Clara Tapia

My name is Clara Tapia and I am on my second year of the thesis-based Neuroscience master's degree at the University of Calgary. My research project aims to find an optimized targeting method for Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) to treat depression in adolescents. To address this issue, I am analyzing functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) scans utilizing specific softwares, including FSL, RStudio, MRIcroGL, Advanced Research Computing (ARC) and bash command language. I am also using the scores of the Hamilton Depression to assess clinical efficacy. So far, I have realized how debilitating mental health conditions can be, and how little we know about them. I want give my best effort to help people that suffer from these type of disorders, as well as contributing to understand the complexity of the brain. I am very passionate about Neuroscience, Psychology, Sports and Music. I have been involved high-performance basketball for more than 10 years. I am currently part of the women's basketball team of the university. I have seen the impact of mental health conditions in the athletic community, particularly concussions. I am extremely interested in finding tools to help the assessment and recovery of concussions-related symptoms such as balance, or of other mental health dysfunctions affecting athletes. Additionally, I have taken Musical Theory and piano classes for more than 10 years as well. I have seen with my own eyes how powerful the music can be to treat many health issues. I believe it is a fantastic therapy for adults and children with learning disabilities or other health issues, and I am very keen on learning and getting involved with music therapy. Overall, I love solving problems affecting human's health and well-being. I am an ambitious and curios person, with a high work-ethic, ready for challenges and excited to learn new skills.