ANDREW IJEVER
Positions
Masters Student
Faculty of Graduate Studies
Contact information
Location
Office: HSC2936B
Preferred method of communication
Background
Educational Background
Bachelor of Science (Honours) Medical Imaging (First Class), University of Calabar, Nigeria, 2021
Biography
Andrew Wueseter Ijever is a medical imaging scientist driven by a deep commitment to improving brain health and patient outcomes. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Medical Imaging with distinction from the University of Calabar, Nigeria, where he graduated as the best student among 4,955 graduands and was named valedictorian at the institution’s 34th convocation ceremony.
Andrew’s clinical experience across teaching hospitals and private healthcare facilities in Nigeria exposed him firsthand to the growing burden of stroke and other vascular brain disorders. Witnessing the long-term impact of these conditions which are often compounded by delayed diagnosis and limited follow-up care ignited his passion for research and prevention-focused medicine.
He subsequently enrolled in graduate studies at the University of Calgary, where his research explores vascular neuroimaging markers of cognitive impairment and dementia. His work seeks to uncover early, vascular imaging-based indicators of disease risk, with the aim of enabling timely intervention and improving quality of life for aging populations.
Guided by a strong sense of purpose, Andrew is dedicated to bridging the gap between advanced vascular imaging research and real-world clinical care. He aspires to translate scientific discovery into practical tools that support early diagnosis, personalized treatment, and healthier aging across diverse populations.
Projects
Under the supervision of Dr. Eric Smith, Andrew is working on two research projects using data from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA).
The first project examines emerging evidence that COVID-19 may be neuroinvasive, with persistent neurological and cognitive symptoms such as fatigue, brain fog, and increased dementia risk—potentially driven by viral-induced coagulopathy and endothelial dysfunction contributing to cerebral ischemia, which may lead to cerebral small vessel disease . Using arterial spin labeling (ASL), this work evaluates differences in cortical grey matter cerebral blood flow between COVID-19 cases and uninfected controls, assesses MRI markers of cerebral ischemia (infarcts, microbleeds, and white matter hyperintensity volume), and examines their relationships with cognitive performance and viral-related symptom incidence and severity. This study will provide answers as to how COVID-19 affects the brain and also guide treatment options to target immediate and longer term effects of the virus.
The second project uses data from the CLSA Healthy Brain Study to identify the determinants of cerebral blood flow in the healthy general population and how these impact normal function. Both projects are funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Weston Family Foundation.
Awards
- Donald Burns & Louise Berlin Graduate Award in Dementia Research, Hotchkiss Brain Institute. 2025
- Alberta Graduate Excellence Scholarship (AGES)- International, 2025
- VAST Graduate Scholarship Award- Masters, Vascular Training Platform. 2025
- Valedictorian Award, University of Calabar, Calabar Nigeria. 2021
- First Class Prize (Medical Imaging) , University of Calabar, Calabar Nigeria. 2021
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