June 2026

Every edition of The Spark captures the momentum of our growing research community. By sharing accomplishments - from new grants and publications to awards and appointments - we celebrate the impact of your work, foster collaboration and amplify research excellence across Windsor-Essex. This edition brings together recent research activity and member successes that continue to move our region forward. This edition highlights:

$2,540,429 in grant funding

59 publications

14 awards

New Projects

Jalal Ahamed, University of Windsor ($25,000) NSERC Alliance International Quantum G7 Catalyst. Development of MEMS-Quantum Silicon Spin-Photon Qubits for Tunable, Chip-Scale Quantum Sensing.

Jalal Ahamed, University of Windsor ($750,000) NSERC. Design and development of high precision nanoelectromechanical resonating inertial sensors with wafer-level vacuum packaging.

Betty Barrett, Adrian Guta, University of Windsor, Vicky Bungay, The Centre for Research in Community Engagement and Gender Equity, School of Nursing, University of British Columbia, Emily van der Meulen, Toronto Metropolitan University, K Kouyoumdjan, Amy Peirone, St. Clair College, J Alstan Jakubiec, University of Toronto, A Adams, L Jennings ($199,699) SSHRC Partnership Development Grant. Building Bridges for (RE)Integration: Mapping Services, Developing Community Partnerships, and Co-Creating Solutions with Justice Involved Women and Gender Diverse People Who Use Drugs in Mid-Sized Communities.

Arezoo Emadi, University of Windsor ($540,000) MITACS. Developing an Autonomous Pest Volatile Detection System.

Amy Jean Fitzgerald, University of Windsor, Amy Peirone, St. Clair College, Betty Barrett, Patti Fritz, University of Windsor, Rochelle Stevenson, Thompson Rivers University ($239,000) SSHRC Insight Grant. 'The straw that broke the camel's back' may be a dog or a cat: The relevance of animal maltreatment in cases where the defensive actions of intimate partner violence victims-survivors are criminalized.

Adrian Guta, University of Windsor, Carol Strike, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, Katherine Rudzinski, University of Windsor, Gillian Kolla, Memorial University, Elaine Hyshka, University of Alberta, Daniel Buchman, The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Becky Genberg, Danielle German, John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Lindsay Windhager, Sistering, Jessica Hales, Regent Park Community Health Centre, Ryan Mills, Windsor Regional Hospital, Sandra Chu, Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network, Anne Snowdon, University of Windsor, Jaris Swidrovich, Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy ($299,730) Ontario HIV Treatment Network. Compassion Clubs as Care Continuum Innovations: Designing an Integrated Safer Supply-HIV Care Model in Ontario.

John Trant, University of Windsor, Cindi Hutnick, Western University ($220,000) Academic Medical Organization of Southwestern Ontario. Human Tenon's Capsule Biopsies as a Platform for Detecting Early Failure of Glaucoma Surgery and Design of Novel Strategies for More Targeted Surgical Wound Modulation.

Panayiotis Vacratsis, Univesity of Windsor ($240,000) NSERC Discovery Grant. Exploring Cellular Regulation through Multi-Modal High Resolution Mass Spectrometry.

Schulich - UWindsor Opportunities for Research Excellence Program (SWORP)

Congratulations to the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry - Windsor Campus students for their SWORP awards.

Deya'a Almasri. Supervisor: Abdullah Nasser, Windsor Regional Hospital ($4,500). Outcomes of Hospitalized Glioblastoma Patients Receiving Radiation-Based Treatment: A Retrospective Cohort Study at Windsor Regional Cancer Centre.

Amina Choudhry. Supervisor: Amit Bagga, Windsor Regional Hospital ($4,500). Evaluation of a Continuous Glucose Monitor in Patients with Diabetes on Peritoneal Dialysis.

Stephanie Ducharme. Supervisor: Andrea Cervi, Windsor Regional Hospital ($4,500). Evaluating the Effectiveness of the Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (ESAS) in Adults with Sickle Cell Disease within a Comprehensive Hemoglobinopathy Clinic.

