Where Can a UHN Postdoc Take You? Alumni Career Chats

Always wondered what comes after your postdoc at UHN? Join the UHN Postdoc Association (UHNPA) for a virtual career panel featuring UHN postdoc alumni who have pursued diverse and impactful careers.

Our panelists include Dr. Natalie Galant, entrepreneur and CEO of Paradox Immunotherapeutics; Dr. Vugar Azizov, who transitioned to industry as a Global Medical Lead at Sanofi and is also a public speaker; Dr. Curtis McCloskey, who remained in academia and is now an Assistant Professor at the University of Pittsburgh; and Dr. Anusha Rateswaran, who pursued a career in policymaking as a Senior Policy Analyst at the Public Health Agency of Canada.

This virtual event (Zoom) will take place on April 16 from 1:30–2:30 PM. It will offer insights into transitioning into different professional fields, followed by a short Q&A session.

Register now and submit your questions for the panelists!

Dr. Natalie Galant, CEO and Co-Founder, Paradox Immunotherapeutics

• Dr. Natalie Galant is the CEO and co-founder of Paradox Immunotherapeutics, a venture backed biotech company dedicated to the development of antibody therapies for the treatment of rare protein misfolding diseases. Dr. Galant received her PhD from the Department of Medical Biophysics at the University of Toronto, where her doctoral research contributed to the development of a monoclonal antibody that was later acquired by Novo Nordisk from Prothena Biosciences in a $1.2B acquisition (2021). The therapy is currently entering Phase 3 FDA clinical trials. Following her PhD, Dr. Galant completed her postdoctoral research fellowship at the University Health Network (UHN), further advancing her work in translational immunotherapy and protein misfolding disorders. She has received numerous academic fellowships and recognition in leading innovation forums, including winner of the ECHO 2019 and BIO 2023 Emerging Company competitions, and a finalist at the JPM Life Sciences Innovation Summit 2024.

Dr. Vugar Azizov, Global Medical Lead, Sanofi

• Vugar Azizov, PhD, BCMAS is a Global Medical Lead at Sanofi with expertise in immunology, translational science, and medical affairs. He previously conducted postdoctoral research at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network with Dr. Faiyaz Notta, where his work focused on pancreatic cancer. Across academia and industry, Dr. Azizov has built a career around connecting complex science with clinical and strategic impact, with experience spanning autoimmunity, oncology, and Type 1 Diabetes. He is passionate about scientific communication, collaboration, and advancing innovation that improves patient care.

Dr. Curtis McCloskey, Assistant Professor, University of Pittsburgh

• Dr. Curtis McCloskey is a breast and ovarian cancer researcher with a career focused on exploring how cancer risk factors affect cancer cell(s)-of-origin or foster risk laden tumor-permissive soil in the organs from which cancers arise. Curtis received his PhD from the University of Ottawa (2012-2018) where he worked in Dr. Barbara Vanderhyden’s lab on the use of metformin for ovarian cancer prevention, generated model systems to test new therapies, and collaborated on developing a now patented antibody-based immunotherapy. Dr. McCloskey then completed his Postdoctoral research in Dr. Rama Khokha’s lab (2019-2025) at the University Health Network and Princess Margaret Cancer Center, where his work integrated wet lab and computational methods, uncovering a novel risk-associated epithelial progenitor population in the human breast. Curtis has been nationally recognized through awards including a Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship, a Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship, and with a volunteer of the year award from Let’s Talk Science for science communication and outreach. Curtis was also awarded the Cancer Research Society’s Next Generation Scientist Award co-sponsored by Ovarian Cancer Canada. Dr. McCloskey opened his independent lab in June 2025 in the Department of Computational and Systems Biology at the University of Pittsburgh and UPMC Hillman Cancer Center. The McCloskey lab focuses on understanding how cellular and tissue-level heterogeneity shapes the development and progression of breast and ovarian cancers, seeking to advance precision prevention and precision treatment strategies.

Dr. Anusha Ratneswaran, Senior Policy Advisor, Public Health Agency of Canada

• Anusha Ratneswaran, PhD, is a Senior Policy Advisor for the Office of Intellectual Property Management and Business Development at the Public Health Agency of Canada. She is a member of the Recruitment of Policy Leaders Program and has previously held positions as a Clinical Evaluator, and Senior Policy Analyst in the Biologic and Radiopharmaceutical Drugs Directorate at Health Canada. Dr. Ratneswaran completed her PhD in Physiology at UWO, followed by Post-Doctoral Fellowships at Dalhousie University and the University Health Network. She was supported by fellowships from the Arthritis Society, Canadian Institute of Health Research, and the Krembil Research Institute, among others, and is the former Chair of the Osteoarthritis Research Society International’s Young Investigator Committee.