Dr. Samantha Yammine: The Realities of Learning to Live with COVID-19 | NSB Engage Virtual Webinar

Across Canada, changes to COVID-19 restrictions are in-effect or on the horizon. As Omicron declines, provinces are removing vaccine passport programs, and increasing social gathering & capacity limits. Samantha helps us navigate what these changes mean, and explores what Canadians can expect to encounter moving forward.

Throughout the pandemic, Samantha has been sharing the science behind the headlines as Science Sam on Instagram and Tik Tok, garnering millions of views every month to better help people assess risk, spot misinformation, and have informed discussions with their friends and family.

Dr. Samantha Yammine is passionate about empowering people to explore science by making it more familiar, accessible, and inclusive. She does this in part by sharing interactive science commentary and research updates on Instagram through short videos, emoji-filled captions, and engaging pictures. She’s created space for continued, multi-way dialogue about science that transcends geographical borders and the traditional gate-keeping of academia. A leader in digitizing science on social media, Samantha founded Science Sam Media to continue to grow the reach and impact of her science communication initiatives.

Samantha always takes an audience-first approach to share complex topics in clear and entertaining ways. She is a frequently requested speaker and event host who loves engaging folks with anything science, anywhere & everywhere – she’s hosted a livestream with an astronaut aboard the International Space Station, presented her research on the streets at Toronto’s busiest intersection, talked ringside with Muay Thai fighters about performance anxiety, and showed off model and real brains at 1am in a Yurt during an all-night art festival. She leads interactive workshops on science communication, personal branding, and social media to teach scientists and STEM professionals the skills they need to share their science creatively.

Dr. Yammine earned her PhD from the University of Toronto researching how stem cells build the mammalian brain before birth and maintain it throughout adulthood. In addition to her doctoral research, she co-authored a crowd-funded research study exploring the effects that #ScientistsWhoSelfie on Instagram can have on public perceptions of scientists. She’s also published in Nature and Science on communicating science online.

She’s produced, scripted, and hosted educational videos for companies like 3M, GE, Lady Speedstick, and Seeker. She also regularly appears as a guest expert in the popular media including appearances on TVO Kids, AsapSCIENCE, Leafs Nation Network, Netflix, CBC GEM, and a regular correspondent with LBC Radio UK, CBC Radio, and NewsTalk1010. She has both hosted and spoken at TEDx events, with her TEDx talk entitled “You Are a Molecular Masterpiece” receiving thousands of views.