Contributors: Winter 2024

Meet the IMS Magazine Winter 2024 Team

Graphic design by Jayne Leggatt

Niki Akbarian is a second-year MSc student under the supervision of Dr. James Kennedy. Her research focuses on the genomic analyses of the relationship between neuroticism and Alzheimer’s Disease. Outside of academia, Niki enjoys photography, playing the piano, and watching sitcoms.

Kristen Ashworth is a second-year MSc student working under the supervision of Dr. Brian Ballios at the Donald K. Johnson Eye Institute and Krembil Research Institute. Her thesis work is focused on developing a human retinal organoid model in which to evaluate stem cell therapies for USH2A-associated inherited retinal disease. Kristen loves cross country running, reading a good book, going to Marshalls, and most importantly, doting on her two adorable golden retrievers.

Stacey Butler is a PhD candidate. Under the supervision of Dr. Andrea Gershon, she is evaluating the quality of care for patients with respiratory disease using a population-based approach.

Twitter: @StaceyJButler

Kevan Clifford is a PhD candidate in the IMS program, with a cross-appointment at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. Working under the supervision of Dr. Yuliya Nikolova, his research combines bioinformatics and neuroimaging to characterize mechanisms of brain aging at the genetic level, and outcomes on brain structure and function. Outside of the lab, Kevan enjoys trail running, photography, and a good book.

Anthaea-Grace Patricia Dennis is a first-year MSc student studying machine learning techniques in biomarker discovery for Parkinson’s disease under the supervision of Dr. Antonio Strafella at Toronto Western Hospital. When not researching, Anthaea-Grace Patricia enjoys playing the violin, taking care of her cats, and reading a good book.

Mahbod Ebrahimi is a second-year MSc student investigating the association between immune gene expression and schizophrenia subphenotypes under the supervison of Dr. James Kennedy. Outside of research, Mahbod enjoys a good book, playing chess, and listening to Jazz music. Mahbod is also a member of our social media team.

Twitter: @mahbooli99

Sipan Haikazian is a second-year MSc student researching the efficacy and safety of maintenance ketamine infusions for relapse prevention in patients with treatment-resistant bipolar depression, under the supervision of Dr. Joshua Rosenblat. Outside of research, Sipan enjoys running, weightlifting and dancing bachata.

Twitter: @sipan_haikazian

Jason Lo Hog Tian is a PhD candidate examining the mechanisms linking HIV stigma and health under the supervision of Dr. Sean Rourke

Twitter: @JasonLoHogTian

Nikou Kelardashti is a second-year MSc student under the supervision of Dr. Karen Davis. Her research focuses on the relationship between neural oscillations and pain-attention interaction. Outside of academia, Nikou enjoys reading poetry and classic literature, watching old movies, and going for long walks.

Janet Z. Li is a second-year MSc student studying the brain-behavior relationships between conditioned pain modulation capability and functional connectivity of key pathways within the dynamic pain connectome, namely the descending antinociceptive pathway. She is supervised by Dr. Karen Davis at the Krembil Brain Institute in Toronto Western Hospital. Outside of research, she can be found practicing piano, figure skating, creating fashion content, and café hopping.

Instagram: @jan.et.li

Carmen Li recently completed her MSc in oral immunotherapy clinical trials for children with food allergies under the supervision of Dr. Thomas Eiwegger and Dr. Theo Moraes at Sickkids Hospital. When not researching, you can usually spot Carmen in coffee shops, picking out new novels and trying out new baking recipes.

Instagram: ccarmen_li

Denise Sabac is a second-year MSc student working with Dr. Felsky in the Krembil Centre for Neuroinformatics at CAMH. Her work aims to subtype mental illnesses in treatment-seeking youth using Similarity Network Fusion analysis of the Toronto Adolescent & Youth CAMH Cohort Study data. Aside from research, Denise enjoys playing sports, walking along sandy beaches, and drinking lots of coffee.

Sara Shariati is a second-year MSc student, investigating gene expression changes in mesothelioma patients post-radiotherapy under the supervision of Dr. Marc de Perrot at Toronto General Hospital. Outside of research, she enjoys swimming, cafe hopping, writing, and reading about sociology.

Instagram and Twitter: @sarashariati_

Rachel Yang is a first-year MSc student studying the capability of a nanoparticle for precise tumor magnetic resonance imaging and its potential to reduce hypoxia to complement radiotherapy. She is conducting her research under the supervision of Dr. Michael Milosevic at the Princess Margaret Cancer Research Tower. In her spare time, she takes pleasure in taking walks, running outdoors, playing songs on the piano, and engaging in spontaneous activities.

SOCIAL MEDIA TEAM

Elizabeth Karvasarski (Lead) is a PhD IMS at Mount Sinai Catheterization Laboratory under the supervision of Dr. Susanna Mak. Her research involves investigating right ventricular and pulmonary arterial interactions in patients with pulmonary hypertension and heart failure. Outside of research, Elizabeth practices martial arts and is a 4th degree black belt.