Dr. Poh Tan is an entrepreneur, a stem cell biologist, an educator, and a mother. She has made positive impacts on many people’s lives throughout her career. Poh’s current focus is on inspiring young children and their educators to use scientific thinking as a tool to open up their world and courageously walk into a bright future full of limitless possibilities.
Poh is part of the Community Scientist Initiative and Scientist in Schools Programs at the Telus World of Science, a graduate writing facilitator for the SFU library, an industry mentor for the Beedie School of Business and is active on the scientific panel at the Rare Genomics Institute.
You can email Poh at: poh [at] pohtanphd.ca
TEDx Speaker
Poh is a two-time invited Speaker for TEDx. True to her strength as an interdiciplinarian, below are her talks as an academic expert on two different subjects: Education (TEDxUnisinos, Porto Alegre, Brazil), and Stem Cell Science (TEDx Stanley Park, Vancouver, BC).
TEDxUnisinos, Porto Alegre, Brazil
On Education: What I learned about life and dreams from my Grade 7 teacher
Dr. Tan speaks about how a teacher’s subtle acknowledgement and appreciation can have a significant impact on a student’s moral. This talk is for all educators whose hopes and dreams are to make a difference in their student’s lives. Direct Link to TEDx
TEDxStanleyPark, Vancouver, Canada
Myths and Misconceptions On Stem Cells
Academics and Publications
Poh obtained her first PhD from the Faculty of Medicine at the University of British Columbia focusing on the biology of blood stem cells. After becoming a mother, she decided to pursue a second PhD from the Faculty of Education at Simon Fraser University to understand early learners development. Her research is focused on understanding early scientific literacy through self-study and reflective practices.