Most people diagnosed with depression have to cycle through several different antidepressants before they find one that works for them, delaying their recovery and exposing them to unpleasant medication side effects. It has been a decades-long struggle to identify biomarkers that are associated with depression or that predict treatment response, since depression is so heterogeneous. Jana analyzes blood samples from people with and without depression to search for patterns of inflammation and other biomarkers that may help her to identify biological subtypes of depression. She received the award for her integration of sex- and gender-based analysis in her search for biomarkers, investigating the influence that factors such as sex assigned at birth and gender identity have on depression. Jana hopes to advance precision medicine, especially for women and gender-diverse individuals.

When asked about her win, Jana said, "Receiving this award and joining an international community of women in science is a huge honour, and it honestly feels surreal. The “For Women in Science” program was created to strengthen the representation and recognition of women in STEM. Through this fellowship, I’ll have the opportunity to participate in the “For Girls in Science” mentorship program to promote scientific careers to young girls. This is especially meaningful to me, since science was my favourite subject as a child, yet I didn’t grow up seeing women in science, which left me with many doubts. I'm the first person in my family to pursue science and graduate school, and my journey would have been much easier with earlier exposure and representation. I’m deeply grateful and excited for the opportunity to help demystify science and inspire young girls to see themselves in STEM."

Jana was raised in Brampton, Ontario. Before arriving at McMaster, she earned her undergraduate degree in Neuroscience at the University of Toronto Mississauga and was employed as a clinical researcher at SickKids. As a teenager, she attended an arts high school and was a competitive dancer. She is interested in makeup and was very excited to receive an award sponsored by L’Oréal. Unfortunately, it didn’t come with free samples.