New neighbours on Green Belt Drive
The number of fun-loving kids in our neighbourhood just went up by two. Scott and Edlyn Tsai moved into our neighbourhood with their daughters Abigail and Chloe a couple of months ago. Scott is an associate professor and affiliate scientist at Ryerson/St Mike’s Hospital working on microfluidics and Edlyn is a former Grades 1 and 2 schoolteacher.
Edlyn is from Union, New Jersey. Scott grew up in Newmarket, Ontario. They met each other when Scott was doing his PhD at Harvard and then Princeton. As with all good relationships (read this is how Joe and I met), they were set up by friends. Along with both having good brains on their shoulders, they both attend the same church. The connection really got off the ground when Scott’s doctoral sponsoring professor moved from Harvard to Princeton. With Princeton in New Jersey, they were able to deepen their relationship.
Eventually, Scott and Edlyn began a new chapter of life when Scott accepted a cross-appointed position at Ryerson University and St. Michael’s Hospital where he is working on biomedical disease diagnostics technologies. Using microfluidic devices, his team is trying to isolate biomarkers in blood that will be able to identify disease states. It’s now Scott’s turn to be the sponsoring professor for PhD students working in the rarified field of Biomedical Engineering. Living in Canada for the first time, Edlyn is thoroughly enjoying the diverse and welcoming culture of Toronto.
When Scott and Edlyn were looking for their new home, they specifically wanted a townhouse. It was an online search that revealed our little neighbourhood. “When we came to explore the area, we didn’t realize these homes were freehold,” says Scott. “We wanted a townhouse that was close to schools, parks with easy access to downtown. My lab continues to be operational during COVID, so easy access to downtown was mandatory.”
“We absolutely loved the area as soon as we found it,” says Edlyn. “We want this to be our forever home. Scott loves to mountain bike in Sunnybrook Park, the girls love our neighbourhood park and are already making friends, although they would like to meet more girls.”
“We’re really focused on family life with the girls. We cook and bake together. Both Abigail (6) and Chloe (3) love to play imaginary games with their favourite being doctor. Their much-loved TV show is Doc McStuffins. They wake up in the morning and report on how many patient appointments they have that day,” says Edlyn. “Now they are focused on giving out vaccines.”
During our interview with Scott and Edlyn, both girls showed up with their stethoscope and medical bag for our review. I think we may have future surgeons in our midst.