Media releases

• Grad student uncovering hidden drivers of dementia risk with national award 

  Thursday, February 26, 2026 | By Brock University

  MEDIA RELEASE— February 26, 2026 — R0023 

  While high blood pressure, diabetes and a sedentary lifestyle are linked to dementia, the exact molecular connection between these risk factors and the disease remain something of a mystery. 

  These factors can damage proteins in the body, which plays a role in brain decline, says Brock University PhD student Shakiru Alaka. However, it’s hard to measure the real-time changes inside the cells of a living patient as a result of that damage, particularly in the brain.

  Alaka is seeking to solve that puzzle after receiving one of 14 Heart & Stroke and Brain Canada 2025-26 Personnel Awards for Black Scholars.

  “This national recognition supports my research in dementia, Alzheimer’s disease and equitable health outcomes and represents an important milestone both personally and for the Brock community,” he says.  

  The grant will support his current research project, “Investigating Degenerative Protein Modifications as Molecular Mediators Linking Vascular Risk Factors to Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia.”  

  Alaka is examining a wide range of data gathered under the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging, a national research initiative following more than 50,000 people ages 45 to 85 over a 20-year period.  

  The database includes extensive biological samples, molecular profiling data, physiological measurements like blood pressure, comprehensive cognitive assessments, and detailed demographic and lifestyle information, including smoking status and physical exercise levels. 

  Using artificial intelligence, Alaka aims to uncover patterns and hidden connections between lifestyle factors and degenerative protein damage, which can weaken cells, impair blood vessels and cause chronic inflammation. 

  Impaired blood vessels result in less oxygen and nutrients travelling to the brain, leading to memory loss, a higher chance of stroke and the onset of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, he says. 

  He will compare the Canadian results to information gleaned from similar large-scale studies in the United States, the United Kingdom and Singapore to ensure the results are relevant across human populations.

  Alaka traces his interest in damaged proteins and brain functioning back to his master’s research, which focused on the mechanisms of strokes, saying that people who suffer strokes sometimes end up developing dementia.  

  “Unfortunately, there is no cure for dementia or Alzheimer’s disease at the moment,” he says. “If we can find specific biomarkers, we could develop tools to identify people at risk earlier, take preventive steps to slow down the disease and eventually develop better and more effective treatments.” 

  Alaka’s supervisor is Professor of Health Sciences Newman Sze, who is also the Canada Research Chair in Mechanisms of Health and Disease. 

  Last August, Sze led an international research team that found adding a resting heart rate measure to an American dementia risk prediction model can make the model’s results more accurate across most racial groups. Alaka was lead author in the subsequent journal article detailing the team’s findings. 

  “Shakiru’s curiosity and determination make him an outstanding young scientist,” Sze says. “This award recognizes both the strength of his research and the importance of supporting Black scholars in improving heart and brain health across diverse communities.”

  Alaka is the first Brock University recipient of the Personnel Awards for Black Scholars, which aim to boost heart and brain health science within Black communities by supporting Black post-graduate students’ research. The awards were launched in 2023 with funding support from Heart & Stroke, Brain Canada Foundation, Health Canada, the Government of Canada’s Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and CIHR’s Institute of Circulatory and Respiratory Health. 

  Heart & Stroke is Canada’s leading health charity devoted to heart disease and stroke. Brain Canada brings together those who support and advance brain research. 

  
  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:

  *Sarah Ackles, Communications Specialist, Brock University [email protected] or 289-241-5483

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  Categories: Media releases

• How public input on Canada’s online voting standard can impact future elections

  Thursday, February 26, 2026 | By Brock University

  MEDIA RELEASE — February 26, 2026 — R0022 

  Before Ontarians cast their ballots in this fall’s municipal elections, they have the chance to provide feedback that could help shape elections into the future.  

  Canada’s first national standard for online municipal voting is open for input from the public and stakeholders involved in municipal elections — and Brock University Associate Professor of Political Science Nicole Goodman is encouraging participation.

  Initially proposed to the Digital Governance Standard Institute (DGSI) by Goodman and Aleksander Essex of Western University, Online Voting – Part 1: Implementation of Online Voting in Canadian Municipal Elections was published as a National Standard of Canada in December 2024. 

  The document, which outlines technical design requirements for online voting services and best practices for the implementation of online voting in Canadian municipal elections, is accepting public comment through the DGSI website until Tuesday, March 3. 

  Goodman says the voluntary standard sets the stage for municipal elections in the digital age, “marking an important step toward creating a cross-country regulatory framework for election technologies in Canada.”

  “Having input from the public and relevant stakeholders is important as they have practical knowledge about what works and what does not, as well as insights into new trends in the online voting space or municipal sector,” she says. “This ensures the standard reflects technical innovations while also considering implementation challenges and compatibility issues. It can also help anticipate new risks or issues that need to be addressed by the standard to support local communities to deliver safer digital elections.”

  
  The number of Ontario municipalities using digital technologies has climbed steadily since 2003.

  “Ontario’s elections are the most digitally enabled elections in Canada, with 222 municipalities having used online voting in 2022,” Goodman says. “I expect that we will see record levels of online voting use in the 2026 municipal elections this fall, making the standard especially important.”

  As elections continue to digitize, Goodman says maintaining electoral integrity through the regulation of digital technologies in elections is critical.

  “For a time, Canada was the only country in the world to use election technologies without regulations, even though Canada has one of the highest rates of use,” she says. “We’ve also had several technical incidents occur as technologies are adopted, emphasizing the importance of putting standards in place.” 

  Goodman’s research has shown that technical difficulties, such as those seen in Ontario’s 2018 municipal elections, can negatively affect attitudes about casting an online vote. 

  “You have to think about the impact on public perception when residents see their municipality declaring a state of emergency because of something to do with online voting,” she says. “When introducing technology to help with democracy — to improve voter turnout, accessibility and convenience — if we’re not putting in place the proper protocols, we could be doing the exact opposite.”

  The voluntary standard applies only to municipal elections, so it will not be a factor in federal or provincial elections. But Goodman believes it could be built upon for use in higher levels of government.

  The Northwest Territories, for example, wrote their own regulation for online voting informed by DGSI’s municipal process, she says. 

  Goodman and Essex discuss how standards can be adapted to other levels of government and identify additional regulatory measures that could support digital elections at higher levels of government in “The Complex Challenges of Regulating Election Technologies in Canada.” The chapter will appear in the forthcoming Regulating Digital, which Goodman co-edited with Helen Hayes of McGill University for University of Toronto Press. 

  View the online voting standard on the DGSI website and select the “Provide Comment” tab to leave feedback.

  
  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:

  *Sarah Ackles, Communications Specialist, Brock University [email protected] or 289-241-5483 

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  Categories: Media releases