Frank Mazza. Supervisor: Pradeepa Yoganathan, Windsor Regional Hospital ($4,500). Predicting the loss from optic disc drusen using AI-mediated 3D structural analysis of optic coherence tomography.

Aviva Moses, Manya Malik. Supervisors: Jennifer Bondy, Department of Family Medicine - Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Medhi Aloosh, Windsor Essex County Health Unit ($4,500). Correctional-Community Healthcare Integration and Recidivism Outcomes for People Experiencing Homelessness: A Scoping Review.

Matthew Schultz. Supervisor: Joel Cort, University of Windsor ($4,500). Evaluating the Ergonomic Safety of Colonoscopy Use During Colonoscopy with Motion Capture and Biomechanical Modelling.

Publications / Articles / Presentations

Abdulai AF, Goldsmith K, Hartman C, Nicol K, Ronquillo CE, Recsky C, Nishikawara R, Ralph R, Guta A, Bouchard KN, Currie L (2026). Priorities on trauma-informed design of sexual and reproductive health-related digital technologies: A modified nominal group technique. Digital Health.

Abdulai AF, Josephs JC, Guta A, Gilbert M, Bungay V (2025). Technology-Related Trauma in Sexual and Reproductive Health Digital Technologies: Grounded Theory Study. JMIR Formative Research.

Adjei AA, Potter M, Giri C, Gomes TC, Rondeau-Gagne S, Beyeh NK (2026). Supramolecular assembly of a poly(ionic liquid) ABC triblock copolymer with monovalent halogen bond donors. Polymer Chemistry.

Andleeb I, Suto K, Mirhassani M, Zhang N (2026). ScoreCAM and Segmentation-Based Adversarial Attacks in Autonomous Vehicles. 2025 IEEE 102nd Vehicular Technology Conference (VTC2025-Fall).

Arshi MF, Gomes TC, Nazemi H, Abu-Libdeh A, Zojac-Rivest M, Bijukumar AC, Rondeau-Gagne S, Emadi A (2026). Topology-Driven Field Distribution for Enhanced Performance in OFET Sensors. 2025 IEEE Sensors.

Arshi MF, Gomes TC, Zojac-Rivest M, Chippett J, Rondeau-Gagne S, Emadi A (2026). Cross-Channel Topology for Enhanced Drain Current in Organic Field-Effect Transistors. IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices.

Bhawya, Damdoum M, Damdoum M, Siddiqa A, Shepley BR, Bain AR, Rondeau-Gagne S, Ahamed MJ (2026). Characterization of a Wearable Multi-Sensor Breathing Device. 2025 IEEE Sensors.

Birjis Y, Emadi A (2026). Electromechanical and Acoustic Characterization of Dual-Mode Rectangular PMUT. Microelectronics.

Birjis Y, Munirathinam P, Nazemi H, Emadi A (2026). Electromechanical Characterization of Dual-Electrode Circular PMUTs with Comparative Analysis of Top Electrode Layouts. 2025 IEEE Sensors.

Byra MM, Proudfoot NA, Currie KD, MacDonald MJ, Timmons BW, Obeid J (2026). Brachial artery flow-mediated dilation is less repeatable in children with a chronic inflammatory disease compared to their healthy peers. Clinical Physiology and Functional Imaging.

Ceman L, Milidrag L, Brush C, De Simone K, Nguyen G, Soucie K, Loughead T, McGowan C (2026). Understanding providers' beliefs, knowledge and practices of prenatal physical activity endorsement for the prevention and management of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy: a qualitative study. Therapeutic Advances in Reproductive Health.

Chen J, Kulatung, Gagnon F, Bhattathiripad SG, Morin JF, Rondeau-Gagne S, Laventure A (2026). Exploring lateral and vertical phase separation in SEBS and dibenzochrysene derivative polymer blends. Journal of Materials Chemistry C.

