Mark Wainberg Fund Highlights

Deepa Chaphekar

Deepa Chaphekar is a fifth-year PhD candidate at the University of Toronto in the Cell and Systems Biology program. Her research focuses on applying flow virometry to characterize the roles of HIV-incorporated cellular protein in infection. Thanks to support from CAHR Mark Wainberg Fund, Deepa was able to attend the 35th Annual Canadian Conference on HIV/AIDS Research (CAHR 2026) in Winnipeg and present her poster in the Basic Sciences stream. Funding allowed her to participate fully in the conference, and volunteer in the Science Buddy program.  

The Mark Wainberg Fund was established in 2017 to assist Canadian basic science researchers – working in the realm of HIV virology – to present their work at accredited meetings in Canada and internationally. The program aims to continue Dr. Wainberg’s vision of fostering innovative HIV research and knowledge sharing and is made possible thanks to the support of ViiV Healthcare ULC.

Since Deepa comes from a relatively new lab, her PI has limited support for the growing number of lab trainees to attend conferences, making annual conference participation difficult. This award provided Deepa with pivotal funding to attend this year’s CAHR conference (CAHR 2026), presenting her new research achievements on a long-standing study that was previously presented at earlier CAHR meetings. Her attendance this year enabled her to connect with researchers across Canada and disseminate her findings which recently culminated in a publication.

Through this experience, Deepa gained valuable skills in communicating her research to both scientists and community members. She learned about new areas of HIV research underway in Canada, the ongoing need for HIV cure strategies, and emerging direction in basic science. The experience also supported Deepa’s professional growth. She had many chances to speak with principal investigators and graduate students who share her research interests. The talks and invited sessions helped her understand where HIV research is heading and how she can contribute as she moves into the next stage of her career.  
 
“Attending CAHR 2026 has been an enriching experience where I was able to present my project and also gain insights into the future directions of HIV research. Participating in the science-buddy program was especially rewarding since it helped me connect better with the community members, and I now have a more holistic perspective in pursuing cure research.”

This experience has influenced Deepa’s future career goals by giving her a clearer sense of where she wants to contribute within HIV research. Speaking with investigators and learning about new scientific directions helped her see the kinds of post-doctoral opportunities she hopes to pursue.