Victoria Marko Email & Phone Number

Canada

Canada

Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

The Malignant Hematology lab performs blood smear examinations and flow cytometry/immunophenotyping for hospitals in the Hamilton area. We routinely analyze complex cases including hematological malignancies and red cell disorders.Responsibilities include:- Peripheral blood smear assessments; includes WBC differentials, grading RBC morphology, and PLT estimates on CellaVision and manual slides- Spinal fluid differentials- Malaria screens (slide review)- Bedside bone marrow slide-making- Routine hematology stains- Clinical Educator for MLT students- Currently training in flow cytometry (specimen processing, instrument maintenance and QC, test set up and analysis)

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

- Peer tutor through the Student Success Network for HEML240: Hematology I (Hemolytic Anemias, Red Cell Disorders, Thrombotic Disorders), and HEML250: Hematology II (Malignant Hematology, Body Fluids, White Cell Morphology)- Providing a maximum of 10 h of one-on-one tutoring per semester

Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

A 5-month clinical placement as a requirement of the Medical Laboratory Science program at the Michener Institute. The placement involved 4-week rotations through Chemistry, Transfusion Medicine, Histology, Hematology, and Microbiology across various HRLMP laboratories.

Surette Lab, Department Of Medicine

*Full-time from July 2018-August 2020, then casual part-time from September 2020-April 2021. Full-time from May 2021-August 2021*- Independently built an in-house MALDI-ToF library of >100 novel bacterial isolates from the human gut microbiota (2019-2021)- Worked closely with a postdoctoral fellow on an industry-partnered project (Cargill Inc.) studying the bovine milk microbiome (2020-2021)- Worked on a collaborative project between academic and industry partners (Adapsyn Bioscience Inc.) to mine the human gut microbiome for natural products (2018-2020)- Worked with a postdoctoral fellow to sequence SARS-CoV2 genomes to provide data to clinical and research labs studying viral genome variation across hundreds of patient samples (March 2020 - August 2020)Skills and techniques:- MALDI-ToF for bacterial identification, database curation- PCR and DNA isolation: PCR-amplified and genomic DNA, organic (PCI) and kit extractions- Anaerobic and aerobic culturing of bacteria from human stool samples- General techniques in microbiology- General techniques in molecular biology- Co-authored 1 research paper- Strong teamwork and organizational skillsPresentations/writing:- March 5, 2019: Biochemistry & Biomedical Sciences Society's Careers Night, McMaster University (invited panelist)- May 31, 2019: "The Elliot Lab: Driving the production of cryptic antibiotics in Streptomyces", Michael G. DeGroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research (written article)

Burrows Lab, Department Of Biochemistry

- Researched how perturbations in cell wall metabolism affect P. aeruginosa virulence, growth, and antibiotic resistance- Researched the function and regulation of type IV pilus components, and how they affect virulence- Published a manuscript to summarize my M.Sc. work- Assisted in training new studentsSkills and techniques:- Writing- C. elegans slow killing assays- P. aeruginosa motility assays- Standard cloning techniques- Bacterial growth curves- Bacterial two-hybrid assaysPresentations:- October 26, 2017: Institute for Infectious Disease Research Trainee Day, McMaster University (Poster presentation)

Burrows Lab, Department Of Biochemistry

- Researched how various type IV pilus (T4P) system components contribute to virulence in Pseudomonas aeruginosa- Awarded a $17,500 CGS-M scholarship funded by CIHR, demonstrating high academic standing and excellent writing skills- Strong communicator; awarded "Outstanding Poster" at FHS Research Plenary 2016, an IIDR Award of Excellence (best poster in Masters category) at IIDR Trainee Day 2016, and an FHS Graduate Programs Excellence Award for Excellence in 2+ consecutive committee meetings.- Supervised two third year undergraduate project studentsPresentations:- June 21, 2017: Canadian Society of Microbiologists Annual Conference, University of Waterloo (Poster presentation, central competition)- May 17, 2017: Health Sciences Research Plenary, McMaster University (Poster presentation)- October 26, 2016: Institute for Infectious Disease Research Trainee Day, McMaster University (Poster presentation)- June 13, 2016: Canadian Society of Microbiologists Annual Conference, University of Toronto (Poster presentation)- May 17, 2016: Health Sciences Research Plenary, McMaster University (Poster presentation)- November 9, 2015: Infection and Immunity Research Forum, Western University (Poster presentation)Skills and techniques:- C. elegans slow killing and avoidance assays- Biofilm assays- P. aeruginosa motility assays- SDS-PAGE and western blotting- Standard cloning techniques

Office Of The Registrar - Scheduling And Examinations

- Invigilated undergraduate exams during the Fall 2015 and Winter 2016 semesters- Distributed and collected exams, attentively monitored students to prevent cheating- Relayed questions between students and their professors

Mcmaster University

- Distributing promotional flyers to various laboratories across the McMaster campus- Communicating product information to clientsSkills:- Motivated/self-starter- Strong communication- Time management- Organization

Burrows Lab, Department Of Biochemistry

- Studied the structure and dynamics of T4P assembly complex components in Pseudomonas aeruginosa- Developed scientific communication skills by completing various writings assignments and lab presentationsPresentations:- March 22, 2015: Ontario Biology Day, Carleton University (Oral presentation)- April 9, 2015: Biology Undergraduate Symposium, McMaster (Oral presentation)Skills and techniques:- Designing and generating mutants- SDS-PAGE and immunoblotting- Protein expression, purification, and crystallization- T4P-specific assays

Schellhorn Lab, Department Of Biology

- Compared intrinsic persistence levels between several strains of Escherichia coli- Assisted a Ph.D. student by characterizing E. coli-specific bacteriophages- Maintained a lab notebook daily and submitted weekly progress reports- Responsible for laboratory purchases

Centennial Pool And Milliken Mills Pool

- Primarily taught swimming lessons to toddlers, but also instructed children and adult classes- Taught one Adapted Aquatics session (9 weeks), a one-on-one program for special needs swimmers- Worked as a lifeguard during lessons and public swim sessions; developed teamwork and leadership skills- Sold swimming tickets and aquatics equipment at the front desk- Assisted in pool opening, closing, and general cleanup

Advanced Diploma, Medical Laboratory Science

- Medical Laboratory Sciences program representative (faculty-nominated) at convocation ceremony (2023) - VP Events for the "Pride.

Master Of Science (Msc), Biochemistry And Biomedical Sciences

See Work Experience section for details on my academic research projects

Honours Bachelor Of Science (Bsc), Molecular Biology And Genetics