Fernandez-Codina A, was one of the speakers at the Canadian Rheumatology Association Annual Scientific Meeting, specifically at the "IgG4-related disease: diagnosis and management" workshop held on April 17, 2026.

Comeau C, Bhwaya, Das PS, Shepley BR, Lester NJ, Anees S, Bain AR, Rondeau-Gagne S, Ahamed MJ (2026). AI-enabled wireless wearable breathing silicon for breathing pattern recognition. Scientific Reports.

Deb A, Nagesh G, Harrison T, Spicer D, Tong DSK, Ahamed MJ (2026). A review of commercial and laboratory-based microfluidic devices based on glass and/or silicon substrates. RSC Advances.

Duffy JS, Caldwell HG, Hoiland RL, Howe CA, Smith KJ, Bain AR, MacLeod DB, Ainslie PN, Gibbons TD (2025). Brain glucose extraction is fixed at 10% despite twofold variability in resting cerebral blood flow in health humans. Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow & Metabolism.

Elliott RA, Pfaff K, Cruz E (2025). Interpretive Description for the Novice Researcher: Reflections and Recommendations From a Doctoral Research Journey. International Journal of Qualitative Methods.

Elliott RA, Sweet H, Bownes N, Nasra B, Schumacher K, Vanderdoe KA, Digesu G, Kungu E, Okella G, Crew E, Chauvin M, Soucie K (2026). Becoming Culturally Competent: Transformative Learning in an International, Interprofessional Nusing Placement. Global Qualitative Nursing Research.

Elzein A, Hassanzadeh M, Emadi A (2026). Combining Image Transformations to Solve Unseen Time Series Classification Problems. 2025 IEEE International Conference on Future Machine Learning and Data Science (FMLDS).

Fitzgerald AJ (2026). Animal-inclusive protection order statues in case law: social problems and the erosion of the property status of animals. Social Problems.

Fitzgerald AJ, Nicholls B, Barrett B, Stevenson R, Gray A, Fritz P, Forsyth N (2026). Companion Animal Protections in Intimate Partner Violence Programming: Is There a Relationship to Legislative Developments? Society & Animals.

Francis PA, Pagani O, Fleming GF, Walley BA, Colleoni M, Rubovzky G, Tondini C, Ciruelos EM, Gomez HL, Bonnefoi HR, Burstein HJ, Chini C, Puglisi F, Spazzapan S, Bernardo A, Climent MA, Bellet M, Ruhstaller T, Bermejo B, Chia SKL, Martino S, Geyer Jr CE, Goetz MP, Ingle JN, Stearns V, Davidson NE, Le Du F, Muller B, Coleman RE, Loibl S, Winer EP, Ruepp B, Loi S, Lang I, Coates AS, Gelber RD, Goldhirsch A, Regan MM, ... Hamm C, ..., on behalf of the International Breast Cancer Study Group and the SOFT and TEXT Investigators (2026). Final outcomes of the SOFT and TEXT phase III trial in premenopausal hormone receptor-positive early breast cancer. Annals of Oncology.

German D, Guta A, Denney M, Evans J, McMahon M, Ashburn K, Reiss K, Kosinski Z, Genberg B (2025). Perspectives on prescribed safer supply programs among people who inject drugs in Baltimore, Maryland: A mixed methods study among individuals highly affected by drug toxicity. International Journal of Drug Policy.

German D, Villarroel K, Denney M, Guta A, Evans J, Bienert J, Fidler A, Ashburn K, Kosinski Z, Genberg BL (2026). Theorizing causality: A qualitative study of xylazine-related wound diversity and perceived etiology among people who inject drugs. Addiction.

Haghighi S, Zadeh PM (2026). Aspect-Aware Sentiment Interaction Modeling with DeBERTa for Enhanced Review-Based Recommendations. 2025 IEEE International Conference on Data Mining Workshops (ICDMW).

