Draft:Lamia Akbar

Lamia Akbar is a community activist and published author. She completed her Masters in Environmental Science from the University of Toronto in 2023. She is most well known for her book of poetry, Shurma, and her YA novel The Misfortunes of Lolita.

Education

Lamia Akbar holds an Honours Bachelor of Science (Co-op), with a Double Major in Molecular Biology, Immunology & Disease and Population Health from the University of Toronto. She was transferred straight to the PhD program at the University of Toronto after graduating with her Bachelor’s in 2019.

From 2019 to 2023, Lamia worked on her Doctorate program in Environmental Science, during which time she published two journal articles:

''Akbar, L*; Zuk, Aleksandra M; Martin, Ian D; Liberda, Eric N, Tsuji, Leonard JS. (2021). Potential obesogenic effect of a complex contaminant mixture on Cree First Nations adults of Northern Quebec, Canada. Environmental Research. 192''

''Akbar, L; Zuk, Aleksandra M; Tsuji, Leonard JS. (2020). Health and Wellness Impacts of Traditional Physical Activity Experiences on Indigenous Youth: A Systematic Review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 17(21)''

Her Doctorate thesis was titled “An Exploration of Epigenetic Effects in Bangladeshi, Dutch and Chinese Historical Famine Populations.”, with an additional thesis titled “Correlates of Adiposity, Physical Activity, Time on the Land and Associated Variables in Eeyou Istchee.”

Unfortunately, due to differences in academic interests, Lamia left her PhD program and graduated with a Master’s in Environmental Science.

Recognitions

In 2021, Lamia was awarded the Ontario Canadian Institute of Health Research grant. In 2019, she was a Dean’s list Honouree at the University of Toronto. In 2018, she was recognized for her performance at the Ontario Model World Health Conference, Toronto Thinks Global Health Case Competition and Emory Global Health Video Competition.

Community Involvement

During her Doctorate program, Lamia was President of the Graduate Students Association at the University of Toronto, Scarborough. She was active within the community during the height of COVID, and prior to that, spent her time volunteering at Food Banks, was a Provincial Youth Cabinet member, and a Co-Chairperson for IGRAD.

Writing

Lamia Akbar has three creative works she is known for: Shurma, her published anthology of her poetry (published with Amazon), The Misfortunes of Lolita, her YA novel published on Wattpad.com (3.6 million reads), and Perfect, her YA novel published on Wattpad.com. She is currently writing a fourth book.