also showed me that you can do meaningful research with a master’s degree and still grow professionally.”
Read more at Northeastern Global News
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