Hilal O, Patel R, Gupta P, Askin N, Ivankovic V, Epp C, Nassar R, Paunic M, Hossami M, Abdel-Nabi R, Touma M, Sadik G, Jaet A, Trieu C, Mohamed I, Anagostopoulos G, Yoo L, El Hindawi M, Hamm C, Delisle M (2026). Connecting Patients with Clinical Trials Using Patient Navigation: A Scoping Review. Current Oncology.

Islam SS, Heath DD, Dixon B, Karpowicz P, Vuu K, LeBlanc J, Bernier NJ, Jeffries KM (2026). Development of multi-species qPCR assays for a nanofluidic transcriptional profiling chip to assess responses of salmonids to changing environments. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences.

Kolla G, Lewis JL, Guta A, Schaff A, Boyle M, King K, Strike C, Karamouzian M (2025). Reduced risk of overdose among clients of a safer opioid supply program in Southwestern Ontario: A pre-post observational cohort study. International Journal of Drug Policy.

Kulatunga P, Gomes TC, Noble A, Rondeau-Gagne S (2026). Integrating natural materials in organic field-effect transistors toward sustainable electronics. Trends in Chemistry.

Kulatunga P, Shaw A, Chang MH, Fisher D, Chiu YC, Gu X, Rondeau-Gagne S (2026). Advancing Green Stretchable Electronics with Solvent-Free Melt-Processed Semiconducting Blends. Macromolecules.

Letts E, da Silva SM, Di Cristofaro N, King-Dowling S, Obeid J (2025). Beyond the (Log)book: Comparing Accelerometer Nonwear Detection Techniques in Toddlers. Child: Care, Health, and Development.

Letts E, King-Dowling S, Di Cristofaro N, Tucker P, Cairney J, Kobsar D, Timmons BW, Obeid J (2026). Development of a machine learning model to detect toddlers' physical activity and sedentary time using accelerometers: Little Movers Activity Analysis. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport.

Letts E, Masson D, Obeid J (2026). iPlayer: An Open-Source Tool for Time-Windowed Video Annotation of Human Physical Activity and Behavior. Journal for the Measurement of Physical Behaviour.

Michaud L, Guta A, Perri M, Schaff A, Boyle M, King K, Strike C, Kolla G (2026). "With this you're not chained down to something": contrasting experiences of opioid treatment and safer supply program participation among people receiving prescribed safer supply. Harm Reduction Journal.

Miller CJ, Bedard ACV, Climie EA, Corkum P, Espinet SD, Grizenko N, Jiang Y, Rogers MA, Toplak ME, Callahan BL (2026). Strategic Investment in ADHD Support: Insights from Canadian Educational and Coaching Professionals. School Mental Health.

Mirza NA, Hulko W (2026). Pathways to Culturally Safe Dementia Care (CSDC): A Concept Analysis and Transformational Model for Practitioners and Organizations. Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology.

Mirza NA, Hulko W, Gopalakrishnan NP, Mellett K, Gan D (2026). Developing digital stories with older adults: A rapid methodological review. Educational Gerontology.

Modi AC, Mara CA, O'Donnell H, Schmidt M, Kichler JC, Smith LB, Westen SC, Jacobsen L, Corathers SD, Williford DN, Trojanowski PJ, Flynn E, Shaffer ER, Tanner B, Driscoll KA (2026). A Pilot Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial to Improve Adherence Barriers for Adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes. The Journal of Pediatrics.

Motaghedi F, Rose L, Ahamed MJ, Carmichael TB, Rondeau-Gagne S (2025). A multifunctional thermochromic-elastomeric composite for integrated pressure and temperature sensing. RSC Applied Polymers.

Nicholson SJ, Lafreniere K, Soucie K (2026). "It's Easy to Do with Friends": A Reflexive Thematic Analysis on Black Women's Interest in Physical Activity. Feminism & Psychology.

Nurgitz R, Miller CJ (2026). Mental Health and Coping in Women With ADHD During the Pandemic. Journal of Attention Disorders.

