‘I want to be able to change lives through research’

“When she started her bachelor’s degree, Nicole Taís Fröhlich had never left her native Brazil, been on a plane, or studied in an international community. But by the time she was partway through her pharmacy degree at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS, Brazil), she’d gained a little bit of travel experience, a deep love of research, and a willingness to go far, far outside her comfort zone to keep learning. So when she heard about the Emerging Leaders in the Americas Program (ELAP) , she knew she had to apply. ELAP supports Canadian post-secondary scholarships for students from Latin America and the Caribbean undertaking short-term study or research in Canada. Fröhlich’s research supervisor in Brazil, José Cláudio Fonseca Moreira, connected her with McMaster Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences professor Benicio Frey , who offered to take her on as a student. She was awarded an ELAP scholarship and came to McMaster as an undergraduate visiting researcher for six months, which included hands-on learning in the lab and her first taste of cultural immersion in Canada. The experience was so positive that after completing her degree in Brazil, she returned to McMaster in 2025 for her master’s degree in neuroscience, supervised by Frey. “It’s amazing to be back at McMaster,” Fröhlich said. “Ever since I started doing research in Brazil, I knew that’s what I was meant to be doing in my life. Science is what makes sense to me and where I found my path.” In Brazil, her research work was in biochemistry and neuroscience, particularly with preclinical models of major depressive disorder. In Canada, she works out of a lab at St. Joseph’s Healthcare, with a research group that looks at mood disorders. Her project is trying to find blood-based biomarkers that could help us better understand the neurobiological underpinnings of bipolar disorder. People who live with bipolar disorder have a three times higher risk of developing some type of dementia throughout their life. “We don’t know why yet,” Fröhlich said. “There are many theories and bipolar is a complex disorder.” There’s some literature showing that people living with bipolar have early signs of neurodegeneration compared to the non-bipolar population. “So what we’re looking at is trying to find markers that could help us understand and identify early signals of neurodegeneration in this population.” Having these markers and tests for them could, eventually, help health – care providers in providing diagnosis and treatment. She hopes her work can make a difference: “I want to be able to change lives through research.” Finding her community Being an international student comes with a fair share of challenges : . Grad school is hard enough without navigating a language barrier, and you’re eligible for different scholarships and awards than domestic students. That’s why it’s so important to have a community that’s willing to help you – like the one Fröhlich has found at McMaster. Her supervisor has helped her apply for funding opportunities, and gave her a part-time job working on one of his research projects. The Latin American Network at McMaster University (LANMU) reached out to Fröhlich before she came to Canada. They’ve helped her connect with other Latin American people at McMaster through events and matched her to a mentor, a PhD student from Argentina. “Talking to people who I share a cultural connection and that are going through the same things as me is reassuring and validating,” Fröhlich said. “People from the Latin America community just help each other without even asking. We click anytime we connect.” Fröhlich on the patio of The Phoenix, after a LANMU event there. The grad students and staff at her lab in St. Joe’s (BioMac lab) have also been invaluable in her adaptation and in explaining how things work. “Simple things like what’s the best snow jacket, how to choose a pair of snow boots, and even to understand what’s black ice,” Fröhlich said. “ It’s easier to learn from someone explaining it to you rather than figuring it out on your own [by] breaking a bone.” Even with the challenges, it’s been wonderful having this opportunity, Fröhlich said. “Realizing how McMaster does research and how things work in Canada – how everything is so different, but at the same time is still so similar to what we do in Brazil for research,” she said. The scientific method is the same wherever you go. “That showed me that research is truly universal.” Key in cooperation This summer, Fröhlich is heading to Châteauguay, Quebec for the Canadian Institutes of Health Research Summer Program in Aging (SPA) – she was one of just 40 applicants selected. It’s the latest opportunity that she traces back to ELAP. “ELAP changed my life.” “ELAP can change lives and it’s something good for McMaster, for Brazil and for all countries in Latin America,” she said. Her experiences have also taught her that cooperation is everything – whether it’s navigating black ice, finding funding for a research project, or running tests in the lab. “You only see progress in research when you collaborate, help people, and are willing to teach,” Fröhlich said. “Collaboration is the key.” ELAP is collaboratively supported by the Registrar’s Office, School of Graduate Studies, Office of International Affairs and the Student Success Centre. McMaster students interested in learning more about research abroad opportunities are invited to contact the Student Success Centre for information and support. The post ‘I want to be able to change lives through research’ appeared first on McMaster News .

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