MacKenzie, 10, recently asked our SickKids scientists a question about her career goals:
Q: I am ten years old and I want to become a cancer researcher when I am old enough. How do you go about doing this?
Here is the answer from SickKids Senior Scientist and Staff Oncologist Dr. David Malkin.
A: “Being a cancer researcher is an amazing job! To become a cancer researcher, you first have to finish high school and then four years of university, where you are probably going to want to study subjects such as biology (studying living things), chemistry (studying how chemicals are created and work), and genetics (how genes work to make us who we are). You would then do at least another four years in University, earning a degree called a Master's or Doctorate in cancer research. During these years, you would work with a team of scientists who are doing cancer research, while doing your own cancer research project. After that, you probably would spend another couple of years with another cancer research group to learn even more. Some people want to combine a career being a cancer research and a doctor who takes care of cancer patients. If you wanted to do that, then at some point in all that training, you would spend 4 years in medical school and do several years of training to be a cancer specialist. After that, you are finally ready to start your own career as a cancer researcher, and all that extra schooling is well worth it!”
Have you ever had a burning question about your body or about your health and didn’t know how to find the answer? This might just be the opportunity to get to the bottom of it!
You have the chance to submit your question and it will be answered by a scientist at SickKids who specializes in that area. The best questions and answers will be featured on the Research Institute website.
Check the website often to see if your question gets posted. You can learn about what others want to know and if you read enough answers, you may even become a health expert yourself!
Sumaiyah from Toronto recently asked SickKids scientists this question:
Q: “If you skip breakfast and lunch will that affect the way you learn?”
Here is the answer from Jennifer Buccino, MEd RD, Clinical Educator, at the Department of Clinical Dietetics:
A: “Skipping breakfast and lunch will certainly affect the way you learn. Your brain, like the rest of your body, needs energy to do its job. You get energy from the foods that you eat. So if you don’t eat breakfast or lunch your brain won’t be able to do its job. People who eat regularly through the day tend to concentrate more in school, have higher test scores, and overall seem to learn more compared to people who don’t eat regularly.
To help make sure that you have enough energy to feed your brain it is important to have a constant supply of energy. You can do this by eating both breakfast and lunch but also by including certain foods at these meals. Eating well with Canada’s food guide will help you decide what to include in your meals. Foods containing carbohydrate (grain products, fruits and some milk products) will give you energy quickly. Whole grains and foods with fibre make the energy from foods longer lasting. Protein foods (meat and alternatives) also help your body use the energy slowly so that the foods you eat at breakfast last until you have a chance to re-fuel at lunch time.
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day because it gives your body and your brain a boost to get the day started. Lunch and your other meals and snacks will help your body re-fuel to help you learn at your best.”
Have you ever had a burning question about your body or about your health and didn’t know how to find the answer? This might just be the opportunity to get to the bottom of it!
You have the chance to submit your question and it will be answered by a scientist at SickKids who specializes in that area. The best questions and answers will be featured on the Research Institute website.
Check the website often to see if your question gets posted. You can learn about what others want to know and if you read enough answers, you may even become a health expert yourself!
AJ from Canada had a burning question for the scientists at SickKids:
Q: "What is the purpose of a sneeze?"
Here is the answer from Dr. Neil Sweezey, a Senior Scientist in Physiology and Experimental Medicine at the SickKids Research Institute, Staff Respirologist in Respiratory Medicine at SickKids and Associate Professor in the Department of Paediatrics at the University of Toronto.
A: “A sneeze is a strong blast of air that tries to push any irritating things out of your nose. If your nose is runny, such as when you have a cold, the sneeze will spray little droplets all around you. These droplets could make other people sick unless you stop them. This is why you should cover your nose and mouth when you sneeze, using a tissue if you have one, or by sneezing into your sleeve or elbow if you don’t. You don’t want to sneeze onto your hands, because you spread the droplets around when you touch other people or things.”
Have you ever had a burning question about your body or about your health and didn’t know how to find the answer? This might just be the opportunity to get to the bottom of it!
You have the chance to submit your question and it will be answered by a scientist at SickKids who specializes in that area. The best questions and answers will be featured on the Research Institute website.
Check the website often to see if your question gets posted. You can learn about what others want to know and if you read enough answers, you may even become a health expert yourself!