Juliana Podobnik

MD Student at the University of Toronto | MHSc, Medical Physiology | HBSc, Biology

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

About

I am a third year medical student at the University of Toronto and a MHSc Medical Physiology graduate. During my master's degree, I conducted a published literature review on adjunctive therapies for type 1 diabetes, developed a machine learning model and web application to predict heart attack risk, and collaborated on a business plan for a novel therapeutic targeting urinary tract infections. Currently, I am working at the EARLY Diabetes Lab at Toronto General Hospital and the Novo Nordisk Network for Health Populations on a number of projects exploring the care of diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Experience

  • Clinical Research Student at Novo Nordisk Network for Healthy Populations at the University of Toronto
    May 2026 - Present · 3 mos

    • Conducting a population-based cohort study using ICES administrative and laboratory data to examine the association between HbA1c, diabetes status, and cardiovascular outcomes in Ontario. • Supporting evidence generation to inform early diabetes prevention and cardiovascular risk reduction strategies.

  • EARLY Diabetes Research Associate at University Health Network
    May 2024 - Present · 2 yrs 3 mos

    • To inform clinical care for understudied young-onset type 2 diabetes, I am conducting a meta-analysis of individual participant data from randomized control trials, determining the efficacy of glucose-lowering drugs for specifically young-onset diabetes patients

  • University of Toronto (2 yrs 11 mos)
    • Physiology Teaching Assistant
      Sep 2023 - Present · 2 yrs 11 mos

      • Facilitated weekly laboratory experiments, guided over 200 students in developing their lab skills, and promoted a culture of safety and scientific inquiry to enhance student engagement and improve laboratory performance • Marked assessments and exams while providing valuable feedback to enhance student understanding and improve their future performance

    • Physiology Meets Business
      Sep 2023 - Apr 2024 · 8 mos

      Exclusive mentorship program for students interested in the biotech, pharmaceutical, and healthcare consulting industries

  • Mental Health Urgent Response Research Associate at Trillium Health Partners
    Jun 2025 - Sep 2025 · 4 mos

    • Contributed to the evaluation of CA-MHURS, an innovative urgent-care program addressing the mental health needs of children and adolescents in the Peel region. • Analyzed pilot data to assess program reach, efficiency, and outcomes, focusing on reducing wait times and improving access to urgent outpatient mental health care. • Prepared knowledge translation materials, including presentations and reports, to communicate findings to stakeholders and clinical partners. • Supported the development of recommendations for program refinement, sustainability, and scalability to inform future mental health service planning.

  • MHSc Medical Physiology Candidate at Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto
    Sep 2023 - Jul 2024 · 11 mos

    • Literature Review: To improve the treatment of patients with Type 1 diabetes, I critically reviewed hundreds of scientific papers and clinical trials to define problems and outline novel solutions in the Type 1 Diabetes treatment landscape • Big Data and Health: Applied my background in human physiology to the analysis of large clinical datasets using R programming language; To determine the biggest risk factors for heart disease, I analyzed data from thousands of patients and created a machine learning algorithm that could accurately predict heart attack risk with 99% sensitivity and 99% specificity • Commercialization & Collaboration: Conducted detailed market research, competitor analysis, and financial planning within a team to co-design a novel creative UTI treatment, outlining our drug development timeline, strategies to penetrate various market segments, and our financial/investment projections