Four immigrant women changing the STEM landscape in Canada

Thinking outside the box
Srividya Iyer

Dr. Srividya Iyer’s passion for mental health began in childhood when her father told her stories while she sat on his lap. After developing a fascination for science, Iyer chose a career in psychology, merging her love of narrative with her penchant for critical thinking.

Iyer’s ability to think outside the box came in handy when she joined the staff at one of India’s busiest public hospitals, where she and her interns assessed up to 200 patients each morning. They learned to rely on natural allies: the clients’ families. In India, relatives are more involved in patients’ treatment than in the West, and families’ participation helps to keep their loved ones on track.

Iyer also learned to depend on an integrated team of health-care providers during her stints at community camps, where clients with mental health concerns were referred concurrently to a wide range of services.

Iyer also struggled with some aspects of her career. Many of her patients were older and seriously ill, and many had already suffered multiple relapses. “We were...catching people after they had fallen through the cracks,” she said. Iyer realized it would be more effective to intervene when symptoms first emerged, usually during youth. “I wanted to start with that optimism.”

Today, Iyer is an associate professor at McGill University’s Department of Psychiatry. She is a licensed psychologist and a researcher at the Douglas Mental Health University Institute and the Prevention and Early Intervention Program for Psychosis (PEPP) in Montreal. PEPP targets youth during their first episode of psychosis (loss of contact with reality), offering them rapid access to treatment, including self-referral. As symptoms stabilize, youths’ educational, occupational and other developmental needs are addressed. This holistic approach has yielded improved outcomes.

Furthermore, Iyer and her team designed ACCESS Open Minds, a pan-Canadian network of professionals doing groundbreaking research on mental health and revolutionizing its treatment. As director of the program, she ensures that every client is assessed by a mental health clinician within 72 hours of reaching out, in line with PEPP’s model of early intervention. Clients come from traditionally underserved groups, including Indigenous, visible minorities, LGBTQ2S+ and homeless youth.

The creation of safe and welcoming spaces is another key ingredient to engagement. Institutional settings are avoided in favour of community centres, cafés, and even garages. Local youth are invited to co-design the decor, sprinkling meeting rooms with stress busters, bags of tea, feathers of hope and other artifacts reflective of cultural groups.

Recent data show these innovations are working. Eighty-four per cent of youth suffering from anxiety, depression and other psychiatric issues were seen rapidly, within 72 hours. The majority of these clients had improvements in mental health and elevated school, work and social functioning.

Iyer’s impressive results have already earned her a plethora of prizes. She’s been inducted into the College of the Royal Society of Canada, and has been named a Champion of Mental Health by the Canadian Association on Mental Illness and Mental Health.

But Iyer’s greatest joy is just knowing she’s making a difference. “It’s fulfilling. I really love what I do.”

– Vivien Fellegi

Serving as a role model
Jelena Holovati

Jelena Holovati arrived in Edmonton with her family in 1995 as a refugee carrying a white United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees bag. She describes the experience as both exciting and terrifying. From a 15-year-old leaving her war-torn home of Bosnia, speaking not a word of English, to now an associate professor at the University of Alberta and director of the Canadian Blood Services Edmonton Stem Cell Manufacturing Program, Holovati has come a long way and is now using her success to help other newcomers.

While Holovati says she was always interested in science, her interest really peaked during high school here in Canada. Holovati pursued an undergraduate degree in laboratory medicine at the University of Alberta. As part of her degree, she participated in a project funded by the Canadian Blood Services that involved freezing red blood cells for transfusion. The Canadian Blood Services felt the study could be expanded to a larger study looking at new ways to freeze blood and offered Holovati a fellowship — a scholarship to continue the research as her PhD thesis focusing on innovative ways to cryopreserve red blood cells.

“It was that research project that solidified my path towards Canadian Blood Services and the transfusion field,” she said.

Once Holovati finished her PhD project, she was offered a faculty position at the University of Alberta and now supervises graduate students working on projects funded by Canadian Blood Services. “Now I teach in the same program I studied in,” she said. “It’s really come full circle.”

As an associate professor and director of the Edmonton Stem Cell Manufacturing Program at Canadian Blood Services, Holovati wears multiple hats. “Having both makes my day diverse and fun,” she said. “I feel like working with undergraduate and graduate students keeps me young and hip. It’s a different aspect of my job that I really love.”

Holovati particularly finds great purpose in working with students from around the world. “A lot of our graduate students are international students, so as an immigrant and a refugee, I understand their cultural stock, I understand their drive, and I feel like I can give them a perspective not only about graduate courses and thesis writing; I can help connect them to some of the immigrant services,” she said.

Holovati recognizes she is a role model for international students coming to Canada for their studies. Seeing a professor who is a refugee and who has gone through the process and come out the other side successful gives them hope that they too can succeed, despite the obstacles they may be facing, in particular for immigrant women.