Perri M, De Shalit A, Rudzinski K, Kryszajtys DT, Guta A, Strike C (2025). Representations of Safer Opioid Supply Programs in Ontario Media Sources From 2021 to 2022: A Narrative Policy Analysis. Contemporary Drug Problems.

Perri M, Rudzinski K, Guta A, Xavier J, Kolla G, Carusone SC, Strike C (2026). Defining success together: a collaborative approach for client and provider-engaged outcomes indicator development in Ontario. Research Involvement and Engagement.

Perrotta AS (2026). Case Study What's Under the Hood? Insight into the Cardiac Function and VO2 Max of an Elite University Distance Runner. The Health & Fitness Journal of Canada.

Perrotta AS, and 5 students from the Sport Science Laboratory at the University of Windsor, showcased their research projects at the 2026 American College of Sports Medicine Annual Meetings in May 2026.

Potter M, Drover MW, Rondeau-Gagne S (2026). Optical detection of hydrogen gas using organic dyes and metal-based activators: a review. RSC Sustainability.

Prendergast N, Rahman R, Boakye P, Fu V, Cruz EV, Maina G, Grinspun D, Wong J (2025). Equity-Oriented Mentorship for Internationally Educated Nurses: A Rapid Review. Journal of the Society of Internationally Educated Nurses.

Rahimi N, Mirhassani M (2026). Threat Modeling of Infineon AURIX for Automotive ECUs: A Systems Engineering Approach. 2026 IEEE International Systems Conference (SysCon).

Rice S, Saad S, Azab A, Ngom A (2026). LLM-IK: Solving Inverse Kinematics Using Large Language Models. IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters.

Saffar S, Kharrati H, Salim M, Rahimi A (2026). Hybrid adaptive sliding mode control for spacecraft reaction wheel faults with energy saving event triggering. Advances in Space Research.

Saghafi M, Urbanic RJ, Alpas AT (2026). Thermal-microstructural coupling in laser DED 316L: Predictive modeling of δ-firrite fraction as a microstructural indicator. Journal of Materials Research and Technology.

Saghafi M, Urbanic RJ, Hedrick B (2026). VoxeLogic: A voxel-based, mesh-free model for fast, high-fidelity temperature prediction and process planning in directed energy deposition. Journal of Manufacturing Processes.

Santarossa S, Sitarik AR, Houck FL, Brawner CA, Johnson CC, Comstock SS, Lynch SV, van Wyk PA, Vundla F, Schachtschneider C, Straughen JK, Cassidy-Bushrow AE (2026). Association between objectively measured physical activity and maternal stool microbiota during pregnancy: results from a preliminary investigation. Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology.

Strelkova D, Urbanic RJ, Vo Dat, Alebooyeh M (2026). Shape-Shifting End-Effectors: A Scaled Origami Approach to Reconfigurable Grippers for Limp Textile Automation. Computer-Aided Design.

Strike C, Rudzinski K, Schmidt RA, Kolla G, Kryszajtys D, Perri M, Kaminski N, Guta A (2025). A sea of need: provider accounts of strategies used to manage admission demands to safer opioid supply programs in Ontario. Harm Reduction Journal.

Ta J, Tay J, Mulcaster A, Rilett A, Pfaff K (2026). Home Care Nurses' Perceived Competence and Self-Efficacy in Palliative Care: An Integrative Review. Home Health Care Management & Practice.

Ta J, Tay J, Pfaff K (2026). Exploring home care nurses' perceived competence and self-efficacy in palliative care delivery: A cross-sectional study. Palliative & Supportive Care.

Tang K, Shaw A, Wang Y, Zhang Y, Warner RJ, Bates A, Nelson N, Zhu C, Terlier T, Verduzco R, Baran D, Barlow S, Marder SR, Rondeau-Gagne S, Gu X (2026). Tuning Thermal Stability through Dopant Size in Chemically Doped DPP-Thiophene Polymers. Chemistry of Materials.

van Wyk P, Nalli S, Mulcaster A (2026). Informal Caregiver Involvement in Cystic Fibrosis Care: A Scoping Review Protocol. Open Science Framework.

