Vanessa is a Ph.D. candidate at Osgoode Hall Law School. She holds graduate degrees from the University of Ottawa and the University of Toronto specializing in the areas of life sciences and genetics.
Past projects focused on bench-to-clinic nervous system repair delivery systems using biomaterials and
stem cells. She is using her bench scientist experience to better understand policy-related issues concerning patented human gene-based technologies. Vanessa’s current research focuses on the tension at the public and private divide when talking about patents in health, specifically with respect to patented genetic materials and tests relating to issues of access that have unfolded throughout Canada’s human gene patent debate.

Vanessa is interested in the open science and intellectual property aspects of genetics/genomics
research and biotech innovation.