“When you get a bit of success, you have that focus on giving back to help other immigrants, to create those opportunities for other people coming in as refugees,” she said. “It’s not only that drive to better your life, but to better the lives of others who are coming in as poor and as lost as you once were.” 

– Lisa Evans

Harnessing technology
Prathibha Goonawardhana

PrathibhaGoonawardhana had to overcome many obstacles to achieve success, but she wouldn’t change any of it. “Hardship is a blessing because you learn from it,” said the Toronto resident.

Growing up in Sri Lanka, Goonawardhana often tinkered with wires, fascinated by how different components came together. She decided to pursue this passion and eventually received her degree in electrical engineering. She also obtained certificates in web application development and computer systems.

But as a woman in STEM, Goonawardhana encountered challenges. “There were not many women in the field,” she recalled. “And it was really difficult to get a job because some employers thought we didn’t have hands-on experience, and that we would eventually get married and abandon the company.”

After studying in the U.K., Goonawardhana arrived in Canada in 2019 and settled in Waterdown, Ont. With her resume in hand, she knocked on doors and introduced herself until she eventually got a full-time job. She was grateful she could make a living in her adopted country. “I saw that Canada valued my education and valued me as a human being.”

In April 2020, Goonawardhana was laid off as a result of pandemic closures. It was a tough experience for the young woman who had left family and friends behind in Sri Lanka and the U.K. But she remained determined. “I kept going; I had to. I came here with a purpose.”

In 2020, she registered at Achēv, an organization that provides employment and newcomer services and completed the Career Pathways for Women program. “It was the first time I had anyone to talk to,” Goonawardhana notes. “In addition to training sessions, it was also a place where women from different backgrounds could come together.”

At the beginning of this year, Goonawardhana began working at a Canadian bank as an IT project coordinator. It’s a position she takes pride in.

As someone who’s always setting new goals for herself, Goonawardhana created iDeaDate, a platform that connects investors and entrepreneurs to bring ideas to fruition. “I noticed young people have so much potential and ideas, but not enough legal advice or funding. I wanted to give them a platform to broadcast their ideas and to connect with investors.”

Goonawardhana developed both the iOS and Android versions of the app and launched a website. Her business has been registered and she hopes to incorporate it within the year. There’s been some buzz around her invention, and she’s looking forward to what the future will hold. “I’m positive it will become the next ground-breaking global app in social media.”

– Rita Simonetta

Advocating for change
Dr. Khristine G. Cariño

Dr. Khristine G. Cariño gravitated towards a STEM career while attending high school in Baguio, Philippines. Due to the dedication of two math teachers, girls excelled in math as much as boys.

Cariño was part of the team that won first place in the school math quiz — three out of four became engineers, and she pursued a career in health sciences that would eventually take her across the world and make her a fierce champion for women in STEM.

After graduating in the Philippines in 1992, Cariño went to Japan for her doctorate studies and completed her PhD in Dental Sciences from Tokyo Medical and Dental University. She was recognized with international awards from the International Association for Dental Research (IADR) and had the opportunity to spend a summer at the University of Washington, Seattle, afterwards.

While studying in Seattle, she would visit Vancouver. “I just fell in love with it,” said Cariño. “The mountains, the sea, the entire setting reminded me of Baguio. I knew I wanted to live here, so I got to work.”

She reached out to a professor at the University of British Columbia (UBC) about a postdoctoral fellowship. “She even arranged everything for me,” Cariño said. “She wasn’t just a mentor, but a sponsor too — someone who was opening this door for me to have this opportunity.”

After her postdoctoral fellowship at UBC, Cariño had three children and took a break from her career for several years. “When it was time to go back to work, I knew I had experience and an extensive educational qualification,” she said, “but my self-confidence was really low.”

That’s when she discovered the Society for Canadian Women in Science and Technology (SCWIST), the Canadian non-profit working towards dismantling barriers for women and girls in their pursuit of careers in STEM. In 2018, Cariño joined SCWIST as the communications director.

Cariño was successful in establishing a professional development program for women, organized many events and added four chapters for women across Canada.

Today, as SCWIST president and board director, Cariño is even more committed to supporting others like herself. “There are so many women in STEM — immigrant newcomers, women in science, who come to Canada with extensive experience in work and education background and yet are unable to land jobs,” Cariño said. “My job is to be their champion, make them more visible to employers and organizations, to show these individuals have value and can offer employers a lot.” 

– Abhya Adlakha

These stories were originally published in Canadian Immigrant Magazine. canadianimmigrant.ca is a free national multimedia platform that helps newcomers through their journey in Canada by providing the information, inspiration and connections they might need.

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DisclaimerThis content was produced as part of a partnership and therefore it may not meet the standards of impartial or independent journalism.