Vo TD, Altenhof W, Urbanic RJ (2026). Strain rate-dependent tensile behavior of wire arc additive manufactured (WAAM) ER70S-6 steel thin-walled plates. Thin-Walled Structures.

Zhou A, Michael K, Akintola T, Nguyen K, Plantus R, Guta A, Park G, Pfaff K, Voth J, Foster J, Shepard-Lemoine D, Sitarz H, Sehgal N, Hallett D, Bondy JN (2026). Healing Under One Rood: Bridging Healthcare Needs in a Windsor, Ontario-Based Shelter Health Initiative. International Journal of Homelessness.

Appointments and Awards

Dr. Jalal Ahamed, Department of Mechanical, Automotive & Materials Engineering, received the Medal of Excellence in Research at the University of Windsor's Faculty of Engineering Annual Award Ceremony.

Adam Bakos was the recipient of the Undergraduate - Going Above and Beyond in Research from the University of Windsor Faculty of Science.

Windsor Regional Hospital, Hematologist, Dr. Andrea Cervi, received the Medical Award of Excellence from the Sickle Cell Awareness Group of Ontario (SCAGO).

Dr. Arezoo Emadi, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, received the Editor's Choice Award from the Journal of Sensors in recognition of an outstanding publication on hybrid sensor arrays for improved selectivity in e-nose systems.

Windsor Regional Hospital, Internal Medicine Specialist, Dr. Andreu Fernandez-Codina, was accepted as part of the European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology Taskforce.

At the 2026 Provincial Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition at Brock University, Isabelle Hinch received second place.

Sarah Julius, recent graduate from the Faculty of Education, was the recipient of the Retired Teachers of Ontario Most Valuable Student Award presented by the University of Windsor's Faculty of Education.

Dr. Michael McKay, Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research and School of the Environment, has been named a 2026 laureate of the Daylight Award for Research, presented by the Swiss-based Daylight Academy.

Dr. Mitra Mirhassani, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, was a recipient of the Killiam NRC Paul Corkum Fellowship, awarded by the National Research Council Canada/Killiam Trusts.

Windsor Regional Hospital, Internal Medicine Specialist, Dr. Padmaja Naidu, received the Excellence in Research Award from the Windsor Regional Hospital Professional Staff Association.

Windsor Regional Hospital, Internal Medicine & Infectious Disease Specialist, Dr. Corinna Quan, received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Windsor Regional Hospital Professional Staff Association.

Windsor Regional Hospital, Hematologist, Dr. Ayman Sayyed, received the Excellence in Research and Educaiton Award from the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry Department of Oncology.

Dr. Kendall Soucie, Department of Psychology, and Dr. Nick Vukotic, Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, represented the University of Windsor as Delegates at the Science Meets Parliament event in Toronto.

Dr. Jill Urbanic, Department of Mechanical, Automotive & Materials Engineering, received the Distinguished Scholar-Mentor Award from the University of Windsor's Engineering Student Society.

The Clinical Trials Navigator Inc. received the Facilitation Impact Award from the International Association of Facilitators

Congratulations Everyone!

Stay informed and involved! This section highlights what's ahead for our members.

Want to make some new connections, eat great food, and converse with others involved in health research? Join us for our next WE-SPARK After Dark on August 6th @ The Bourbon on Ottawa Street. Registration is encouraged!

Join us for our next Think Tank scheduled for Friday, October 23, 2026 from 1:00 to 3:00 PM via Zoom. Register for free today! Enjoy great discussions and new research ideas!

Save the Date! WE-SPARK's annual Cheers to Hope event is happening on November 5, 2026 at the Ambassador Golf Club. To learn more about this event, visit our Cheers to Hope website.

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